www.asianovel.

com
i

Kasou Ryouiki no Elysion

仮想領域のエリュシオン Elysion Virtual Region

Synopsis:
An incredibly athletic older brother, Tenryu Taiga. A programming genius
girl, Tenryu Fuyuki. The two siblings separated for eight years ended up
living under one roof again after facing the problem – a lack of funds for
living expanses. Fuyuki proposes a way to earn money, a core system
deeply involved in people’s daily lives, a game that awards you money
as a prize for defeating malicious bugs in cyber world, the
《Aries》structure. Taiga after becoming a warrior in the game relying on
his inborn senses, is puzzled by the unfamiliar sensation. One day
Saionji Rui, Fuyuki’s best friend appears and is attacked by a mysterious
bug― “I’ll be waiting, my prince.”. Hybrid fantasy battle of cheating
siblings begins here!
Author(s): Jouchi Kazuma

Artist(s): Nauribon

Year: 2013

Country: Japan

Genre: Action, Fantasy, Shounen,

Tags: Brother Complex, Brother-sister Relationship, Fighters, Hackers,

Love Triangles, Sister Complex, Smart Female Lead, Strong Male Lead,
Virtual Reality,

Translator: N/A

E-Book Maker: http://www.asianovel.com

Download the next book in the series for free:

www.asianovel.com
ii

http://www.asianovel.com/series/kasou-ryouiki-no-elysion/

www.asianovel.com
iii

Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................... i
Vol. 1 : Chapter 0: Prologue ............................................................. 2
Vol. 1 : Chapter 1 ............................................................................. 15
Vol. 1 : Chapter 2 ............................................................................. 66
Vol. 1 : Chapter 3 ........................................................................... 113
Vol. 1 : Chapter 4 ........................................................................... 155
Vol. 1 : Chapter 5 ........................................................................... 195
Vol. 1 : Chapter Epilogue .............................................................. 231
Vol. 2 : Chapter 0: Prologue ......................................................... 241
Vol. 2 : Chapter 1 ........................................................................... 248
Vol. 2 : Chapter 2 ........................................................................... 288
Vol. 2 : Chapter 3 ........................................................................... 319
Vol. 2 : Chapter 4 ........................................................................... 372
Vol. 2 : Chapter 5 ........................................................................... 422
Vol. 2 : Chapter Epilogue .............................................................. 478
Vol. 3 : Chapter 0: Prologue ......................................................... 484
Vol. 3 : Chapter 1 ........................................................................... 491
Vol. 3 : Chapter 2 ........................................................................... 539
Vol. 3 : Chapter 3 ........................................................................... 574
Vol. 3 : Chapter 4 ........................................................................... 616
Vol. 3 : Chapter 5 ........................................................................... 656
Vol. 3 : Chapter Epilogue .............................................................. 711
Disclaimer ........................................................................................ 723

www.asianovel.com
1

www.asianovel.com
2

Vol. 1 :

Chapter 0: Prologue

Part 1
"...eh? You are back to being siblings?"

"Didn't I tell you that for a while now?"

A vast grassland was spreading in every direction, likely reaching the

ends of the earth.

Wind faintly caressed the grass producing one, two waves of dark green.
And standing in the middle of the spreading glittering wave, were two
girls.

One of them, was wearing a mysteriously blended kimono. The other

one, was wearing something that looked like a white coat.

"U〜mm, I knew you have a brother, you’ve always been bragging about
it ever since we first met."

"Yes. He’s a brother a little sister like me can be proud of."

The girl with chestnut coloured hair who wore a white coat had a
troubled expression. Her hair that was reaching her shoulder blades,
swayed lightly in the wind.

The other one, the 『Little Sister』, wore a strange, modified kimono. She
had glossy black hair, long enough to cover the entirety of her thin back

www.asianovel.com
3

that was shaped like a piece of art. And above all, there was one more
characteristic – she had clear and serene sky-blue eyes like a lapis lazuli.

"Little Sister longed for this day to come. Finally being able to live
together with Brother. Can you understand the feelings of a little sister
who, for 8 years was, aaa〜〜〜〜lways waiting for this day? No, Rucchan
who is not a little sister, cannot understand it."

"...eh? Is it only Rui-san who thinks what she heard was weird?"

Being unable to meet their precious person——she didn’t seem to hear it

like that.

Rucchan, Saionji Rui, showed an even more troubled expression.

Looking at her friend’s expression, Fuyuki regretted her fierce outburst.

"It’s not strange at all, every little drop of Little Sister’s blood, every
strand of her hair, exists for the sake of her brother. And her brother’s
everything, from the tips of his toes, to the top of his head, belongs to
Little Sister. Isn’t that common sense in this world?"

"No, I’ve never heard of such common sense. Rather, aren’t siblings like
that scary?"

"How rude. What do you know about little sisters, Rucchan?"

"Certainly, Rui-san isn’t a little sister, however, at least she knows it’s
weird."

Lately——she thought that her best friend really loved her brother.

Ever since she met her, she heard so many stories about her brother,
anyone listening to it would notice that.

Indeed, Karasuba Fuyuki is a brocon, and an extreme one too.

The fact that she had a very small body aside, ten out of ten men would
find her attractive.

Speaking of which, that girl had no interest in any men other than her

www.asianovel.com
4

brother——

"Just now, I’ve had a really bad feeling. Did you think of something
rude?"

"Ahaha, there’s no such thing."

And she was quite sharp.

Fuyuki looked at Rui who broke out in a cold sweat after lying to her.
However, her line of sight was drawn lower as she thought——and
stopped at the bulging out chest that couldn't compare to her own.

"...it’s all right, Little Sister. You know your size is just right for your
height."

"Don’t scowl like you want to take revenge on your parents when you
say that."

Thoughtlessly, Rui got quite scared because she had a well-endowed

body.

It could not be helped, because for girls in puberty, the size of their
breasts was a symbol of status.

Especially, when comparing her breasts with her friend's who was the
same age, Fuyuki's turned out quite pitiful.

"...I’m not envious at all."

"Ahaha..."

The two of them walked through the vast grassland that does not exist
in modern Japan. Although, because of that topic, the atmosphere
around them might have become a little bit threatening, they were
getting along quite well.

"Now, what did we talk about again?"

"About Brother!"

"Ah, that’s right. So, what do you mean you’re back to being siblings?

www.asianovel.com
5

You’re saying it as if you weren’t siblings until now."

"Hmm, Rucchan, how much did I tell you about Brother?"

"A lot, and in detail. I imagine him to be an amazing person after hearing
Fuyuki’s stories."

"And about Little Sister’s home?"

"Your parents died 8 years ago and you were picked up by the
Karasubas, or something like that."

She was lucky to be taken in by the Karasuba group, which was a

leading network company in the world〜, is what she thought. Though
she didn’t know about her daily life because she never met her best
friend outside of the Elysion, she was definitely living quite a wealthy
life.

"If you know that much, the rest is simple. Brother and Little Sister were
taken to separate houses and were forbidden to meet ever since."

"In other words, for whole 8 years?"

For Rui, learning that, was the biggest surprise today.

And this brocon little sister endured such long period of time well〜,
that's one.

The other was, why does she yearn for him so much even though they
haven’t met in 8 years〜.

Didn't she consider he might have changed at all?

Moreover, it’s been 8 years. There’s no telling how he grew up.

Considering the little sister’s looks, her brother couldn’t be ugly,

however, there was no way of knowing how his personality was.

When she asked about that——

"I’m not worried at all, in the first place, we’ve been in touch since last
year."

www.asianovel.com
6

"Umm? Weren’t you forbidden from meeting each other?"

"We didn’t meet, we spoke face to face through the terminal."

Terminal——an abbreviation for Individual Structure Management

Terminal——that allowed interactive face-to-face communication with a
far away location using a Hologram, however...

"...The Karasubas overlooked such a simple thing?"

"No way. I’m happy that we met in the cyber world, as expected the
monitoring was very strict, I had no choice but to hack Karasuba
headquarters and rewrite the terminal monitoring program.
Understanding the program structure, camouflaging anti-monitoring
measures, cracking security... and it took me 7 years to skill up."

"No, you’re talking about doing something crazy hard as if it was

something simple? Can Fuyuki do such a thing?"

The world’s biggest networking company, 『Karasuba』, hacking into its

headquarters with 7 years worth of hacking experience, a girl at the
young age of 15.

Just for the sake of contacting her brother.

"...Oh well, that’s fine. It can’t be helped, now that it's done. So, why
were you forbidden from meeting in the first place? Was the relationship
between the households you were taken into that bad?"

"That’s one of the reasons, the main reason was to prevent both of us
from escaping. Because, Little Sister always said that she wanted to live
together with Brother."

"...in other words, they were concerned that you would elope. No matter
how you look at it, you’re siblings so that’s——"

"That’s why we had to wait 8 years before we could run away."

"..."

"..."

www.asianovel.com
7

"Eh? To elope?"

"Yes. Because it’s the only way for me to be together with Brother."

Fuyuki said to Rui, causing her to be stunned in amazement. Despite her

repeating brother brother brother-brother-brother for years, she didn’t
think it would go that far.

"That means the property nearby you told me about? Is that——"

"Ah, I didn’t tell you yet. I’ll be in your care from tomorrow onwards."

"Do you intend on moving away and making a runaway declaration at

once?"

"We already have enough money for living expenses, it’s a good time as
we are about to enter high school. Also, we don’t intend to – we already
did. Little Sister is currently in a business hotel."

"...You’re lucky that Karasuba didn’t find you."

Fuyuki was a genius programmer, and a hacker. The Karasuba group

won’t let her out of their hands because she’ll yield profits. They won’t
let go of her as long as she continues to do so.

"I’ve stopped Karasuba main server just before, giving myself time to
move. And, while I was at it, I made a change in the family register, Little
Sister is no longer 『Karasuba Fuyuki』."

"Stopped the main server..."

"Oh, I’ve also infected it with a virus that will not allow it to recover that
easily. Little Sister’s special, it will take at least three days to remove it."

"That’s a billion... no, the damages might be even worse."

"Little Sister left that house now, I don’t know them anymore. In the first
place, Karasuba were the ones who pulled Brother and Little Sister
apart, I resent them to the bone."

The dark emotions Fuyuki harboured could be seen in her vividly

www.asianovel.com
8

coloured pupils. She actually held techniques good enough to stop a

world-renowned cyber company, and the intent to perform such a thing
without hesitation. A chill went down Rui’s spine.

Trying to shake that thought away, she changed the topic.

"Also, what about your brother? He ran away from home too, right?"

"Yes. Brother is heading to this hotel today, he should have arrived in

the city by now——"

She stopped, stood still, and was looking towards the sky.

A distant, crystal clear, and cloudless fantastical sky spread in every

direction. It was as if her eyes saw the other world in the distance, the
real world.

"I’m in the middle of running away from home."

She muttered.

It was time for Fuyuki’s and Rui’s encounter in the cyber world to end.

Part 2
A large Japanese-style building in the mountains far from populated
areas. Though the mansion was usually silent, inhabited, and wrapped in
the darkness of the night. That day, its appearance was different from
usual.

Echoing and cutting through the darkness were sounds of gunfire and
metal crossing each other.

"Pursue him, don’t let him escape in the name of Renjou!"

"Yes!!"

Men belonging to the military, instructed by their leader, on orders from

their commander were chasing after a single boy that was running away.

He had black hair that was suitably trimmed. The good looking boy had

www.asianovel.com
9

a fearless expression. Aware that pursuers were approaching from

behind, he ran through the long corridor.

Even as he ran as fast as the wind, his sky-blue eyes reflected light like a
lapis lazuli stone.

"Geez, how disciplined. Unless I do something I’ll be caught!!"

After he muttered these words a projectile was shot from behind. The
number of pursuers increased to ten men, he judged it with his eyes
glancing as he ran. All of them looked awfully rough and held large
handguns.

The dozen from before, all with a military gun 『Blaster』, the gun's
application depended on the type of bullet used, jumped out.

"Give up... you’re surrounded."

Despite hearing the tone of voice of the soldier blocking the front, the
boy was completely relaxed.

Even though the bullets used were configured to be anti-riot paralysis

ones, his expression didn’t look like someone’s at whom 10 guns were
aimed at.

In front of him, a person who looked like the commanding officer of the
pursuers stepped forward.

"It’s about time, could you please surrender, young master."

"It’s an interesting joke, Kasai. Did you think you could catch me with
something of this degree?"

With a fierce smile, the boy turned his body slowly to the side.

His posture was very close to a natural stance, it wasn’t enough to be

called a proper stance. However, the men surrounding him could not
hide that they were shaken by the keen spirit he emitted.

Of course, they were familiar with the boy in front of them. And with the
fact that he should not be judged by his appearance.

www.asianovel.com
10

They knew very well about the tremendous abilities he was hiding.

"Certainly, normally even a hundred won’t be a match for the young

master. However, even if we don’t have a thousand with us now, we
have obtained permission to use blasters against you... I think that’s
enough for us to win?"

"Ho〜, you sure have a lot to say. I’ll give you advice out of consideration
of your spirit. If you want to compete with me, at least use particle
cannon mode and use live ammunition. Even ten thousand paralysis
bullets can’t stop me."

"...then, I’ll take you up on those words. Release the second restriction
of the blaster, everyone use blast mode!"

"K-Kasai-san is crazy, blast mode is used against large machinery such

as tanks and battleships, if it even grazes a human there will be no trace
of him left."

Said one of the crew members as he spew foam from his mouth. It was
just as he said. Though the particle cannon mode was the trump card
and the final form of blaster, it also had limited ammo. It had the power
to shoot through thick armour as if it was made from paper.

Without a doubt, it was not something intended to be used against a

single human.

However, this Renjou.

Hidden behind the scenes in history ever since ancient times, a military
clan that acted as mercenaries throughout the world.

And the boy was said to be the greatest genius ever among the Renjou.

"It’s not someone you can hold back against... everyone, shoot to kill!"

*gachari*, all muzzles were directed towards him simultaneously. Even

before the purple electricity appearing in front of the bullets, sparkling
and crackling, the boy’s expression didn’t change at all.

www.asianovel.com
11

Then the atmosphere became serious all at once——

"...my little sister is waiting. I’ll have you let me pass quickly."

"Everyone, fire!!"

Along with the voice, there was a flash of light.

"........................"

In the mansion of the Renjou’s main family, standing in the room at the
top floor of the building, was a single man.

A large man that had a body looking like Iwao, he quietly emitted a
strong fighting spirit, in front of him was a katana——he picked up one
of the two heirlooms of the Renjou family.

"——You came, Taiga."

"Yeah, I’m here——father."

Answering his voice, the door was blown away with a roar. Its centre was
lying on the ground, squashed badly, it no longer looked like a door.

The intruder’s name was Renjou Taiga.

Just as his name stated, he was one of the Renjou. The terrifying enemy
that drove away 80% of the combatants in Renjou’s main house that
day. And met with his enemy, Renjou’s 33th generation’s family head,
Taiga’s adoptive father, Renjou Gouki.

"Your determination is... unchanged."

"Although I feel indebted to you for bringing me up, that has been paid
off a long time ago. It may be selfish of me, but I will live where I want,
and do what I want. Am I wrong?"

"You’re wrong. Even if our blood does not flow through your veins, all of
Renjou lives in your body. You are the testament of our clan, that’s why
you are not allowed to go. More precisely, you’re too dangerous to be
allowed to go."

www.asianovel.com
12

*shichin*, the sharp sword was drawn from its sheath. One that’s
classified as a nodachi, a large sword with nearly a meter long blade.

This blade that could cut a human apart, was directed towards Taiga.

"——————————"

"——————————"

Not a single word was spoken.

Both of them looked for a chance to take down the other, they predicted
each other’s actions.

The sword wielding Gouki, and Taiga without a weapon. Gouki had the
advantage.

And——it was suddenly settled.

Without any visible trigger, both figures jumped in at the same time, a
fist shot out at the same time as the katana slashed.

The blade’s edge didn’t reach the boy, it flew towards the sky in vain.
And from Gouki’s mouth... crimson red liquid was spit on the floor.

"...as expected...even unarmed...guh..."

"Sorry father, I’ve held back so you won’t die."

Taiga muttered with his left fist embedded in Gouki’s side, he pulled his
fist away.

After receiving the blow, his father’s body rolled to the floor casually. He
barely retained consciousness, and his eyes were thinly opened.

"...what do you...plan...to do now..."

"Pack up and leave, I came here because I forgot something."

He replied dutifully to the hoarse voice, he took the other heirloom in his
hands and swung it. He clenched his hand on its grip to make sure it felt
familiar.

www.asianovel.com
13

"Probably, we won’t meet ever again."

"Is that...so..."

That was what he conveyed in the end, and calmly walked away. Some
people who lack information might think there was a bad relationship
between them because they’re not blood-related.

However, between two warriors, the winner didn’t have anything to tell
to the loser, and the loser could only remain silent——

After 8 long years, they could finally relate to each other, until the end,
that wasn’t the case.

"...I’ve lived here for 8 years, I’ve grown attached in a way."

After defeating his father, and taking down all his pursuers, he finally
regained silence.

Taiga’s figure was visible in the forest. Sky-blue eyes that would not
disappear, could be seen even in darkness, staring.

Renjou’s house was already far away.

After looking behind at it, as if burning the scene in his eyes in the end,
he started walking once again.

www.asianovel.com
14

"I’m no longer Renjou Taiga. My name is——"

"I’m no longer Karasuba Fuyuki. Little Sister’s name is——"

"Tenryo Taiga."

"Tenryo Fuyuki."

The time that stopped for the siblings 8 years ago, started flowing once
more.

www.asianovel.com
15

Vol. 1 :

Chapter 1

Part 1
A remote city that has significantly developed in the few recent decade.

The most important factor that allowed it to develop would be the

presence of the 《Kiritou Group》 a conglomerate that has its
headquarters in this land.

It came down to the point where the city's management was no longer
done by the government, instead it was done by Kiritou now which
resulted in the city benefiting greatly.

From establishing new schools, the most advanced Elysion that its
foundation, and second life of many people. It seemed like Kiritou cast
their shadow on all of it.

Because of all that, it was now called: New City.

And now, in a town like that, a boy starts his new life——

"Hey you, what do you have wrapped on your back there?"

"Ah, this is just a bamboo sword okay? It's nothing dangerous alright?"

He was caught by the police in front of the station.

Stations were common routes for bringing in dangerous materials, so a

www.asianovel.com
16

police box's window was installed where the traffic was greatest.

It was right before noon, a policeman watching the ticket gate happened
to find a boy. Although he was normally dressed, he had a slender, one
meter long wrapping strapped on his back——in modern times it was
obvious to be wary of unknown things like that.

"A bamboo sword? Even though it's this heavy?"

"Yeah〜...look, it's this heavy because the core is made out of metal! It
has a pretty good feel because of that!"

"Well, for the time being, why don't you show it to me?"

".................."

".................."

"...farewell!"

"Hey brat! Don't run away!"

But even though he said that, he couldn't catch the boy.

The boy couldn't pull out a blade that was a perfectly dangerous
weapon. It was already a miracle that he arrived there without getting
caught.

The boy, who rushed through the crowd with large steps was——Tenryo
Taiga.

While carrying a nodachi that weighted a few kilograms, he ran like the
wind, shaking off the police officers that followed him in the blink of an
eye.

After leaving the crowd he continued to run for a while until he made
some distance, and finally took a breather.

"Haa〜, to think I was suddenly spotted. This thing stands out after all, I
didn't notice it before because at Renjou's it was normal to carry these."

In fact this boy, was probably lacking common sense.

www.asianovel.com
17

"Well, I'll just break through with force if I have to. After all, it's just
police."

Correction, even if it wasn't just police, he would still do it.

Although he remembered the directions from the station, if he went back

now he would meet those policemen again. Thus he judged that the best
way to proceed would be by operating the device attached to his
wrist——and he started the window.

On the map of the New City, his position was displayed as a red dot.
Taiga looked at the illusory map visible only to him, and memorized the
geography of the area.

"U〜mm, the destination is... here."

There was a blue marker on the map located about five minutes by foot
away from his position. And written on top of the marker was 『Little
sister is here』 with a very lousy handwriting. Taiga slowly started to
walk in that direction.

As expected of New City, every building was modern and clean.

Taiga who lived in seclusion before looked around curiously sightseeing

like a country hick.

He walked like that and finally his destination came into view (it took
him twice as long because of sightseeing).

"It was the top floor wasn't it..."

It was a mansion that stood in the corner of the area with expensive
homes, also it was within the walking distance from the station. There
were only two apartments on each floor, and each was classified as a
luxurious apartment. It was clearly different from all other buildings
surrounding it.

"...uwaa〜 that Fuyuki, she really splurged on this. Will our funds hold
out?"

www.asianovel.com
18

Even though Taiga earned a decent amount of money while doing

various requests at Renjou's, it would still be hard to buy an apartment
in this mansion.

He walked past by the perfectly clean reception desk, and entered the
elevator aiming for the top floor.

*ding*——The arrival at the highest floor was announced with a light

electronic sound, after which the door opened.

"Beep—beep—. Warning. The owner of this apartment is currently

moving in. People unrelated to moving in are asked to leave."

"People related are to finish their work and leave quickly as well."

"Requesting brain wave authentication."

"Yes yes... there you go."

He saw an automatically-controlled machine approach him the moment

he set a foot on the floor, a 《Drone》——the small flying machine——was
a terminal the brain waves confirmation was supposed to be sent to.

The vein authentication, fingerprint authentication... there were many

methods of authentication, and now the mainstream was brainwave
authentication. It was possible to identify individuals by the information
measured with the terminal.

"Authentication complete. Confirmed to be the current resident Tenryo

Taiga. Please come in."

After saying that, the egg-like robot went back to work as if nothing
happened.

There was a lot of luggage piled up nearly reaching the ceiling in the
hallway, it seemed like the moving in work just started. A dozen of
drones were taking them into the apartment one after another.

Honestly speaking, they looked creepy, like some kind of insects.

"Technically speaking, drones were always my enemies..."

www.asianovel.com
19

Though, the military drones armed with blasters weren't as fancy as

these. He destroyed thousands of small, medium, and large sized ones.
Truth be told, he almost reflexively cut down the security drones
deployed around the city before.

Even though he got used to them being deployed in the city now, the old
habits don't die easily.

While avoiding the white eggs moving to and from, he entered the
apartment through the wide-opened door. There was only one
apartment on the top floor. The other part of the floor was taken by a
garden.

Because of that, the cost of the top floor was accordingly higher.

"As expected of Fuyuki. She chose a good place."

Both Fuyuki and Taiga came from different fields, but both of them were
taken in by prestigious families. After taking a hurried look around, he
was quite pleased with the apartment.

He looked at the floor plan on the terminal. There was a living room,
bathroom, a dining room combined with kitchen, a toilet, and four rooms
in addition to a dressing room and a washroom. Two rooms would be left
over even after they moved in.

Well, one could be used as a storage room.

There was a large amount of luggage piled up in the hallway. Since

Taiga didn't have much personal belongings, about 70% of the luggage
was Fuyuki's. He didn't think that much luggage would fit in her room.

"—————, ———, —————"

Suddenly, he heard a voice.

Even among the racket made by the moving in work, his attention was
clearly attracted to the cool voice. Taiga put a hand on the doorknob of
the room he heard the voice from.

www.asianovel.com
20

*clank*——He turned the doorknob slowly, opening the door.

"Ah..."

There was a girl who bathed herself in the daylight that entered through
the window.

Her black hair shined brilliantly in the sunlight contrasting with her snow
white skin. The eyes of the girl who turned around had the colour of a
never-ending sky.

"——I'm back. It's been a while, Fuyuki."

"Yes. It's been eight years, Brother. Little Sister was eagerly waiting for
this moment."

Greeted with a blooming smile, the siblings were reunited.

Apparently she was speaking with someone. She closed the terminal's
window and faced towards him.

"You're quite late. No wonder the police was suspicious of you when
you're dressed like that."

"Wait a moment, why do you know that meine Schwester?!"

"Little Sister has been observing Brother ever since he left Renjou's by
hacking into the monitoring devices everywhere."

"Could you stop coming up with crimes so easily?!"

"Hmph, such hurtful words. Little Sister was just worried about her
brother who doesn't know the outside world."

She pouted slightly in a way that miraculously blended childishness and

adult charm, Taiga's heart skipped a beat taken by surprise.

Even though they were a twin brother and sister, they didn't speak face
to face for eight years (except for remote communication). The gap
between the image of her as a child and the current one was too big, if

www.asianovel.com
21

he wasn't careful he could see her as someone of the opposite sex.

That's how beautiful Fuyuki has become.

"What is it, brother? Did Little Sister do anything wrong?"

"Ah, no... it might be a little late, but you really grew up."

"That's Little Sister's line. Even though you were tall in the past, brother
has really grown too much."

"No, it's just you not growin——"

"——Suddenly, Little Sister was bullied. Brother, sit down in seiza over
there right now!"

"Eh? Suddenly wha—"

"Sit down."

"...yes."

He succumbed to the black pressure that emanated from her small

body.

A mere minute after he reunited with his little sister, a ridiculous

situation where the brother was ordered to sit in seiza happened, it
could be said that his honour gave him no choice but to do it.

He reaped what he sowed.

"Listen brother. This little sister certainly is shorter than average, but
she's just fifteen years old, there's still more room for growth."

"Yeah, that's certainly possible."

The possibility wasn't 0%. Still, it was just a dream.

"In the first place, if the twin brother has grown that tall, it's possible
that the little sister will also grow taller. One year, just one year in a
growth period is enough to——"

"No, the growth of men and women differs right? In the first place, I'm

www.asianovel.com
22

not that tall, just a little taller than average?"

"....... *rub rub*'

"Ouch, it hurts! Don't scratch me with your toes!"

"An attack of Little Sister who is so small. is like a mosquito bite isn't it."

She was quite angry. But suddenly her expression got unexpectedly
gentle.

Taiga was puzzled by her sudden change of mood. His little sister was
definitely angry just now.

"What is it?"

"Nothing... even though we reunited after eight years, it's as if we were

always together."

"...because we are siblings, isn't it."

"——Yes."

It was quite an embarrassing, but a cosy atmosphere.

What if it becomes awkward——is what the two of them secretly thought

earlier, but that insecurity was gone before they knew it.

Fuyuki looked into Taiga's eyes and bended her knees, their eyes of
exactly the same colour made contact and she slowly approached him.

"...umm... wait... hey..."

Fuyuki was an incredibly beautiful girl. Although she was quite small,
despite being her brother he admired her refined features that were like
the crystallization of art.

Fuyuki's face, with her cherry-blossom coloured lips captured Taiga's

gaze and wouldn't let go.

Her lips slowly approached the unmoving brother slowly and

provocatively——moved right beside his face, and closed on Taiga's ear.

www.asianovel.com
23

"Brother, moving in might take a little longer so let's go out for lunch."

She whispered with a voice like a bell, penetrating his brain, and backed
off immediately.

Somehow, he was oddly disappointed by that curt attitude——

"What is it, Brother? Maybe you wanted a kiss?"

"N-n-nn-nn- no way in hell! We're siblings, siblings!"

"Why don't I tell you something good, Brother."

Fuyuki approached him once again, she stopped at a distance at which

their lips almost touched.

"——Kissing with your little sister is not forbidden by law, you know?"

"——————!!!!"

Momentarily, his blood started boiling.

The same as his own, Fuyuki's pupils clearly saw through his inner
thoughts.

The red tongue crawling over the glossy red lips dulled his ability to
think.

"Blushing like that... Brother is so cute."

A finger that was like white porcelain stroked his cheek. He was strongly
hugged and his lips were almost stolen, but his reason kicked in, he
grasped her shoulders and separated the himself from her by force.

"D-d-dun make fun of your brother t-too much."

He was incredibly shaken.

And Fuyuki just looked satisfied as she found it interesting how her
brother was shaken up, she pulled her body up obediently standing up.

"Little Sister is satisfied. Let's stop the teasing at this."

www.asianovel.com
24

"It's too much for my heart..."

"Fufu, Brother seems not accustomed to girls."

"Uh... because all I did at Renjou's was training, there was no

opportunity for that. Even I want to have a girlfriend or two——"

"Brother, don't get too full of yourself and cheat. You'll die you know?"

"...I don't really get it, but I'm very sorry."

He apologized profusely to Fuyuki who made a gesture as if she twisted

something with both of her hands.

Although calmly thinking about it, there was no way she could do such a
thing with her thin arms, but the thirst for blood he felt derailed his
judgement.

"Keep your absurd remarks to yourself... it's a good time to go out for a
lunch. The moving in will take a little longer, and I have someone I want
to introduce to you."

The brother had no choice but to comply with his angry little sister. And
that aside, he didn't eat anything since last night anyway.

Part 2
The siblings left the mansion. It seemed like Fuyuki arrived in the city in
the morning as well, she kept walking by relying on the terminal's map
for directions.

It was a holiday, so a lot of young people could be seen here and there
in the city, within them were pairs that were dating. There was a school
nearby, so there was a lot of people who were the same age as them.

"Haa〜"

It's a holiday indeed, is what he thought after he saw that and sighed. It
was not a sigh caused by negative feelings, but one that came from pure
novelty.

www.asianovel.com
25

"Did something happen brother?"

"Mm, no... it's just, this is how a normal holiday is, huh. At Renjou during
holidays I was just immersing myself in training."

In the house at which those who reached the top of military gathered,
there was no concept of holiday. It wasn't necessary for Taiga either, it
was the first time for him to experience the 'Holiday-like' feeling.

"You've led a really lonely lifestyle, haven't you."

"I didn't really feel lonely. It was fun becoming stronger, and it's not like
I was always alone."

He thought about the days he kept training.

Moving with all he had, every day he swung his sword until the skin on
his fingers wore out.

He kept seeking strength, everything he did was for that sake.

Before he noticed, he was called the strongest, and surrounded by

subordinates.

It would be a lie if he said he didn't enjoy it. It would be a lie if he said he

didn't regret abandoning those days.

Even so——being able to stay together with his little sister, he didn't
hesitate.

Because his strength, commitment, and will, were obtained all for her
sake.

"Ah, it's here brother." And she stopped walking next to him.

Three minutes on foot from their apartment. There was a two-story

building by the back road on the side of main street many cars were
driving through.

"...café 《Paradise》?"

Even though it was called a café, it had a little grown-up feel to it, like a

www.asianovel.com
26

restaurant. At the first glance it felt more like a bar to be accurate——it

didn't have the glamour a café should have.

"Hmm certainly, it's just like Rucchan said, it's mainly older people who
come. Students wouldn't really enter it."

"...Rucchan?

Though it was probably a nickname, he wasn't familiar with it.

"Its the person I wanted to introduce you to. Sorry."

During holidays, normal restaurants earn quite a lot. However this store
was more like a bar located in a backalley, and because of that, there
were no customers.

"Welcome to 《Paradise》...! Hey, ain't it Fuyuki!"

"That's quite an attitude you show your customers, Rucchan. As a

waitress.You might want to show the bare minimum of courtesy."

"Ahaha, we're friends so dat's okay isn't it? So... is that the rumoured
Onii-san?"

Welcoming the siblings with unhesitating voice, seemingly same age

and talking friendly with Fuyuki who always had a severe fear of

www.asianovel.com
27

strangers was——

"...a maid?"

"Not a maid, a waitress."

It was a complete and perfect maid. Not one of those fake maids with
high exposure that are popular these days, wearing an apron dress
hiding everything down to her knees, and she had a tasteful, detailed
white prim in her hair.

By the way, the thought 'seemingly same age' was caused by her
unusually incredible body growth as compared to the little sister that
stood next to him. Even though the neat maid exposure was small, the
feminine bulges could be seen, and his eyes were drawn to her devilish
charm.

"Brother, any more and your eyeballs will be crushed?"

——He was busted, and diverted his gaze at the speed of light.

The little sister he reunited with was somewhat dangerous, the brother
cried out in secret.

And, the maid girl held out her hand to him. He understood that it was
for a handshake, and overlapped his hand with hers.

"Nice to meet you for the first time, name's Saionji Rui, I've been getting
along as friends with Fuyuki for four years now."

"I'm Tenryo Taiga, Fuyuki's brother. Nice to meet you, Saionji-san."

"Non non, rather than Saionji-san, call me Rui-san. I'll also call you
Taiga."

"...that's high tension〜. Also, why french?"

"Rucchan, could you keep your distance from Brother?"

In addition to previously jabbing at Taiga who was lost in thought

unconsciously, Fuyuki gave a warning-like advice to her best friend, that

www.asianovel.com
28

encounter was depressing in various ways for her. But, Rui complained.

"No, I've heard so much from Fuyuki it doesn't seem like he's a stranger
to me at all. Hey, it's fine, right?"

"...if you want to get along, then you're welcome."

"Yes! It's decided! I'll be in your care from now on Taiga!"

"Yeah, I'll be in your care, Rui."

It was a quite good feeling, so he was swallowed up by the momentum.

This kind of thing is not bad——is what Taiga thought. Because his sister
was scared of strangers, so the one to pull the other along was always
him. A situation where he was the one pulled, was quite fresh.

"Mmm——Little Sister is quite jealous..."

Fuyuki got angry, she stood beside and pinched him, but it didn't hurt so
he ignored it.

The fact that he found her cute when angry was a secret.

"Well, now that the greetings are over——welcome to 《Paradise》! Do

you want a lunch?"

"Please get us something recommended."

"Take these seats then!"

The maid waitress guided them to bar-like counter seats in the back of
the store. Those seats made it look even less like a café.

And across the counter, in a place that looked like the kitchen, was a
dandy old man who looked like a barman.

"Welcome... are you Rui's friends?"

"Even his voice is like that... is this really a café?"

"Don't be so rude to people you just met, Brother. Well, certainly I can
see a lot of bottles with liquor there."

www.asianovel.com
29

"Ahaha〜 certainly, the only thing here that's café-like is Rui-san."

Even she agreed with that opinion, and naturally the barman-like owner
ignored it.

"Hey, Rui——"

"Yeah, the order is two lunch courses, dad."

"...got it."

The owner gave up on defending his café and started cooking. The daily
menu for the lunch course was made depending on the day's mood, this
time it was omelet with rice, salad and soup.

Taiga observed the owner cook with finesse (honestly, it didn't suit the
store) from his counter seat.
Renjou's ate only Japanese food so western food was a rare thing for
him, his eyes looked sharp like raptor's because of hunger.

Rui brought them wet towels, and water which they drank right away.

"Dad might look like that but his cooking is really good, so look forward
to it okay?"

"Is this your home Rui?"

"Yup, that's it. We run it together the three of us, mom, dad and me.
That's the owner and the chef, Saionji Jyugo."

The siblings bowed to Jyugo who just raised a hand in greeting because
he was busy cooking. That moment, the two of them decided in their
hearts——to call him Master.

Since there were no other customers, Rui decided to sit by their side as
well——the order they sat in was, starting from the right; Fuyuki, Taiga
and Rui ——and they engaged in silly conversation for a while longer.

The dishes lined up in front of them not only looked delicious, but in fact
were delicious.

www.asianovel.com
30

Fuyuki gobbled everything up, and Taiga who got three refills was also
satisfied. After a meal they enjoyed a cup of tea.

"Why aren't you commenting on the fact that it's Japanese tea?"

"It's Rui-san's hobby〜."

"It messes up the shop's atmosphere doesn't it."

For some reason, his little sister insisted he did that, though she might
have been so harsh because her brother's eyes were glued to the maid's
ample bust.

Its seemed like Master went to prepare things for the evening in the
back, there was a stylish atmosphere with only the three of them left in
store.

He talked friendly with Rui whom he just met a little while ago.

Taiga was drawn to her and didn't hold back. She acted like a proper,
neat and clean, humble maid and she was hilarious at the same time.
Even though it was mismatched, it added to her charm and beauty
instead.

If Fuyuki was moon, then Rui was sun. If Fuyuki was winter, Rui would be
spring.

They were polar opposites, but because of that they complemented

something each of them was missing.

"...I see, that's how it is."

"Did you say anything, brother?"

"No, nothing. By the way, what are we going to do now? Moving in isn't
done yet."

He checked the situation on the terminal, it seemed like carrying in large

luggage went slowly, and it was taking more time than expected.

"Hmm. If you want brother, we can visit the school. Because we didn't

www.asianovel.com
31

come to school for a week after enrolling, we should at least say hello
there."

"Hmm that may be so, I guess it's bad for freshmen not to show up for a
week after enrolling."

Rather than Renjou or Karasuba, the siblings entered the 『Kiritou

Academy』 as Tenryo, however, they couldn't attend because they ran
away from home just the other day.

"Oh, you're going to school? In that case, this Rui-san will guide you!"

"Umm, is Rui also a student of Kiritou?"

"The same cyber department's freshman, and we're in the same class
too."

There was more than one school in New City, but everyone wanted to
get into Kiritou.

Vacant seats of two admitted students definitely stood out. Teachers

also had no contact with them, that was the first impression they had of
them and were definitely bothered.

"Then, we'll leave it to you. Let's go, Brother."

"I'll change so just wait for me in front of the store okay?"

After paying (Taiga paid for all of it), they waited for Rui. While looking at
the café 《Paradise》 that hardly could be called neat, he thought.

Looks like we'll be in their care from now on.

Certainly, the food was delicious.

He learned earlier that Fuyuki can't cook, he didn't know how to cook
either. Although eating outside was considered expensive, this store had
a reasonable pricing and it was just three minutes by foot from their
home. As a bonus, there was a cute waitress——

"Brother, if you ogle Rucchan I'll kill you?"

www.asianovel.com
32

"Are you an esper?!"

His little sister was so sharp it was scary.

Then, light footsteps and the door in the back opening could be heard,
as well as a cheerful voice.

"Sorry for the wait, Fuyuki, Taiga."

"Well then, let's go to school——"

After turning around, he was stunned.

As expected, Saionji Rui was there, her chestnut-coloured wavy hair

fluttered in the breeze.

Her clothes captured Taiga's gaze.

She had a camisole and a tank top on, exposing her shoulders, and
sensual hot pants that exposed her captivating thighs openly.

Contrary to the maid clothing she previously wore, it was a perfectly

coordinated exposure, and she had a wonderfully exaggerated 'fantastic
body'. It was like a poison for his eyes.

"Please die, Brother."

"Dange—, wa-wait don't try to seriously blind me!"

"Silence. Brother who looks at girls other than his little sister is a bastard
that should just die."

"Fuyuki-san?!"

Her fingertips aimed at his eyes without any hesitation. Seriousness

could be felt from the arm that was thrust at him quietly.

"Ahahaha, a violence between siblings."

"This——isn't a laughing matter!"

Even though he was happy seeing her jealous and found it cute, he
would like it if she spared him the violence. Because he was trained

www.asianovel.com
33

thoroughly, he found out that would be dangerous if it hit.

"Leave it at that, Fuyuki. If we don't hurry up the crowd is going to

gather."

"Grr—... it's Rucchan's fault in the first place, but let's end it here.
Because Little Sister is forgiving."

When he wondered how was Little Sister that tried to blind her brother
forgiving, she subtracted her hand for the time being, and Rui took them
to the station.

Since it was a holiday, the station was crowded. In the middle of people
like that, as expected the two beautiful girls stood out, and were quite
eye-catching.

Especially when they sandwiched a boy between them as an extra.

"They're going to poke a hole in me with their gazes..."

"Really, how uncomfortable. Little Sister isn't an attraction."

"There's no choice but to give up, is there?"

""Don't want to hear it from the one who stands out the most!""

Voices of the siblings resounded in wonderful splendid unison.

Majority of the gazes were those of men, and more than a half of them
was directed at her exposed beautiful skin.

They didn't complain any more, since it couldn't be helped, they silently
ignored the gazes. they were held up for a moment at the ticket gate
terminal, and went to the station's yard. It was a gateway of the New
City, a lot of Kiritou Academy's students and business district workers
used it, so it was extremely large. This incredibly advanced station was
managed mostly by drones instead of station staff.

The exclusive direct line with the school was mostly devoid of
passengers because of the holiday, to the extent where the platform
was nearly empty.

www.asianovel.com
34

"A dedicated line connecting with home. That's really luxurious."

"That's because both the school and the train station were made by
Kiritou. Also, there's a lot of students in Kiritou Academy, so if not for
this it would be hard to get to school on time."

"As expected of Kiritou, that's really grand isn't it."

After waiting a few minutes they boarded the linear train that emitted a
loud sound after arriving, and just continued to vibrate afterwards. After
stopping in the middle of the station, the linear picked people up and
continued to the destination.

The destination was, 『Kiritou Academy Entrance』.

Kiritou is currently encompassing many projects, and a lot of them are

associated with cyber world. That's why they made a professional
department in high school that specializes in cyber-related things, they
develop human resources by using education to get future employees.
Speaking of which, more than half of the graduates seem to be
employed by Kiritou.

"Cyber department is in the west block, let's go."

Fuyuki walked smiling with a stretched school map on the terminal in

front of her. While it wasn't needed since Rui was guiding them, walking
on your own while looking at the map was the best way to memorize it.
Taiga also walked while comparing it with the map he expanded the
same way.

"...looks like this school isn't too easy on the students. Little Sister
doesn't have much stamina."

"Ain't that fine. If you're in a pinch you have a reliable Onii-san to help
you."

"That's true. Brother, carry me."

"Don't rely on me from the get go..."

www.asianovel.com
35

Carrying his little sister around the school would be too embarrassing.

——『Don't want to』, nor 『Impossible』, he didn't neither of these

because he was too soft on his little sister. He wouldn't hesitate to do it
if he had to.

The amount of necessary equipment was considerably larger as

compared to other departments, so the number of school buildings it
had was bigger. There were much more school buildings in front of them
than there were for other departments.

"How much further do we have to go..."

"It can't be helped. Academic affairs building's in the back."

Ever since they left the train station, they have passed by five school
buildings. Fuyuki who claimed to have poor physical strength started to
lose her breath.

If it goes on he will really have to carry her——as Taiga thought that

seriously, both Rui and the terminal informed them that they arrived at
their destination.

"""Excuse us!"""

They bowed and left the staff room. They closed the door and all three of
them sighed.

"Looks like the principal is on a business trip..."

"I was unexpectedly nervous〜"

"Hmm, I didn't think that my sister would be the grade's top student."

He thought there will be a need to explain themselves to the teachers,

but it was beyond his expectations.

No, it might've been because of his little sister.

It was simple. Tenryo Fuyuki is a very talented person, she topped the

www.asianovel.com
36

entrance exam this year and was selected as the freshmen's general
representative.

A freshman general representative is an honour student that represents

the entire school year. Going truant for a week after enrolling, there's no
way that wouldn't be a problem. It seemed like it became a big fuss that
involved the principal and every vice-principal from other departments.

"If it's like that we were lucky that he wasn't there..."

Even Rui, who wasn't a concerned party like the siblings, was scolded.
They could only apologize to her.

They couldn't do anything even if they stood there forever, so the three
of them left the academic affairs building. After thinking for a moment
about what to do, Rui proposed.

"Since we're here let's look around the classrooms?"

Taiga refused saying not interested, but Fuyuki was curious, so the two
of them went towards the specialized classroom and Taiga just
wandered around.

"But there's hardly anything to look at, eh〜"

It was just a school, everything was brand new and there wasn't
anything special about it.

Maybe he should have gone with the other two even if he had no
interest, Taiga regretted his choice. For the time being he decided to
enter some school building out of curiosity.

The building was completely empty. It looked like it was rarely used, he
didn't really know what to look at in classroom filled with things he didn't
recognize.

"This, and that, just what are they used for... and... this is——"

Between them, was a machine that looked familiar. It was big enough to
be barely fit in both hands. It had a shape of dodecahedron with a large

www.asianovel.com
37

number of lenses embedded next to each other on its surface.

He remembered how to start it, and found the switch by touch. A pale
light flowed from the moving lens, and the walls were covered with
mysterious space one after another.

"It's a holographic projector after all. Even Renjou's no longer use this
thing〜"

It's no longer necessary because everyone has a terminal with a small

projector with them, it was a machine that projected a 3d image in a
predetermined range. Some time ago they used this to make a wide
range holograms appear.

But it was a previous generation machine after all. Also, it seemed like it
was broken, a loud noise could be heard from it as it projected a
hologram.

Because of that his mood worsened and he tried to turn it off, but then
he saw a small girl on the edge of his view.

"——Just now."

It was just for a moment, but it was... an incredibly strange girl.

A fantasy-like figure, she had fluttery clothes, and if fairies were to exist,
she would definitely be one.

Somehow becoming concerned with the girl's figure, he chased after her
into the back of the school building. Apparently she was a holographic
projection since her figure blurred together with the noise.

He eventually reached the room located deep within the school building.
The projector's power has gone down, and the girl's figure disappeared
in the thin air.

Obviously, even if he looked around, he wouldn't be able to find her.

"...what the hell am I doing..."

He calmed himself down. To begin with, seeing a whole body of a person

www.asianovel.com
38

projected by a hologram was not uncommon, like the long-distance face-

to-face conversations.

Just as he wanted to go back to the other two, he heard a voice from the
room in front of him.

He wondered if the wall was sound-proofed, since the voice was really
faint. Taiga wouldn't notice it if not for his sharp five senses. He opened
the doors a little and looked inside.

Without any real purpose, he just pressed the door lightly a little curious
of the whisper from inside.

——just a moment later he realized it was the wrong choice.

"Excuse m——"

"Aghhhh come onnnnn——! What's with that bald vice principal! 『"The
first year representative is not coming, what's happening?"』 I don't know
either! Do something about it yourself! I'm busy so stop bringing me any
more trouble!"

Suddenly hearing a loud voice Taiga stopped his legs.

No, it wasn't actually because the voice was loud, it was because the
individual inside was incredibly selfish.

The voice owner seemed like a ladylike, neat looking female student and
as a bonus, she howled loud enough for her voice to reach the heavens.
If it turned out to be the fairy-like girl from before, he wouldn't be at a
loss for words.

The female hologram that disappeared after his projector battery went
down, was probably displayed on the girl's terminal and responded with
a deadpan expression.

〈"Master. I am not here to listen to Master's complaints you know?"〉

"It's fine, just listen to me for a while. In the first place, the teachers rely
on me too much——"

www.asianovel.com
39

〈"Master. You told me something similar the other day."〉

Taiga quietly closed the door.

".........let's go back."

He'll pretend he didn't see anything—— he didn't know who that was,
but the person talking with the hologram seemed to have a grudge
against them. Seeing that scene by an accident will definitely turn into
something troublesome.

Without making any sound, he left that place. But he couldn't get rid of
those two's figures from his head for a while.

"Haa〜, unexpectedly it was time well spent."

"No matter how long I've stood here you two wouldn't come back..."

"Little Sister got a little bit too obsessed over there... how dreadful, the
Kiritou Academy."

The three of them were back at the central station's ticket gate at about
three p.m. the trip to school and back took them about two hours.

"Well then, it's about time to enter the main event of the day."

"So it is."

"What main event?"

"...there's actually something I kept secret from Brother. It's pretty

important."

"Mm? Something you couldn't tell me?"

"Yes. Actually... I spent too much for our new home, so we don't have
enough to cover the living costs."

"——Ha?"

"That's why, umm... the living expanses prepared by Brother and Little

www.asianovel.com
40

Sister, are in a serious pinch."

"Ha?! Wasn't that more than enough for two people?!"

"It couldn't be helped! It's a home for Brother and Little Sister to live in!
Little Sister was just a little bit too trigger happy when spending, so no-
one will blame her right? You can't do it right?!"

"Why are you asking a rhetorical question?"

"Little Sister is reflecting on her actions, but she doesn't regret buying
that apartment."

The amount of money Fuyuki and Taiga earned after being separated,
was considerably big, but after subtracting tuition, admission fees, and
other miscellaneous costs it didn't give them much room to maneuver.

That thought passed through Taiga's head.

"...oh well, what's done is done. So, how is the lack of money related to
the main event?"

"To summarize it in few words it would be, introduction teaser for work."

"An invitation to the part-time work in Elysion〜something like that."

"...a part-time work?"

Hearing an unfamiliar term, Taiga asked.

"Come on, hurry up brother. Come this way."

"Don't pull me, don't pull me. I can walk on my own."

Five minutes later they separated with Rui who said 『"Then, see you
over there〜"』, and they arrived at their new home. The Drones doing the
moving work were gone, but before he could take a good look he was
pulled by his little sister again.

He looked at Fuyuki beside him who made excited noises smiling in

euphoria and led him to one of the rooms in their home——they stepped
into a room Fuyuki named 『Dive Room』.

www.asianovel.com
41

There were several illuminated machines inside. A number of cables

could be seen on the floor... it was a type of room he has never seen
before when he was at Renjou's.

"...umm it feels hot and yet cold."

"What's with that weird description? I don't get what you want to say."

The cooling was attached to avoid overheating of the equipment, it was

the first time Taiga felt an unpleasant sense of both temperatures
interweaving.

"Brother, please sit on that chair."

"——This is arclight, right?"

"Yes. It's immersion dedicated equipment with a program that sends

human consciousness into Elysion, commonly known as 『Arclight』."

Generally homes have small sized headgear types of it, but that was a
medium-sized machine used by companies.

A number of wires converged with two chairs as their destination.

Feeling like a capsule, it covered the head completely after sitting down.

After sitting as he was told to, Fuyuki who sat on the chair opposite and
directed him how to activate arclight.

"First, press the power button with your right hand, yes that one. An
authentication window will come up in front of you, please authenticate
your brainwaves with the terminal."

Releasing the locking, he proceeded. There were a lot of troublesome

settings on the first start——connecting it with the terminal, and the
personal mental structure authentication——after a few minutes all the
settings were finally set up, and there was a complete reboot.

"Now we're going to dive into Elysion. Are you prepared, brother?"

"Mm, wait a moment. Let me take a deep breath——"

www.asianovel.com
42

"Counting, 3 – 2 – 1."

"Wai—, Fuyuki-san?!"

"Dive start!"

Together with a surprise countdown attack, Taiga's consciousness fell

into darkness.

Part 3
——He saw a light.

His field of view started to flicker and changed rapidly. And the light
came projecting his entire body, projecting the structure of a human
named Tenryo Taiga.

All his five senses together with appearance information like weight and
height, all of it turned into data.

Floating in front of him, was a doll without any distinguishing features.

Even though it was a human being, the body had no individuality. It had
no consciousness, and no features.

Into it, the individual mental structure was built in.

——— Nerve connection start ———

*click* , his view changed.

While other senses still remained, his vision changed to that of the doll.

——— Visual tuning complete, starting auditory tuning ———

Hearing followed, and touch after that, other senses gradually switched
one after another into those of the empty shell's, but he still couldn't lift
a finger.

——— Mental structure transplant completed ———

And finally, together as his 『Heart』 was transferred with consciousness,

www.asianovel.com
43

the doll turned into a 『Body』. The light slowly faded, and all he could
see was endless darkness.

——— Starting logging into 《Aries》 structure, passkey authentication

start ———

"——Eh?"

Suddenly, his senses became sharper.

Before he noticed, he cried out, it was only natural since suddenly, both
of his feet were firmly attached to the ground. His closed eyelids reacted
to the light outside, and convulsed slightly.

Legs, knees, hips, belly, elbows, he checked all of his senses up to

fingertips.

"...okay.'

He slowly opened his eyes.

Fuyuki and Rui looked at him from a super-close distance.

"Uwaoahhhhh!!!"

He instantly backstepped with a tremendous force.

"...now, how many meters did he jump back?"

"He easily jumped back about five meters..."

The two beautiful girls commented after seeing him make a leap beyond
a limit of human body. But, it couldn't be helped since suddenly he saw
beautiful girls at a distance where their lips touched him.

"W-wh-why are you so close! You surprised me!"

"No〜, it's just that Taiga had his eyes closed so I was worried."

"I wondered if there was any trouble with your first log-in."

"Ugh..."

www.asianovel.com
44

Being told that, he couldn't talk back.

Certainly, if he continuously kept his eyes closed they'd worry, especially

after he just entered Elysion——

"...is this the Elysion?"

"Indeed, brother. It's your first experience with Little Sister."

"Stop saying it like that."

He retorted to his sister, who grinned like a cheshire cat. Once again he
felt uncomfortable in the world he was in now, and he looked around.

It was a large forest, like one of the ones that were destroyed in the
modern times, the large tree trunks that extended above his head no
longer existed in the real world, the foliage was blocking the light of the
sun.

"————————"

Unconsciously, he was at a loss for words.

It was a scene impossible to find in reality, he couldn't believe it.

A breeze shook the leaves, a fragrant smell came from natural plants,
sounds of life could be heard all over, he could feel it with all of his five
senses.

"...woah."

It had felt really realistic. He already had knowledge about the virtual
world——but he was still surprised by the cyber world that projected
itself directly connecting with brain nerves.

Elysion——a world of electrons almost everyone used these days. It's a

lifeline of everyone from administration to security, it was even used in
investigations and entertainment, it became an indispensable world to
everyone. It was like a second utopia from the mythology.

He walked up to the big tree nearby, and touched it with his palm.

www.asianovel.com
45

It had a rough feel of real wood. He put some strength in his muscles,
and a piece of trunk popped out.

*snap*——he took the broken piece into his hand, but the weight
unexpectedly disappeared. It vanished into thin air, the piece of wood
faded away rustling and became small particles. Seeing that he made
sure and he said "Right, this isn't reality after all".

"Did something happen, brother?"

"No... wait a moment. I just noticed but, what's up with those clothes?"

"Really, noticing it this late. This is not the real world, so wearing
appropriate clothes is obvious right?"

"Mufun", Fuyuki puffed our her chest, her clothing was

something——that looked like a kimono. Its bottom looked like a dress, it
was toned black with red peonies drawn on it, it looked well combined
with her glossy black hair.

"How is it, does it suit me?"

Standing next to his kimono wearing sister was Rui, her clothing was
strange as well. The bottom were hot pants, and the top was a white
coat on top of the skimpy tank top. At first he thought it was a normal
coat, but it was more like the white clothing scientists wear in labs.

"...let's take a hundred step back and ignore the kimono. But why a lab
coat?"

"It's Rui-san's hobby."

"Brother, why are you overlooking the fascinating kimono of your sister.
Please compliment it more."

"No, umm... I have problems commenting."

In terms of feminine curves, Fuyuki has a terribly sorry figure compared

to other girls of the same age. However, a kimono's fit people without
curves. Also, as Fuyuki smiled devilishly it brought out a somewhat

www.asianovel.com
46

roguish atmosphere.

To put it simply, it was incredibly seductive.

"Fufufu, this little sister understands everything just by looking at your

face."

"...no, I just admired——"

"Oh, did you just self-destruct now? Oo—oh, this siscon."

"I'm not a siscon!"

No, no matter how you looked at it, he was a siscon.

"By the way brother, are you not going to retort in response to your own
appearance?"

"Hmm? My own appearance?"

"Look, a mirror."

"...woah, what's this."

Rui lightly shook her hand, and a window appeared reflecting Taiga's
entire body.

His appearance wasn't that much different from theirs. Mixing black and
white, stylish and giving him a freedom of movement—— a long coat
with white as a base, and solid black pants.

"...well, it's better than having mismatched clothing."

"That, are you implying Rui-san's and the others have mismatched
outfits?"

"Are you saying Little Sister's coordination is cheap?

"Eh, did Fuyuki make this? I guess that's fine then."

"A siscon after all!"

Rui accused him teasingly.

www.asianovel.com
47

He looked at the figures of three people, including himself. There was no

sense of unity at all. If they were to appear on the streets with such
outfits, it couldn't be helped if they stood out.

However, it fit this world——that's what he felt.

"Well then, let's go."

Both Fuyuki and Rui held out their hands, and looked back at him.

And like fairies, they invited him.

The moon and the sun, girls in black and white announced the beginning
with a smile.

""Welcome to 《Aries》!!""

World of those three began.

A structure.

Just one of the bubbles that form a vast world known as Elysion.

It's a small world formed within another world, it can be imagined as a

single leaf of a large tree.

www.asianovel.com
48

All structures are connected with the network, it increased to an amount

that made it difficult to count them all. There are structures for
electronic devices that are connected to the network, that structure
connects with the city's structure, and that connects with a larger city's
structure, which in turn connects with the province's structure, even the
country is connected to the world's structure.

And what's most important, is to maintain control of all these structures

somehow.

The lifeline controlling New City, its structure, which is also responsible
for controlling structures of all personal terminals.

National, private... it has various administrators.

That's the structure 《Aries》.

It's a huge structure the largest company related to cyber world, 《Kiritou
Group》operated. Rumour said it has something to do with the power
supply for the new city. Rumours said you'll be shot if you reveal
anything about it, it's a structure that has some kind of secret function.

"...hey, 《Aries》, why is it like this? Did they play around too much?"

"Not at all. There are good reasons for this."

"If the structure is just left alone, the bugs and viruses will just appear
within, and since it's so large, the amount of viruses will be big as well.
It's enough if administrators scan the small structures periodically, but
it's not enough for a large structure like this〜"

A large structure has a large system that needs to be managed, and it

could not afford a chance of being stopped. And it's too large of a
burden for administrators to eliminate all of the bugs.

"And thats where, an idea was proposed to make this large structure
into a game."

"A game?"

www.asianovel.com
49

"The structure doesn't use all of it's computing power at all times. Since
all structures are connected to the network, the excess computing
power can be used somewhere else. So a game world was created that's
maintained by the excess computing power which focuses on fixing the
bugs and eliminating viruses."

"So the companies gather players and ask them to help eliminate bugs.
Also, the players pay a monthly fee for it, so it's killing two birds with
one stone."

Fuyuki's and Rui's explanation seemed to be a simplification of a bit

more complicated issue, but it was roughly correct. Using the excessive
computing power wouldn't make sense unless a large number of outside
companies connected could use it as well.

This 《Aries》 is a new era's massive multiplayer online game.

"More specifically, how do the bugs look like?"

"Well, that depends on the structure. But generally they look like an
enemy 『To be hunted』."

"So, how does that lead to the part-time job?"

"Although it can be done only with permission of an administrator,

there's a bounty set for boss-class monster bugs. You get e-money for
defeating it."

"Qualification is given depending on your rank and your achievements in

Aries so far. Since Rucchan is one of the qualified people, Little Sister
and the others are also eligible if they register as a group with her."

"...that, doesn't that disadvantage Rui?"

"Not really〜, a qualification holder can't do it without at least two more

people. And the reward is divided equally among the group."

"So unless you have suitable people in your group you can't go, huh."

"Correct. Since we've just invited Brother, it would be a little bit too

www.asianovel.com
50

reckless to already go for a bounty, so let's have you gain a little bit of
experience."

"Okay... so, where are we going now? Training field?"

"Something like that."

The three of them walked through the forest feeling a light crispy
sensation under their feet. They entered the deep darkness, the dazzling
light was obstructed by the trees leaving only occasional rays of light.

He wondered for a moment if there was another way to move instantly if

this wasn't the real world—, but it seemed like there was no easy way to
get to their destination as they moved on foot.

"U 〜mm, it was somewhere here... oh, there it is, Fuyuki."

"Hmm, yeah, it's just right for the first opponent."

"——eh, wai—, what's that?"

*zuzuzu*... sound was transmitted through the earth, it had a somewhat

heavy vibrating physique. It didn't try to hide its existence as it moved
slowly between the greenery, a pink glowing mucus dripped from it.

"...a huge earthworm?"

"Without a doubt."

Even though he kept it to himself, he thought that a more than three

meter long earthworm was not an earthworm at all.

It's something that should be called a mutant or a monster.

"Well then, please go down there and defeat it."

"That's impossible meine Schwester! I don't want to touch it!"

He couldn't, he wouldn't do it, it was beyond the boy's common sense.

"It's alright, the worm is a bug that's one of the minor small fries. ...but it
certainly is an organism you don't want to get too close to."

www.asianovel.com
51

Fuyuki and Rui also felt a similar physiological aversion. He would rather
slaughter a hundred rats rather than do that.

"Then brother, GO!"

"At least give me a weapon!"

It was a reasonable request. He can't just go and defeat it with his bare
hands, this boy, won't even consider doing that for a second.

"Doesn't Brother have a weapon installed in his terminal already? Please

don't underestimate your little sister."

"I mean, how do I take it out?"

"Please imagine it. The weapon you usually use."

"Imagine, huh."

"Somewhat like, as if you pulled out a legendary sword."

"Sorry, that's too difficult to understand."

"Oi, just go already! Rucchan!"

"Sir, yes sir!"

He was strongly pushed by the two who walked behind his back, after
being pushed by two girls his body rolled forward.

The worm has noticed the sound (it didn't have eyes so it couldn't see)
and looked behind.

"U〜mm, a nice weather, isn't it?"

After a few seconds of standing stiff, the worm opened its mouth agape.
Although he thought it had no teeth since its body was soft, it seemed
more like a snake than an earthworm.

There were sharp pointed fangs made to bite and cut people's flesh.
There was an incredibly thick liquid dripping from them!

*click*, a switch deep within his body was flipped.

www.asianovel.com
52

He reached out to the realm of his conditioned reactions.

Sensing the enemy's hostility, his body responded with its inhuman
reflexes against the threat.

He stretched out his empty hand, and clenched the handle that
appeared in it.

As the enemy's neck approached, he jumped up to the worm, and while

reaching half-way he slashed it feeling as if he cut mud, he instantly
followed-up and cleaving the worm and bisecting it.

In Taiga's hands was a one meter long Japanese sword, classified as a

nodachi.

It had a characteristic wavy blade crest.

In his left hand right next to it's cutting edge, was a sheath.

"Wow."

"As expected of Brother."

*kachin*, together with the sound of sword being sheathed the worm
faded away turning into particles of light. Quick draw——the sword
drawing skill beyond this dimension.

"Amazing! It was amazing Taiga! I didn't even see that cut!"

Rui clung to him excited, she grabbed his shoulders as she trembled and
shook him. He didn't mind if she was impressed, but he wanted her to
stop because his brain started shaking.

Taiga stared at his hands as he shook, looking at the nodachi in its

sheath.

It appeared as his subconscious recognized the prey in front of

him——the weight he has continued to wield when he was at Renjou's.
Confirming it, he unsheathed the sword.

After seeing sunlight reflected on it's sharp edge, he looked up at Rui.

www.asianovel.com
53

"How is it? How did it feel to use an attack-configured program Rui-san

made?"

"...an attack-configured program?"

"Interfering with bugs and viruses, a special program made to eliminate

them. Taiga's and Fuyuki's are specially made by Rui-san, normally you
would have to buy one from management. It's a high performance
program."

"Rucchan is an excellent creator, she can make a program more capable

than ones made by the management. Brother's sword and Little Sister's
design were configured by Rucchan."

"Oh, so that's why the blade looks like this."

The nodachi he showed her previously via the communication

channel——its appearance was similar to his beloved sword 《Tenryuu》.
But that sword was made out of ultra-rare materials, and it should be
impossible to reproduce. The weight and texture would be different.

"Well then, now that you have a weapon, let's start the crash course.
This time take that thing down."

"...eh?"

His little sister's finger pointed at the scenery, there was a huge mantis
in the spot where the worm was before, and behind it there were a few
more animals wriggling. Five in total.

"They're all small fries, so do your best."

"...ugh—"

He ran somehow losing his motivation, jumping into the flock of

disgusting monsters and poised his sword.

"Taiga's amazing. He wasn't even grazed as he took them down."

www.asianovel.com
54

"Obviously, it's Brother."

While looking from the distance as he rampaged with his sword like a
storm, Fuyuki proudly praised her brother while puffing her chest. She
grinned at her best friend who couldn't take her eyes off the battle – the
hunt.

In the centre of that storm, was a boy who used the attack-configured
program for the first time just fifteen minutes ago.

Every time he swung the sharp blade, the monster's head or body was
cut. He was as fast as if he was the wind himself, the thirty animals that
were there in the beginning of combat were reduced to half the amount
within a minute.

"Normally, the movements made by using virtual body in beginning are

sluggish aren't they〜"

"Such common sense doesn't apply to Brother. His motor skills were
abnormal to begin with."

Virtual body was the physical body people operated in Elysion. In the
first place, its performance and appearance was based on the mental
structure implanted into the doll and became their bodies——in other
words, the appearance changed together with the real one. The virtual
body's movement capability was also corrected slightly depending on
the structure.

"——How cool〜."

Rui muttered, words leaked from her mouth.

That was, pure envy.

Bypassing the difference of gender, a feeling like that reached her heart.

It was like a glitter of something you get in the end after doing hard
work.

——That's why, she yearned for something like that.

www.asianovel.com
55

The two watched Taiga vigorously bisect the last animal.

"Brother, it's about time to end. It's about time for that."

"Mm? Is that so?"

His little sister told him after he subdued about two hundred monsters
cutting them relentlessly. Although it wasn't necessary since it wasn't
reality, he swiftly cleaned his blade of impurities out of habit before
sheathing it.

Although the insects were disgusting, as expected he no longer felt

anything after the kill count reached three digits, somehow he felt at
ease repeatedly cutting down disgusting organisms.

"Killing monsters... seems quite fun."

While he took down huge drones before, taking down a biological

monster felt different from destroying a mechanical drone.

He looked up at her, she had a clear expression, and the same as his,
crystal clear sky-blue eyes.

...he felt that about two hours passed ever since he started hunting. It
was about time the day started to end. But there was no change in the
sky above them.

"Is the passage of time not reflected on this world?"

"No, there is a night here. It's just that time flows differently."

If the time was synchronized with the real world, the students who go to
school during weekdays would only play during Elysion's daytime. In
order to correct such inequality, the flow of time changed at random, it
was a system that reminded people of a completely different world.

"Sometimes it's ten hours from dawn till dusk, the other time it's thirty.
It occasionally wrecks the body clock. Quite interesting right?"

www.asianovel.com
56

"That's new."

I see, the sun didn't set yet because it was still daytime in this world.

"We confirmed Brother's ability. Looks like we can already start actual
combat tomorrow."

"Yupyup, it's better than expected."

Being openly praised, as expected he got embarrassed.

Deciding to end it for the day, the three of them left Elysion.

Log out——in order to return to the real world, they had to pass two
procedures. Transferring the individual mental structure from the virtual
body to the real one through a terminal, and transferring the
consciousness to his body.

Because they would be vulnerable during that process, the three of

them walked to a safe place.

"From tomorrow onwards we'll be fighting boss monsters whose strength

doesn't compare with those small fries. Make sure you're prepared,
brother."

"The ones from today were strong enough."

"Ahahaha, both Rui-san and Fuyuki will be there so it'll be alright."

They walked through the forest searching for the light.

He got used to their bizarre white coat and kimono, it no longer felt
lacking in harmony.

The fact that it looked good on the girls in the first place worked towards
it too.

"We'll be leaving the forest soon. Brother, prepare yourself okay?"

"Mm? Is there anything there?"

"It's not like a huge bear will attack the moment we leave the forest. Just

www.asianovel.com
57

enjoy the view."

Just as he was about to talk back protesting her roundabout way of

speaking, suddenly they stepped out of the forest.

At the first glance he couldn't believe it,

"——————"

In just an instant, he turned speechless.

Spreading out below, was a magnificent land.

Abundant amount of flowers growing, a lot of lakes moistening the earth,

soft light pouring down——all of it combined into a beautiful artwork.

The murmuring water, branches and leaves swaying in wind, breathing

of various organisms——various sounds interwove creating the 『World』,
building a miniature garden.

"Awesome."

That's all that came out.

Even if you looked for one, you wouldn't find a place like this on earth, a
land of fantasy. Just that, gave this world a meaning to exist.

"...................................."

That scenery, in that moment that felt like a miracle, the vast golden
land, he burned it into his eyes.

"...log out process, start."

His little sister's voice in the background reached his ear, but he still
continued to look at this world.

Before his consciousness dimmed eventually, the scenery continued to

be projected into his retina.

www.asianovel.com
58

Part 4
"Now, Brother. Let's check out our new home."

"...somehow it feels like something is overflowing inside, but let's leave

that for now."

After safely returning to his body, what awaited him was a very realistic
talk.

Six hours passed ever since moving in was completed, finally their new
life started.

"First, the living room and the kitchen right. There's no use for the
kitchen since neither Brother nor Little Sister can cook, but I wanted to
prepare everything in detail."

"This certainly is detailed. It has all the cookware, and isn't that the
newest kitchen system——, aren't we low on money because of things
like this?"

"Shut up please."

In the living room there was a sofa four people could relax on at once, a
TV type holographic projector, there were also table and chairs for four
people to eat meals at.

Having already seen the dive room, they headed to their private rooms
next.

Taiga's room reflected a Japanese style room. The only furniture were a
wardrobe and a sturdy desk, in addition to that, there was a sword rack
for both 《Tenryuu》 and a training sword.

Fuyuki's room was a western style room that was complete opposite of
her brother's. Although most of the electronic devices were in the dive
room, this room had some back-up and private-use equipment.

But, there was a problem. He couldn't find a bed there.

"Fuyuki, what about the bed? Did you forget to order one?"

www.asianovel.com
59

"Do you think Little Sister would make such a mistake? There is one in
another room."

Why is it in another room? He thought for a moment, but the question

disappeared from his mind after he opened the next room.

He was led to the last room remaining. There was one piece of furniture
that occupied nearly half of that room, moreover, there was only one
purpose it could be used for.

"It was hard to find one this big, but, I somehow managed."

Spread in front of him, was a sea of brand new sheets.

It was about five times the size of a typical bed families had in their
homes, the mats would make anyone who saw them want to plunge in.
But he denied its existence.

It was commonly known as a king-size bed.

"...ei, meine Schwester—. What is this?"

"It's a bed."

"No, that's not what I meant."

"It's Little Sisters and Brother's love nest."

"Sorry. But Onii-chan doesn't understand."

For some reason he couldn't process what she said. Couldn't like ten
people sleep on it together? But no matter how he considered that
unnecessary thing, reality didn't change.

"Well then, let's go to the next room."

"Wait, please explain this to me properly."

His heart cried out beautifully.

"Why... why something like this...?"

www.asianovel.com
60

After his first time to experience Elysion his brain seemed exhausted,
they went out and ate dinner outside. After he got rid of tiredness by
soaking in the bath, what was waiting for him, was an absurdly big bed.

Please wait in bed——saying that Fuyuki went to take a bath.

"A brother waiting for his little sister to get out of bath... what's up with
this situation..."

He rolled around while holding his head, as if his own words hurt him. No
matter how many times he rolled the disgraceful thought wouldn't
disappear.

About five minutes later, he stopped rolling and lied flat. Just as he
slowly got up from the bed——

"I need to run away. Some towels spread out on the ground are eno——"

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Brother."

Unfortunately, he decided too late.

Hearing a voice from behind, he realized it was too late to escape.

Forcibly breaking through——was not something a siscon like him could
do, his attempts at persuasion probably won't get through.

But, that situation was bad, he needed to find another method or talk his
little sister out of it.

"——————"

The moment he looked back, he froze.

"Y-yo-, y-yo-y-you-"

"Are you a broken radio?"

"NO! That's not it, what's up with that outfit?!"

"...it's Little Sister's pyjama isn't it?"

"Isn't that just underwear! How is that pyjamas!"

www.asianovel.com
61

Fuyuki came out of the bath with her long black hair freely falling, and
she wore a see-through negligee that showed everything.

It felt more like it emphasized her black underwear and immature limbs
rather than hid them, moonlight illuminated his grown-up sister's figure.

"Hu-hurry up and wear something!"

"There's no need for that. This is enough for Little Sister."

"Worry about the people watching you! Have some shame!"

"There's only Brother here. Also, Brother, you say that but your eyes are
glued to your little sister's body."

Only after he was told that, he noticed he was staring at Fuyuki this
entire time.

It should have been easy to look away from her, but for some reason he
couldn't do it, her slender limbs gave off an impression of unripe fruit
and added seductive atmosphere to her body.

Snickering——as her smile affected his heart like a poisonous flower,

Fuyuki crawled on top of the bed.

The springs creaked as she came closer to him crawling on all fours. Her
pupils reminded him of a carnivorous animal before it's prey.

www.asianovel.com
62

"Now... Brother, let's sleep together."

"Wait, calm down. On a bed this big there's no reason for you to
approach me!"

"Won't it be warmer if we stick together?"

"If that's the case then put something on, woaah?!!"

"——Too late now."

*whump*, a body hit the bed softly.

On top of the bed, his little sister straddled him with a suspicious smile
on her face.

Maybe it was because she took a bath, but her white skin was cherry
blossom coloured, her moist, long black hair flowed over her white
shoulders, and her body exuded an aroma as sweet as honey obscuring
his thoughts.

Both bewitching and childish, creating a miracle piece of art.

"Nnn..."

She slowly pressed weight on him. She clung to him tightly, and he could

www.asianovel.com
63

feel her life's warmth conveyed through the thin fabric.

"You're so warm... Brotherr..."

With a childish voice, she whispered into his ear.

Her voice penetrated his brain through the eardrums, making his heart
beat faster.

"Fufufu. Your heart, it beats really fast. Did you notice that?"

"H-hey Fuyuki. Wha——"

"It's completely different than how you were as a child. A tough

wonderful body..."

"——I beg you stop talking!"

A finger like white porcelain entered his clothes and stroked him slowly
from his belly up to his chest. Her hand wriggled around smoothly like a
snake, his body's temperature increased in the places she touched.

"Why? Isn't Brother's heart pounding so hard? Isn't it going *dokun

dokun* bouncing happily?"

Her captivating breathing and enticing voice assaulted his ear.

No good, I don't know why but it's getting dangerous!!

If he goes along with it, something he cannot undo will happen——his

intuition sounded an alarm.

Even though he understood that, no strength returned to his exhausted

body.

"We're going to school for the first time tomorrow. It'll be bad if we don't
sleep properly right?"

She said after teasing him for a little longer.

But Taiga wondered if he really will be able to sleep properly.

Slowly erasing all thoughts from his mind, he forcibly closed his eyes.

www.asianovel.com
64

But the curtains of the night, didn't come down yet.

www.asianovel.com
65

www.asianovel.com
66

Vol. 1 :

Chapter 2

Part 1
*chiririririririri*

"...fuahh?"

A loud sound filled the air, the moment he realized it was the sound of
an alarm clock, his consciousness quickly returned.

"Morning, huh."

He felt the sleepy atmosphere after waking up early, and stared at the
sun that still hasn't risen fully yet already brilliantly illuminated the sky.

A soft and warm body lying on the inside of his arm moved in response
to the his words.

"Geez, really, sleeping with me..."

He stroked the head of his little sister, she had a very cute expression as
she slept.

Even though she was the perpetrator who disturbed his heart last night,
the new environment has tired her out and she quickly fell asleep.

But, Taiga whom she was hugging the entire time, was endlessly
troubled by her sweet breathing and ended up falling asleep only just

www.asianovel.com
67

before morning came.

I've only slept for about an hour... well, I've gotta do my best.

He left the bedroom while making sure he doesn't wake her up.

Even though it was April, the morning air was still chilly. Taiga went
through the living room heading to the large garden that was a privilege
which came with the top floor, it was already the second day but he still
didn't feel like his new life properly started.

"Fuwa〜, it's a good weather."

After going outside in his training uniform he looked around from the
fifteenth floor. The area was entirely comprised of tall buildings, no
matter where he looked it was all the same.

He breathed in deeply, inviting cold air into his lungs.

One, two, three... counting in his mind he woke up all cells in his body,
shifting into a state where he could show the best performance within
three seconds.

"Okay, let's start the morning training."

Drawing the practice sword from its sheath, Taiga started working out in
the tranquil morning.

"Good morning, Brother. You're lively right after waking up."

"Nn? Ah, Fuyuki. Good morning."

His little sister's voice welcomed him after he did around a thousand
swings. It was already daytime, the city that spread out below was full of
people and vehicles.

He sheathed the sword, pausing.

"...that's a lot of sweat, there's even steam rising."

www.asianovel.com
68

"Well, it is training. So, what time is it now?"

"It's seven o'clock sharp, we don't have to hurry yet. Please take a
shower, Little Sister has to dress herself as well."

"Got it."

Certainly, it was cold. Fuyuki who put on a jacket on top of her negligee
returned to her room.

After wiping his sweat with a towel, Taiga headed straight to the
[1]
bathroom. He threw his dōgi in the washing machine, set it to to mist
mode before pushing the start button, and quickly washed away the rest
of the sweat in the shower.

It took him five minutes to finish his shower.

After changing into the uniform that was prepared beforehand, he fixed
his hair while looking into the mirror.

"...this uniform looks like it would suit just about anyone."

A gray shirt, black pants and blazer, a tie. He already knew it, but it was
a really ordinary uniform.

He fixed his tie to make it look better, and moved away from the spot.
When he checked the time on the terminal, it was a quarter past seven.

"Looks like I took a little too long."

If they want to eat breakfast they'd better hurry. Thinking that, he

grabbed the bag and headed to the front door hurriedly.

"Sorry, I made you wait."

"Little Sister changed her clothes just now as well. Let's go."

Waiting with a bag in her hands was Fuyuki ver. school uniform.

A dark navy blue blazer and a ribbon instead of a tie in the centre of her
chest accenting it. Dazzling thighs could be seen between the black
kneesocks and the skirt that was about 10 centimetres above her knees.

www.asianovel.com
69

Also, a brand new hairstyle, her long black hair were split in two and tied
with red ribbons.

"I tried going with twin-tails. How is it?"

"Mm. It really suits you."

He openly complimented her, thinking that the long black hair and twin-
tails combo had a great destructive power.

"I see. A great destructive power, is it."

"...do you read minds or something?"

"Yes, but only Brother's."

"Eh, seriously?!"

His sister said something really scary.

Since they didn't have time to dilly-dally, they left their home side by
side, and after confirming that the auto-lock worked they boarded the
elevator.

Part 2
It was still too early to go to school, so there weren't too many people on
the road. Rather than towards the station, the siblings went together
towards the café 《Paradise》 for the moment.

"Welcome, you two. Breakfast is ready."

Rui greeted them after the 'closed' tag was taken down and the door
opened. She wore the same uniform as Fuyuki, but its size was much
bigger. Her big breasts were highly accentuated, and a glimpse of her
sexy legs could be seen.

"Umm—Taiga, it's a little embarrassing when you stare at me like that..."

"Ah, no... ouch!"

"Brother... do you want me to hollow out your eyes?"

www.asianovel.com
70

Fuyuki's shoe strongly pressured his toes. Although it was stronger than
he expected from her small body, it wasn't that effective on Taiga's
trained body.

"Yahaha, Fuyuki really loves Taiga a lot doesn't she〜."

"Of course. However, Brother is different. He has guts to stare at other

women."

"It was unavoidable!"

Whether Fuyuki or Rui, the two of them were unusually beautiful girls.
What's wrong with admiring their uniforms.

Taiga somehow calmed down the pouting Fuyuki, and they sat on the
counter seats of Paradise, it was still in middle of the opening process.
The order they were sitting in was the same as the previous day. From
the right, Fuyuki, Taiga, and Rui.

"Come on, eat up. It's all made by the beautiful Rui-san!"

Rui urged them to start eating.

"...oh—did you really make this by yourself Rui?"

"It's really delicious. Honestly, this is unexpected."

"Grr, what's unexpected?!! Fuyuki!"

Rui's image was somewhat outdoorish, she was surrounded by a

cheerful atmosphere. That a girl like her could make a brilliant pot-au-
feu with golden omelet and plenty of vegetables was quite unexpected.

"That's because I'm the only daughter of café owners, I was taught how
to cook. But I'm still not at a level where I can work in the café's
kitchen."

The two of them, decided to eat breakfast at 《Paradise》 receiving Rui's

invitation.

Last night, after they came back from 《Aries》, Fuyuki contacted Rui

www.asianovel.com
71

through her terminal and that's when she was approached with a
proposal - 『"Why don't you come by for breakfast tomorrow?"』.

Her purpose was to get a third party evaluate her cooking. Even so, the
siblings being conveniently offered a breakfast, took her up on it
instantly.

"Yeah, it's delicious."

"Really? I'm glad."

The three of them ate the breakfast, and cleaned everything up at 7:45.
After being shouted at by Master who was preparing in the back, they
headed towards the station.

Unlike the other day, the platform was full of people in Kiritou Academy's
uniforms waiting in a line. The column of people who commute to school
first increased, and soon after it started decreasing at fast rate. Before
long the trio boarded the linear. To avoid overcrowding, the train had a
seat arrangement like a bullet train allowing a number of people to sit
down, but there was no dissatisfaction since the trains came every two
minutes.

Inverting the seats to face towards each other, three of them sat in
place for four people. Fortunately, no one particularly complained about
the last seat.

"You two, these will be your first classes. Cyber department's teaching
speed is fast, so pay attention."

"Little Sister has room to spare."

"I... well, I'll manage somehow."

Although Taiga's grades weren't great, they were not bad either. But
after enrolling in Kiritou with this department selection, he couldn't let
his guard down, since it's mainly people with good grades who gather in
cyber department.

There are three departments——the general studies department, sports

www.asianovel.com
72

department, and cyber department. The cyber department had capacity

for five hundred students per grade, and the other two had capacity for
two hundred and fifty each Sports department was based on
recommendation, and grades were irrelevant in it. The students with
good grades chose either the general department or the cyber
department. The majority of prospective students come to Kiritou in
order to enroll in the cyber department, in fact there was usually only
around two hundred and fifty people smart enough enroll in it.

In the first place, Taiga only entered the Cyber department because he
followed Fuyuki.

"Somehow you say... that's unsettling."

"Little Sister is there so it'll be alright. Also, Brother is good with

memorization, so I think if he uses it well, he can get average grades."

"What about Rui's grades?"

"Fufufu... you better not——underestimate Rui-san! Studying is her

speciality."

"You really can do anything."

"Anything, is going too far."

As they chatted, the linear reduced its speed as it arrived at the

destination. Upon exiting through the ticket gate the wave of uniforms
divided into three.

The south was general studies department, east was sports department,
and the three of them headed west. The third years' building was the
closest to the station, second years' was in the middle, and inevitably,
the freshmen had the longest distance to walk.

It was like a baptism that awaits first years upon entering.

"This way, hurrey hurrey."

"Why are you excited..."

www.asianovel.com
73

"Let's go, Brother."

He looked at his little sister that was pulling him, and made a few steps.
He wondered if she was excited with the first day of school as
well——and so, suddenly students around them started to make noise.

"Mm?"

"What is it?"

The siblings looked around, all of the students were looking in the same
direction.

There, was a girl with characteristically long black hair on whom their
gazes were focused.

"Good morning, everyone."

The figure and features of the girl replying to their greetings one by one
with a modest and faint smile was one that reminded you of a yamato
nadeshiko. Even her way of walking suggested she was brought up very
well.

"Who is that?"

"Cyber department's third year, Kiritou Haya-senpai. She's the one who
serves as student council president for this term."

"I see, student council president huh. But even so, a 『Kiritou』..."

"Ahahaha, right? She's the only daughter of Kiritou group's head."

In short, she's a genuine ojou-sama. However, what concerned Taiga

was neither the fact that she was the 『Student council president』 nor
『Kiritou』, it was her appearance.

"...similar, heck, is that the same person...?"

He was reminded of the previous day. The woman who was complaining
to a hologram in an empty classroom.

But the personality and image she gave off was completely different.

www.asianovel.com
74

Although the appearance was beyond the level of identical twins, and
more like two peas in a pod. But, since the image was far too different,
Taiga wasn't confident about it. As he observed her while tilting his neck,
Fuyuki who stood next to him grabbed his ear strongly and pulled.

"Brother, don't ogle cute girls whenever you see them."

"Y-you're wrong, wa—, that's not how it is so don't pull!"

"I recommend not to chase after that person〜, because she's always
busy with a lot of things."

"Rui, don't just say whatever you want!"

Their classroom was on the first floor of the first grade building, and
located in the corner. After opening the door, there were desks and
chairs for twenty-five people, a mixed group of girls and boys in
uniforms met up inside.

"Good morning, everyone—!!"

Rui greeted everyone in high spirits, almost everyone returned the

greeting, their gazes shifted to the siblings right after that.

Of course, the duo would stand out. Coming to school a week after
enrolling, in addition to that, one of them was a girl with twin-tails.

"...Little Sister is not a freak show."

Fuyuki hid behind Taiga's back. Rui seeing her best friend like that
clenched her fist tightly.

"Ah〜 everyone! I'll introduce them to you, the classmates who are going
to learn together with us from today onwards!"

Rui pushed the two of them in front, and raised her voice. Her chestnut
fluffy hair bounced as she drew the attention of their classmates.

"This cool boy over here is Tenryo Taiga, and this insanely cute girl is
Tenryo Fuyuki. They're twins that have beautiful sky-blue eyes as their
characteristic. Because of some circumstances they ended up coming to

www.asianovel.com
75

school a week late. Please do get along well!"

"...ah〜 we were just introduced, but I'm Tenryo Taiga. This is my little
sister, Fuyuki."

"Greetings."

Her manners never change, no matter what, even when she was pushed
in front (to be exact Fuyuki already hid behind him).

Taiga started a conversation.

"We don't really know our left from right since we just moved here, but
my little sister and I would like to get along with you all."

"...yes."

After the self-introductions were over, the classroom filled with applause
that started with Rui. For a while already, the gazes gathered at Fuyuki
who was hiding behind her brother's back (it was mainly boys), seeing
such a beautiful girl people moved closer little by little.

Seeing his little sister Fuyuki being very reluctant to speak, Taiga sighed
with relief. Although he was anxious to come to such a special school,
seeing that. he was relieved.

A lunch break after four periods finished in the morning.

The siblings went up the stairs, heading to the roof of the first year's
building. Rui went ahead and waited on them with a thin blanket spread
out. In their hands was a number of bread products bought in the store.

"Welcome back〜. the preparations are done."

"I didn't expect the store would be this crowded. This little sister was
really tired out there."

"Even though I was the one to buy it."

It was close to the second year's building, in other words, the store and

www.asianovel.com
76

the dining room was located between first year and third year buildings.
The crowded state of the stores wasn't odd, there were around seven
hundred and fifty students in total from all three cyber department
grades, it would be crowded even if only half of them used it.

While bathing in April's warm sunlight, the three of them ate their
lunches as they sat on the blanket.

Taiga ate his food heartily, and Rui ate her well balanced boxed lunch
(self-made) and spoke.

"Oh, right. I didn't hear from you, so I wondered, what are you two's
specialized courses?"

"...specialization?"

"Courses?"

Swallowing loudly the last portion, and drinking tea from a pet bottle.
Fuyuki finished eating her BLT sandwich and started listening.

"Didn't you know there are cyber-related specialized lectures?"

"Of course I know that. It was the very reason I entered this
department."

Fuyuki seemed like she knew about it beforehand.

"Yup. First years need to attend these courses, and I hear that selection
ends today."

"Eh, is that so?"

Taiga was surprised hearing that bit of information.

"Last week was a trial period, they guided everyone and allowed them to
experience a lesson. Rui-san has already decided. What are you two
going to do I wonder〜"

Specialized courses are held three times a week, they were split
between Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. In other words, the siblings

www.asianovel.com
77

are to attend specialized courses after the break ends.

"Little Sister knew about it roughly, but the subject application hasn't
been delivered yet."

"Are you going for the same course as Rui-san? It seems like it's worth
taking."

"Since there's no time to choose, that's how it'll be."

"Then, what are you going to do, Taiga?"

"...going for the same one is impossible. I definitely won't be able to

keep up."

Taiga chose cyber department because of his little sister, the one more
appropriate for him would be the sports department. Applying without
having basic knowledge was quite dubious.

He expanded the terminal in a hurry, entering the Kiritou Academy's

structure, skimmed through the scattered windows and looked at the
student assistance syllabus, but——

"I don't get it at all. What's the difference?"

"Is that alright, brother? Shall Little Sister choose for you?"

"No, I have to decide on my path by myself. In the end, it's my

responsibility."

Part 3
He spent the rest of lunch break thinking about it, and in the end he
decided right before the deadline.

After finishing his lunch he parted with the two girls and headed towards
the building where specialized lectures were given.

Unlike normal lessons, specialized course lectures involved using various

equipment, and there was lot of it. That's why, a total of eleven buildings
were assigned for specialized courses to use.

www.asianovel.com
78

"...of all places, it had to be here."

The place Taiga arrived at by relying on the map, was the same one in
which that Kiritou Haya person was screaming at the day before. It was
exactly the same classroom. It was soundproofed as well, it was the
same one without a doubt.

The afternoon lessons were supposed to start soon. The main school
buildings were quite noisy, but this place was eerily quiet. He checked if
it was really the place specialized course was held at, but once again, it
matched.

Even though he hesitated, there was no choice. He gathered

determination and opened the door.

"Oh?"

There was one female student inside. She sat on an unusual classic
couch and closed her terminal's window. She made a slightly surprised
smile.

There was no doubt this time, it was the yamato nadeshiko he saw in the
morning.

...now that he got that far it was impossible to pass it off as a

coincidence. He thought that, but he still continued.

"Umm... student council president Kiritou-senpai, was it?"

"Yes. I'm serving as student council president in this term, my name is

Kiritou Haya. What's your name?"

Kiritou Haya had a modest smile on her face, one that was impossible for
the girl he saw yesterday.

No matter what, she didn't look like the girl who screamed at the
hologram yesterday.

"Umm, is there anything on my face...?"

"Ah, no. I'm cyber department's first year, Tenryo Taiga."

www.asianovel.com
79

"Tenry—— ehem, are you the freshman who was absent for a week
without notice?"

Her appearance changed for a split second.

"Uh... did it cause a problem for the student council after all?"

She was bothered by the fact that her appearance changed for a
moment, but Taiga was the one who was more worried about it. He
didn't care about himself, but he wanted to avoid any bad rumours
about Fuyuki who was the grade's top student.

"Really, I would lie if I said it wasn't a problem at all, but the

circumstances were such that you were sick, teachers were also
convinced."

Of course, the illness was a flat out lie.

"By the way, did Tenryo-kun come here for Takiha Yori-sensei's lecture
《Configuration of virtual personality》?"

"Yes. It's this classroom, isn't it?"

He chose a lecture that was on the very end of the syllabus, looking as if
it was hidden. Although he chose more by intuition than anything else,
he didn't think it would be this room, and that the student council
president would be there.

"Yeah. It is without a doubt this classroom... but in fact, this lecture is no

longer there."

"Ha?"

No longer there... even though it was listed in the syllabus?

"Takiha Yori-sensei who was appointed this year was supposed to be

responsible for this lecture, but due to various circumstances it was
impossible. The fact that it didn't disappear from the syllabus is a
system mistake."

"Then, why are you here, Chairman?"

www.asianovel.com
80

"I was waiting here because there are students like Tenryo-kun who
would come here by mistake. In fact, there were a lot of people who
came here throughout last week."

"Hee—, so that's how it is... eh?"

That's when he thought of something and began feeling uncomfortable.

It's about time the countdown for classes to start begins. No students
will come even if she waits like that until the last minute, at this rate she
won't get to class on time either.

There were other suspicious things about this as well.

First of all, she doesn't need to wait. A notification on school's page is

enough. Also the reaction she had when Taiga identified himself——

So that's how it is after all, it can't be but... really?

The yesterday's ranting, and this pristine yamato nadeshiko definitely

don't match. But, it still bothered him.

For this, a straightforward approach would be the best, and so he asks

her a question head-on.

"Umm, Senpai? In fact, I came to this classroom yesterday around noon.

Although I've seen Senpai at that time——"

"Didn't you mistake me for someone else?"

She denied it completely. Although it might be like she said, he felt it

had a feel of 'Don't step into it any further'.

"No but, weren't you shouting something about the vice principal?"

"You've got the wrong person. You saw wrongly. There's no use, so go
back——please go back right now."

Feeling vulnerable in such situation, the student council president

repeated those words as she broke in cold sweat. However, her tone was
no longer one of a yamato nadeshiko. Although it felt as if he was

www.asianovel.com
81

accusing her of something——

〈"I'm back. Master... oh that's rare, got a visitor? Though it's the person
who showed his mug here yesterday."〉

Haya's terminal suddenly lit up. With a timing as if she did it on purpose,
a fairy girl appeared in the mid-air... and everyone froze.

"Uwoah?! The hologram from yesterday?!"

While Taiga was surprised by the girl's sudden appearance, Haya

cracked a crystal clear, good looking smile.

"........................eh, Iora? Yesterday, what?"

〈"Yesterday at 3:45 o'clock this person looked at Master when she was
about to bawl. He's been there for three minutes."〉

"...seriously?"

〈"Yah, it's true."〉

*creak* *creak* ...like a machine, the girl cautiously faced towards him.

"........................"

"........................"

"...u-mm, the lecture for 《Configuration of virtual personality》, wasn't

it?"

"No no. It couldn't be, since that's impossible."

Where does she intend to start over from.

www.asianovel.com
82

Haya faced away from him and held her head for a moment. It took her
a minute, when she faced him once again she had an expression
indicating she gave up, and a forced smile.

"That's how it is——, it's just a façade, an especially thick one! Got any
complaints?!"

Suddenly she had a desperate coming out.

"I don't really mind it... but is the Student Council President fine with
that?"

"Ah shaddup! In the first place I was in trouble because you guys were
absent without notice for a week! If you are sick then bring in a medical
certificate! Also Iora! I told you not to appear in front of others!"

After being exposed she changed too much.

Because Taiga saw her like that before, he wasn't that surprised, but
when he thought it was the same person who had an appearance of a
lady-like yamato nadeshiko in the morning, he got scared somehow.

〈"Since I was already seen, I decided not to give a shit."〉

"It's not up to your discretion to decide that! If I knew it would be like

www.asianovel.com
83

this I would have cut the terminal's power off!"

〈"Wasn't it not Master the one who instructed me to project from the
terminal?"〉

"Sharrup! If you reported to me that you were seen in the first place,
such a thing wouldn't——!!"

Ignoring Taiga, the Student Council President faced the hologram and
completely dropped her façade/

The hologram girl spoke indifferently while hardly changing her

expression, he felt a little uncomfortable seeing that.

The clothes are weird, and she somehow doesn't feel like a human...
what's this?

That's when an electronic sound of the school's bell started ringing. It

seemed like afternoon classes have started.

"...hey, so what now?"

The specialized courses were essential. If he doesn't decide on a course

it would be determined early that he has to repeat a grade. It was
inevitable that he had to select a specialized course in a hurry, but it
was better than repeating a grade. He launched the terminal in a hurry
looking for a different course.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm looking for another specialized course instead. I can't afford to stay
here any longer——okay, I'll be there in a minute if I run at full power."

〈"It's better to stop that now."〉

Just as he was about to run after checking the location, he was stopped
by strange words and looked up from the window that displayed the
syllabus and met the fairy girl's gaze.

"...U〜mm, why is that no good?"

www.asianovel.com
84

〈"Together with yer application for that specialized course, analysis of

yer academic ability based on entrance exam results is considered."〉

"My academic ability... that information, where did you——"

A window floated in front of her answering his question. It was detailed

confidential information from the school's database on 『Tenryo Taiga』,
it was projected there as if it was something everyone had access to it.

"Ah, hey, Iora! What are you doing! It's the confidential information I use
when I'm in a pinch!"

"Wait a sec! Is this your doing, façade woman!?"

〈"I recommend this specialized course instead. It's very basic and easy
to understand."〉

With a flat emotionless voice and no expression, like a noh mask. The
doll-like girl ignored Haya's protests and approached him while gripping
a window in her hand.

"...it's surprising. To think this girl would get involved with others on her
own... yeah, it's a good opportunity, if I use this guy..."

While giving off a somewhat unpleasant feel, Haya started grumbling to

herself, and it seemed like she got a little interested in Taiga. His
knowledge about cyber related things was no better than that of an
elementary schooler, and he somewhat treated a hologram and the
window as a material that had existing substance.

AI... a presence incorporating virtual personality in an electronic form,

was it.

AI——an auxiliary program that acts like support for humans and does
various chores for them in the cyber world. It's very popular among
working people, a cyber world's existence projected from the
terminal——he was reminded of the lecture he heard in the class today.

Not a human...

www.asianovel.com
85

But a virtual 『Personality』, should have been unable to talk back——

However, this girl, even though it wasn't much, it felt like she had
emotions. Although it's so little, it could be classified as a margin of error
by a human.

In any case, her suggestion was worth considering. As he tried to check

out the window immediately, it suddenly disappeared before he could
touch it with a finger. So that was it. It was just a human error to assume
she had emotions.

"That's unnecessary, Tenryo-kun."

He heard Haya's voice. Even though he knew her true nature, she made
a graceful smile trying to deceive him as she proclaimed that, and
deployed another window in front of Taiga.

"《Configuration of virtual personality》 course permit? Wasn't it

supposed to be gone——"

"That was a lie."

Being told that, he was at a loss for words. Haya quickly ran up to Taiga,
grabbed his hand and made it contact with her terminal's window,
handing over the permit. *pikon*. A procedure transferring brain wave
information started together with that sound.

"Yes, the registration's complete——"

"Wai—, what are you doing!?"

Even though he tried to move his hand away in a hurry, a word

『Complete』 was already displayed on the window. And as he tried to
correct it immediately after, it said 『It's been five minutes since classes
started』, and didn't accept the correction.

"Fufu... just as planned."

〈"Master—, what the hell ya doin'?"〉

"Rejoice, Iora. I have found a perfect person to help with the

www.asianovel.com
86

experiments."

"Wait, wait! What do you mean by 'just as planned' and 'experiment'!"

The dispute started to go in a direction he didn't understand, but he

couldn't pretend not to hear it.

"Shaddup. Just be quiet and get along with this girl. Specifically, chat
with her."

"A fragmented explanation like that isn't enough!"

"You can hear the full story from Iora. I'm tired so I'm going to sleep."

Haya decided to ignore Taiga's words, and with a great momentum, she
curled up like a cat on the couch and closed her eyes. Peeking out from
the flipped skirt was her thigh, it gave off a really voluptuous feeling.

"...do you usually go to sleep in front of a guy you just met?"

〈"That's because Master works every night to improve Iora."〉

Taiga was amazed by her selfish behaviour, he looked at the girl who
floated beside him and their eyes met.

〈"Shall I tell ya 'the full story'?"〉

"...please do."

He bowed his head obediently. There also was an option of not listening
to it, but he agreed and listened to 'the full story' over the next ten
minutes, and then Taiga summarized the complex contents in his head.

"...in other words, you are the new model of AI that façade has
developed, 『Code Name: Iolite』 nicknamed Iora, and unlike conventional
AI's you can learn emotions."

〈"That's roughly correct. Master said that to learn emotions, I've to

engage in conversations with people."〉

"And I was the one chosen as your conversation partner?"

www.asianovel.com
87

〈"It looks like dat's what Master intended."〉

He thought it would be more dangerous when she said it was an

experiment, but it was surprisingly decent. 《Configuration of virtual
personality》 was already written firmly on his timetable, and it didn't
allow him to change it.

"No matter what I do, I can't quit this specialization... no choice, let's go
along with it."

Even though it felt like it was just what Kiritou Haya intended.

"But, an AI learning feelings... I don't really get it, but... drones

developing feelings? What is that façade trying to do by developing such
a thing?"

"To be precise, Master is one of the developers. The other one has
disappeared, it was Master's best friend, Asumi Aoko——."

Iora's words were suddenly interrupted.

As he glanced at her suspiciously why didn't she say anything else, he

noticed her staring in empty space and her pupils disappeared.

"...Iora?"

A dark emptiness of abyss could be seen in her darkened eyes. Faint

light within her eyes looked like a number of circuits.

Because he had a bad feeling, he reached out to touch her. But since it
was a hologram his hand just slipped through the presence that had no
substance in it.

But that action caused some noise in the projection and it focused once
again.

〈"...apologies. An unexpected error appeared in the operation area, I've

dealt with it."〉

"Error? Are you all right?"

www.asianovel.com
88

〈"The internal scan result indicated that there is no problem. There's no

need to worry."〉

He thought about waking Haya up, but if she said it's all right, then it
was all right.

"Is that so. ...but what about this lecture? Is there no teacher in charge
of it?"

〈"No, in the first place that assumption is wrong. 《Configuration of

virtual personality》 is a specialized course Master prepared fer herself."〉

Iora opened a window with Kiritou Haya's name, and changed it to

roman alphabet. The sequence of characters gradually changed as she
traced it with her finger.

In other words, from KIRITO HAYA to TAKIHA YORI.

"........................it's beyond the level of 'abusing power'."

What the hell was she playing at by making a fictional lecture, is what he
wanted to say but didn't. He moved his line of sight and stared at the AI:
Iolite. Her clothes looked very fantasy-like, thin and fluttery, and she
tilted her head cutely.

〈"Do ya want to talk?"〉

"Well... I have nothing else to do."

While sighing, Taiga sat on the couch preparing for a conversation.

For about an hour and a half Taiga enjoyed his chat with Iora. During
that time, the yamato nadeshiko continued to sleep on the couch.

Part 4
After he rejoined Fuyuki "How were your lectures?", even though he was
asked that, he didn't answer and evaded the subject. In fact he just
talked with Iora the entire time.

And after they returned home, the two of them dived in the Elysion for

www.asianovel.com
89

the second time.

"Now then, let's go at full force!"

"From now on it's the real thing. Little sister is excited for it as well!"

Taiga stood on a hill sandwiched between his remodelled-kimono

wearing little sister, and Rui who was wearing a lab coat.

The empty sky of 《Aries》 structure was fiery red. The view they have
seen with their eyes was also dyed crimson.

"...so, from today onwards we're going to fight strong guys?"

"Yes. The target Little Sister chose for suppression is this guy."

What appeared in a window looked like a scarlet flaming ball about two
meters in diameter, its name was written overhead.

"《Kathartí̱rio》? I'm sure it meant 'purgatory' in greek, right?"

"Ahh... yeah. That's its name."

"You really know a lot Taiga. But isn't it a pretty minor name?"

"There was a guy in Renjou who knew a lot.... so, if we defeat this guy
we'll get a reward, right?"

"Yes. The amount was previously set too low, but recently the
management increased the bounty. That's why we're going to aim for it
now."

"Are we going to walk?"

"No way, that would take a week. We're going to jump, are you
prepared?"

"Eh, wait, what——"

"System code, move!"

Just like his first dive the other day, he was caught by a surprise attack
that twisted his body in the space. He felt like a cat that was put in a

www.asianovel.com
90

washing machine. Together with his human thoughts, his vision began to
dim.

When his brain stopped shaking as if he was in a roller-coaster, the three

of them were already in a different location.

It was a barren land with traces of green in just a few places. As they
walked, the temperature they felt gradually increased, he reviewed the
data Fuyuki presented to him as they did so.

"It looks like it's a virus whose entire body is made out of flame. But its
strength is split into seven."

"...yeah, that's why it's named 《Kathartí ̱rio》."

The seven burning sins, the place for purifying those sins. The purgatory.

"What's this, 『Raises virtual temperature and interferes with

environment』? Amazing〜 it's really hot. It feels like it's over 40°c."

"It feels like staying in bath at all times."

"Wait, is there even such a thing as temperature in this world?"

"There is. It's one of the elements to enjoy, but."

If it goes up to the level of feeling pain, the sense is shut off. For the
same reason, the pain sensation was turned off as well. Otherwise it
wouldn't feel like it was a game.

Also, stamina of the virtual body was displayed in percentage. The

accumulated value can be subjected to interference of bugs and viruses,
and the virtual body collapses when it reaches 100%.

Because the electronic body is made with special technology by

suppliers, it takes time and money to reconstruct it. That was another
risk to consider in addition to connection fee, it's another benefit
professional artisans from cyber-related companies get from developing
games.

The three of them walked weakly until they finally arrived.

www.asianovel.com
91

"...so it's that."

"...yup, that's it."

"It's amazingly red..."

All of them took a deep breath at the same time.

"""It's hot!!!"""

It was already past the level of ground burnt by summer heat. They
shouted angrily towards the scarlet flame sitting in the centre like a
king.

The crimson ball had no nose, no eyes, and no mouth. A red skull icon
indicating it was a Boss Monster floated above its head.

"Let's beat this guy within three minutes."

[2]
"If we continue staying like this we'll collapse."

They didn't sweat because of the temperature. But it was unpleasant.

Sensing as their skin baked up, their thinking was blurred because of the
warmth and the visibility——everything was swaying because of the
heat radiating from the ground.

Then, Taiga noticed a change in the scarlet ball of fire.

Shrunken ball of flame started to expand, increasing its volume a few

times. Swirling inside amplified as the flame searched for a solid form to
use. After mutating for several seconds, it turned into a scarlet lion.

"Lion, is it. The symbol of the first sin — 《Pride》."

Its mane burned fiercely like the sun, it had a strong and flexible
physique.

Kathartí̱rio's first form, 《Lion》.

Taiga made a single step forward towards the growling flame lion while
unsheathing his sword. He stood in front while clothed in a contrasting

www.asianovel.com
92

black and white outfit.

"It's a good opportunity, Little Sister will be the vanguard this time."

"Rui-san will do it too, otherwise her body will dull!"

Taiga admired his Japanese clothing-clad little sister's arrogant smile,

and the girl clad in a white coat that twirled around while laughing
happily. He hesitated for a bit before, but now made a smile full of
confidence.

"Who will start first?"

"Let's start with Little Sister. Rucchan, you're up next."

"Okay—!"

Then, the two of them held out their weapons.

*snap*——Fuyuki presented a folding fan with bright autumn leaves

printed on it. It made a good harmony together with the black kimono
that had red peonies printed on it, her figure was like that of a dancer.

And what Rui has presented was——

"...pebbles?

"Non non, this is creative stone."

Kimono-clad Fuyuki being armed with a fan made some sense, even
though it wasn't a weapon at all. However, for this (fake) scientist's
weapon to be stones... it should be at least something like drug
ampoules.

"Let's go, Rucchan!"

www.asianovel.com
93

"Aye, aye〜"

When Fuyuki raised the fan to as high as her chest, balls of light
appeared. There were two of them, they looked like blue crystals. They
sparkled like a prism——and she smashed the two of them with a sloppy
fan folding technique!

They shattered like glass, and the shining particles melted into the
atmosphere. Then, as the sky turned cloudy above the flame lion, a
snake made out of water appeared from the clouds and attacked the
lion.

That was Fuyuki's attack-configured program———Elemental Sphere.

It was a small program constructed in a spheric shape, the program was

activated by its destruction. Because it's small it can hold one property
each——If red, then a flame. If yellow, then lightning——and it wasn't
just manifestation, it was a program rich in diversity of uses.

The water snake entangled the lion's body binding it. But together with
the lion's roar, it flared up and stretched, burning out without a trace.

Purgatory had a strong skin. However his body was suddenly pierced by
several sword blades. The swords that hit it like arrows, they were

www.asianovel.com
94

launched from the stones Rui had between her fingers.

Rui's attack-configured program———Creative Stone.

It was a unique program of Rui who's an excellent creator. It's a program

that makes a small stone change into weapons like spears or swords
after being thrown, it had a lot of applications like crushing target under
a huge weight for example.

"——Eh, what's that. Isn't that unfair?"

That's the impression Taiga had.

It was an irresistible ranged attack. Although Taiga who was an onlooker

described it as 『Unfair』, their weapons were in entirely different league.

"What is it, Brother. Is there anything about Little Sister that you're
dissatisfied with?"

"Nono, your weapons, their appearance and performance have nothing

to do with each other!"

"Please don't group normal weapons and Rui-san's special programs

together. Ah, by the way, Taiga's one has a special setting as well you
know?"

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Your weapon has elemental attributes just like your little
sister's. The more familiar you get with it, the easier it will be for you to
use them."

So it can release something like that as well——, crossed Taiga's mind.

The attacks of the girls seemed to work, and Kathartí ̱rio howled as
electromagnetic waves passed through its body. The body of the lion
started to shake and returned——to being a flame ball.

Purgatory violently started bubbling as it changed. The figure it changed

to, was a snake with ten to twenty heads and clad in blue flames.

www.asianovel.com
95

"The Second sin 《Envy》 huh. Isn't its model Yamata no Orochi..."

"With this much heads it turned into something disgusting."

"In any case, let's end this quickly. It's too hot."

The second out of seven, there was still a lot ahead.

After that was a three-headed wolf, a pegasus, a nine tailed fox. The
three of them defeated the mutated forms of 《Purgatory》 one after
another. Next, was a body with six eyes.

gyuwan ———The black flames radiated towards the crimson sky, and
bullets of black flames hit the earth.

He used all of his strength to draw the nodachi and stood in front of the
girls protecting them by cutting the black flames.

The burning flames dominated the sky. An enormous fly clad in black

flames, that was the incarnation of the sixth sin 《Gluttony》.

They were attacked by loud noises from the four blade-wings flapping
loudly several times already. The sweeping flames increased gradually,
Taiga crouched and lowered his sword.

"Damn, come down here already, so I can cut you down!"

"Come on, calm down, it'll be down soon."

"Together, Rucchan!"

Using her remaining strength Rui created multiple creative stones

around them, and Fuyuki produced wind by destroying a white sphere
and sent the stones into the sky, above the lord of flies who was
hovering in the sky.

Composite creation———the creative stones connected with each other

while in circular motion and doubled their mass, and fell from above as a
huge mass of steel.

The fly crashed from the sky screaming in agony. Dealing a final blow

www.asianovel.com
96

Fuyuki destroyed three yellow balls summoning lightning from the sky.

Thor's Hammer.

Fuyuki and Rui boasted of having the strongest anti-air powers.

"...another flashy technique."

"It's a bold move that can't be used continuously. But it worked pretty
well."

Rui responded to him.

The 《Gluttony》 burned with a pale flash of light while it was stitched to
the ground, and started shaking like a heat haze.

And after black, silver appeared.

The silver flame dissolved the steel mass in an instant, and its
appearance hardened.

Eight feet supporting its huge body, both of its arms were steel blades
made to reap lives, a three pronged spear at the end of the tail.

The seventh sin 《Lust》——a scorpion.

"It's finally the last one. I was getting tired of it."

"Brother, please don't let your guard down. The final form is the
strongest."

It's alright——just as Taiga was about to say that, he lost the chance to
do so.

The silver scorpion that seemed to have dull movements, suddenly

jumped as the speed of a bullet.

"Uwoahh?!"

As the heavy strike of the sickle swung down on him, he instantly poised
with the nodachi to block it. A tremendous impact of the blow hit the
arms supporting the nodachi and Taiga made a pained expression.

www.asianovel.com
97

He slashed the scorpion in response, however, it was repelled by the

silver armour together with a high-pitched metallic sound.

Hard——

Surprised by a completely different sensation from before, Taiga was

blown away after receiving the strike.

"That's why I told you not to let your guard down!"

Taiga rolled for a moment on the ground and managed to rebuild a

defensive posture after getting up. Fuyuki destroyed two white balls with
a fan, and even though a few wind blades attacked the enemy, they
dissolved after reaching the enemy's robust armour.

So this will not work either, Fuyuki clicked her tongue as she thought.
Silver flames were rising from the entire body of 《Lust》 up to the tip of
it's three-pronged tail.

As fire bullets increased in size and density rapidly, Fuyuki and Rui
moved together.

"Rui-san will create an opening, so try to break it down!"

"I leave it to you!"

Fuyuki created three elemental spheres that had brown colour, and Rui
threw a total of eight swords.

The swords were unfortunately deflected by the armour, Fuyuki's fan

waited for that moment and struck. The ground under the scorpion
swelled and a fist of rock suddenly disrupted its balance.

Immediately responding, bullets of silver flames that were shot

enlarged.

The lump of fire missed the two people and landed far behind them, a
fierce flame that erupted was enough to cause a scorching wind, and the
flame spread widely.

"Kuh... it has amazing power doesn't it. If we were hit directly we would

www.asianovel.com
98

be done for."

Rui said that while grimacing as the hot air hit her entire body.

While the sixth form, 《Gluttony》 used fire bullets, the power of this form
was on an entirely different level. With such insanely destructive power,
the electronic body would collapse from a single blow.

This is a virus Boss Monster. An enemy powerful enough to have the

bounty on its head manually increased.

"If it's like that, to win we have to make our move first!"

Rui rushed forward to stop it before the next bullet is shot.

She lightly avoided the sickle that was swung down, leaped on the
scorpion and hit the back of 《Lust》 with creative stones. The blades that
were thrown in the gaps between the armour pierced brilliantly, and
exploded all at once on Rui's signal.

Kathartí̱rio's cries resounded. And the armour changed mutating like

liquid, sharp thorns appeared on its back covering the gaps.

"Wai- isn't that a foul play?!'

The moment its only weakness was found, it was covered. The next
blades that followed were repelled. At the same time it moved its body
like a snake and 《Lust》's sickle attacked Rui who had nowhere to escape
in the mid-air.

"RAAaah!

The sickle and Taiga's sword clashed, and after a few seconds of
struggling 《Lust》's big frame was blown away. The scorpion retreated in
the middle of a dust cloud, its howls reached the heaven, from the
entirety of the steel body silver flames emerged.

"Are you two alright?"

"Rui-san is alright. You were the one who intercepted the strike, are you
okay Taiga?"

www.asianovel.com
99

"It's not like it was a direct hit. Heck, this guy, isn't he completely
different than the forms up until now?"

"From now on it's the real thing. The opponent is a virus with a price on
his head, it won't go down that easily."

A speed that didn't suit such a big frame, intense flame bullets shot from
its tail, a robust armour repelling attacks... it was clearly very strong.
Sins from the first up to the sixth seemed like they were just a sideshow
compared to it.

"If possible we should avoid close combat but... if we get hit by those fire
bullets, we'll be done for."

"Yes. Also, it looks like we can't take too long."

Fuyuki responded to him and opened a window. The status of the virtual
body was displayed on it, the value corresponding to the body's
interference increased at a fast pace.

"Apparently this hot air isn't just unpleasant.. It also continuously

interferes with virtual bodies damaging them."

Fuyuki's total value was already over 30% even though she wasn't hit
even once. If they keep receiving damage, at this rate they may collapse
in few minutes.

"First we need to do something about that armour. How about we

destroy it with a simultaneous attack?"

"Let's go then... here I come!"

Just after Fuyuki and Rui decided on the next course of action, 《Lust》
charged at them with tremendous speed, all three avoided it spreading
out in different directions. Fuyuki and Rui sandwiched it from both sides,
and Taiga jumped, diving on it from above.

"Haaaaaaaaa!!"

Violent sparks appeared as steel met steel. Not allowing it to recover,

www.asianovel.com
100

Taiga continuously dealt powerful blows with his blade. They were
evenly matched, and his fast slashes were intercepted by a flaming
blade.

Taiga had a number of weapons, like superior skills, a strong physique

allowing him to deal heavy blows, sixth sense obtained during his
military service——and the greatest weapon of them all was, this speed.

Godspeed reflexes going beyond the limits of the human race, dynamic
vision surpassing common sense allowing him to see rifle bullets in slow
motion, overwhelming agility allowing him to reach top speed instantly.

But even if he used them to the very limit, he couldn't endure forever
and was blown away by a strike that came from both sides at once.

Just as planned.

"Thanks for buying us time! Let's go, Rucchan!"

"It's the special move!"

The two of them gathered strength and launched their attacks at 《Lust》
who immediately tried to pursue Taiga.

Red, blue, and white, Fuyuki struck the three orbs, and Rui threw two
spinning massive Creative Stones into the sky above. The stones divided
into tens of smaller fragments, and then further into hundreds of
fragments, and each one of them changed into a sharp lance.

"Parallel Creation 《Spear Rain》!"

A rain of spears poured down one by one, and repeatedly pierced the
armour one after another.

But even though many holes appeared in it, the broken parts continued
to recover. That's where Fuyuki followed up.

"Triple Spell 《Steam Flare》!

A shining white ball emerged on 《Lust》's back and burst expanding all
at once. An attack bearing a name of steam explosion hit the silver

www.asianovel.com
101

armour causing intense vibrations and pushed the spears further in.

"——Boom it goes♪."

Rui who stopped moving snapped her fingers, and a huge amount of
spears immediately exploded.

The armour that was crumbling because of multiple shockwaves, turned

to pieces together with that explosion.

Kathartí̱rio's 《Lust》 form's screams filled the air loud enough to rupture
their eardrums.

The fight wasn't over with just the destruction of its armour, as if having
a grudge on them, all the flames converged on its tail.

But——it was too slow.

Taiga rebuilt his posture and started running towards the scorpion with
his sword pointed to the ground. His body reproduced the movements
he did tens of thousands times before without thinking and performed,

"Renjou sword technique, fourth form——"

That moment, an anomaly appeared on the sword's blade. It began

buzzing with electricity and flashing intensely. A purple flash dyed the
space around Taiga.

He raised his wrists as a blade was swung down on him and cut,
disconnecting the scorpion's sickle at the base, after that he continued
slashing diagonally. Furthermore he twisted his body without killing the
momentum and swung once again drawing a cross shape!

"——— 《Raijyuji》!!"

www.asianovel.com
102

A skill that allows the user to dodge the enemy attacks while aiming for
their weak points with godspeed strikes.

Twin strike clad in purple lightning easily cut through the silver body
that has lost its armour, and disassembled it into four pieces.

With a scream reverberating in the air, the Boss Monster, virus

Kathartí̱rio disappeared.

Silence dominated the wilderness.

The flames lost their source and disappeared, the uncomfortable

temperature went down like it was all a lie. Taiga looked for a moment
at the afterglow of the disappearing purple lightning, and sheathed his
sword. Together with its cool sound, the time that stopped started to
move once again.

"We won... it's our first victory, Brother!"

"Ah, yeah. We won."

The excited Fuyuki jumped around spontaneously. And he looked at the

sunset dyed with the battle's afterglow.

"...a win huh."

www.asianovel.com
103

"It's an undisputed complete and perfect victory."

Rui smiling from ear to ear came up to him and grasped his hand and
shook it strongly.

At that time her large breasts shook as well, moving up and down. His
eyes were drawn to them——

"Seems like brother doesn't learn."

Stab.

"Gyahh——!! Eyes...my eyesssssssssss!!

He rolled on the ground after getting stabbed and blinded.

After he saw Rui's breasts at extremely close range he couldn't help but
admire them. It wasn't reality so he didn't sense a crisis. In fact, there
wasn't any pain.

"Ahh—I thought I've gone blind... so, what was that in the end? Like
electricity or something."

"That was Taiga's program, its name is 《Heavenly Sword》."

"It's not just electricity, it can release things like wind, flames and water
as well. In Brother's case, it seems like with familiar movements it
should be easy to get fixed types. ——Well then! Let's pick up our
reward. Please log out brother."

"Nn? Is this the end for today? Isn't there still time?"

"Nyaah, since it's our memorable first suppression we should celebrate,

there's a lot of things to prepare."

"Oh, I see... is the location Paradise?"

"Yup. Come over around eight o'clock."

The memorable first battle of the trio ended with a victory.

www.asianovel.com
104

Part 5
A few hours after coming back to the real world, the siblings aimed for
《Paradise》.

"A celebration party means there will be food and stuff right?"

"That's exactly what preparations meant. Fortunately the war funds are
ample, also the shopping is easy since she's the only daughter of the
store owners."

"...by the way, how much was the reward?"

"Five thousand yen for each of us."

"Eh, seriously? We're getting that much for just that?"

"It was reckless to face that enemy with just three of us in the first
place, and also because of the virtual body reproduction costs the
reward is higher. By the way, the reward is even bigger if it's a new
species."

With that pricing it was worthy being called bounty hunting. If done
efficiently, living just by bounty hunting wasn't impossible.

"It was not all used on the party, I passed a lot of money to Rucchan for
our future meals in 《Paradise》. Although I'm asking you for approval in
retrospective, but you don't mind right?"

"Not at all. I don't need any money now."

It was exactly eight o'clock p.m., the siblings left their home and walked
through the city that wasn't asleep yet. Although it was not a downtown
it wasn't too bright, there was no brightness and huge flow of people
that was characteristic to big cities.

"Welcome, oh, it's you guys. It isn't time for kids to walk around now."

When they entered the café 《Paradise》, it completely turned into a bar.

In a modern atmosphere customers were tilting their glasses, and

www.asianovel.com
105

standing by the counter was Saionji Jyugo dressed like a barman. The
last of the café atmosphere that was there during the day completely
disappeared.

"We know. Didn't you hear from Rui, Master?"

"Now that you say it, she left earlier. Is there something?"

"Just a little party."

Fuyuki followed Taiga and sat on the counter seat naturally. Unlike his
little sister, Taiga was used to it and didn't feel any discomfort.

"So, where is Rui? She doesn't seem to be here."

He could see there was no maid in the bar with a single glance.

"Oh, it seems like she went out to the town... that said, I thought she
was kinda slow not coming back yet, I can't leave the store and look for
her."

"I'll go then. Master, do you have a place Fuyuki can wait at?"

"Our home is above. Customers don't enter it."

"Well then, go and wait there."

Even though Master was there, something still could happen. He didn't
want to leave his sister with people who drank alcohol. Fuyuki guessed
her brother was worried, and with a happy face went up instructed by
Jyugo. Taiga went out to the city at night to check on Rui.

Since shopping wasn't intended for the store but a party. Rui finished
the work early and went out twenty minutes ago, she left the store while
still wearing maid clothes.

"A maid walking in the city at night, eh?"

It was beyond the level of standing out.

The nearby supermarket is quite far away by foot. If she gets involved in
some trouble——

www.asianovel.com
106

"Hey, don't ignore us〜 play with us a little."

"I told you NO! You're annoying!"

"I found you."

On the opposite side of the road, the voice that reached him from
between the noise made by cars wasn't the same as usual.

What was seen in the light, was a neatly dressed maid with chestnut
brown hair.

She had both of her hands on a shopping bag, and was surrounded by
frivolous men who didn't allow her to move.

The men surrounding her seemed to be pretty drunk, their faces were
tinged with red. One man angrily stretched his hands towards the girl.
The moment a hand forcibly tried to grab Rui——

"Hey you. What are you doing to my friend."

Taiga walked through the road cars were driving to and from, and
twisted the man's hand.

"Ta-Taiga... ?"

"H-hey Rui. You were late so I came to pick you up."

"It hurts! Y-you fucking brat! What are you doing!"

Because he twisted his joint perfectly, it was quite painful when the man
tried to move. While the man was acting violently and screaming in pain,
at that moment Taiga wasn't merciful enough to care about it.

The men around went crazy because a boy suddenly appeared and had
their comrade in a hold. One of them who tried to hit him, crashed with
the man whose joint was being twisted.

He ignored the two of them who collapsed like a wall, and said to Rui.

"Why didn't you change from maid clothing. You're a little too careless."

www.asianovel.com
107

"B-because if I didn't hurry the preparations for the party wouldn't..."

"...now that you say it, sorry for leaving it all to you. But Rui, you're a bit
too unaware of your own appearance."

If a girl that cute wore a maid outfit, she would definitely be called out to
by men.

She was scared, her shoulders were trembling slightly. Taiga noticed
that and pulled her soft body closer, giving her a hug.

"Ta-Taigaa?!"

"It's alright."

"...aa..."

"It's alright now."

He repeated those words gently. As if cutting the thread of tension, Rui

entrusted her body to him with eyes closed.

Relieved for the time being, he noticed the men from before act frantic.

"——Ah, sorry. I completely forgot about you guys."

"This shitty brat... you better prepare yourself!"

"I'm prepared. But the ones who aren't seem to be you guys."

Simply stating that, Taiga snapped.

He didn't know why. But something snapped in him the moment several
men raised their hands at Rui.

Thanks to the self-control cultivated by training, he didn't beat them up.

Just——

"If you say anything else... I'll silence you physically."

He said that to them without any hesitation, and with a spark in his eyes.

"Guh..."

www.asianovel.com
108

Even an amateur without any knowledge could feel his thirst for blood.

A feeling they don't encounter in their every day life cooled them down
instantly, it was so effective that it made them stop breathing for a
moment.

"...tch, if you have a guy then say so in the first place. What a waste of
time."

Scared of the invisible pressure, the men left with a quick pace. Even
though they said that as they left, it was practically a getaway.

"Come on, let's go."

"Y-yes..."

"Fuyuki is waiting, let's go back quickly."

He took the full bag from her hand, and headed towards the intersection
in order to pass the crosswalk properly this time. Rui stayed in the back,
daydreaming.

"Yup, let's go back."

She ran up to him with small steps, and hugged his arm.

"Why did you come back linking arms you asshole Brother...!!!"

"It hurts... it hurts real bad, seriously I'm not joking!"

"Well then, let's start celebrating!"

Rui in her unchanging maid clothing declared and opened a bottle with
amber liquid, at the same time as violent punishment was carried out
next to her.

*pann*, *pshuu*!

"Wapuu."

"You... isn't that champagne!"

www.asianovel.com
109

"I took one when I was in the store♪."

After that, the party started completely.

On the second floor of Saionji's, in one of the rooms, simple sweets

made by Rui and snacks that were spread out disappeared in their
stomachs one after another.

After about twenty minutes have passed——

"Funyaa〜 are you done Brotzerrr. Your hand stoppedd〜"

"Ar'ya not gong to eat my cookin〜〜?"

"Why are you two drunk!?"

Two cute girls were completely finished.

Let's say it to avoid misunderstanding 『There was sake mixed in the

drinks!』 there was no such thing. What the three of them drank was
simple juice.

So why has something like that happened.

"Getting drunk with just a smell, just how weak are you..."

They were stimulated with just the alcohol in the air. The two of them
got drunk with just the smell released at the time champagne was first
opened. Also, why Rui, who should have been used to it got drunk too.

"Mua〜Brozzer don just look at Rucchan."

His little sister sandwiched his cheeks between her palms, and changed
his head's angle by force. She sat on his lap with her body all reddened
and eyes glazed over.

"A punishmnt smooch fer cheatng Brotzer."

"Stop stop! A maiden can't do such a thing, it's illegal!"

"Dat's right〜 Fuyukii〜. Siblings shoun't kiss〜"

This time it was Rui who came up from behind and clung to him. A big

www.asianovel.com
110

and extremely soft thing pressed his back changing shape.

"Rui, you too, let go!"

"Why〜?"

He couldn't even answer because of embarrassment.

Seeing Taiga distracted by his back, Fuyuki puffed her cheeks. And——

"Ngghh〜! Amu."

Chomp, something warm has enveloped his ear.

"Ouwah! Wai- what are you doing, Imouto-sama!"

His earlobe was nibbled on with sweet sounds, a tongue extended into it
with watery sounds. And it stopped with a loud wet noise leaving a
silvery thread behind, which severed soon after.

"Not bad Fuyukii, den Rui-san too——"

"Noo! Onii is Fuyu's! From head to toess all of it is Fuyu's!"

Somehow, she regressed into a toddler.

"Onii..."

And for the brother those words were agonizing. In various ways, it was
really bad for a siscon.

The 『First suppression commemoration party』 carried on with such a

feel.

After a noisy while, the Saionji house was in middle of clean-up.

"Uhh〜that was too much champagne."

"Geez, don't take products out of the store. I'll take it from your pocket
money."

"No way?!"

www.asianovel.com
111

The cleaning of the store done by parent and child wasn't too difficult
because the siblings weren't messy eaters. The only exception was the
champagne that was ejected when the siblings were playing around.

"Hey, Dad."

"Nn?"

While wiping with a rag, Saionji Rui asked her father who was picking up
garbage.

"You know, am I actually a simple woman?"

There was a light in her heart, a warm light.

"Just because I saw someone act a little cool, because I was saved. For
such a reason, I got interested in someone."

She didn't expect an answer.

She just wanted to ask someone.

She wanted someone to push her back.

And then, her father——

"Who knows. For the time being, why don't you hit and see?"

Just as she unconsciously wished for, she got a straight answer.

"...hit?"

"Whether your feelings are real or not, if you're anxious why don't you
try actively attacking. Maybe you'll be able to figure something out?"

Holding a garbage bag, Jyugo left the room. Rui looked at her father's
back through the window. The crystal clear blue sky was now covered by
darkness.

"...yeah, that's true. Waiting is something I can't agree with."

Her heartbeat started to beat faster and her body temperature

increased when she thought about looking at that figure the same way

www.asianovel.com
112

as her best friend did. To check what is the feeling that was sprouting,
she gently placed a hand on her chest.

Translator's Notes and

References
1. ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keikogi
2. ↑ It's a pun, the "collapse" here can also mean they'll fall into
debt.

www.asianovel.com
113

Vol. 1 :

Chapter 3

Part 1
"...okay, done!"

It was a very warm spring morning.

The morning weather was good enough to blow away the feeling of heat
they experienced in Elysion yesterday.

On a second floor of café 《Paradise》, a store set up in the corner of the

New City, in Saionji's kitchen.

A girl with a glamorous body wearing a pink apron, struck a guts pose
after finishing the masterpiece she was working on from six o'clock in
the morning.

Her father has already entered the first floor and started preparations,
and her mother was working in her office room taking care of food
orders.

Usually Rui was still sleeping at six o'clock in the morning, but today she
somehow woke up early while rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"It took me an hour. I'm not sure if there's enough of it, but... it's pretty
good, even if I do say so myself."

Rui folded the apron and started cleaning up.

www.asianovel.com
114

It was currently seven o'clock in the morning, the siblings would come
soon. She had to prepare everything before then.

"Fufufu."

His face when he first met her, she remembered the surprised and
admiring expression he had when he saw her dressed as a maid.

The crystal clear sky-blue eyes her best friend had, and she was so
envious of. When she thought about his eyes that were the same as his
little sister's, her heart started beating faster.

He wasn't used to the opposite sex, and his reactions were cute every
time. And yet, he seemed wild and harsh when he gripped his sword, as
if he was a sharp blade himself.

Every day has gotten more fun ever since he came, the time she spent
with him was brilliant.

Well then, it was time to start another enjoyable day of hers——

"Uuu... my head hurts..."

"Hey hey, stop staggering. Here, hold onto me."

"I'm all wobbly... Brother, piggyback please."

"That'll be the last resort."

The siblings walked under the blue sky to meet up with their best friend
for breakfast.

Because of Fuyuki's drunkenness and going to sleep early, Taiga could

get a proper refreshing sleep until it dawned.

However, now the little sister was completely unlike the refreshing
morning sky, she held her aching head and had a faintly blue face, and
walked while leaning on her brother.

In other words, she had a hangover. Even though she didn't drink

www.asianovel.com
115

anything.

"To think Little Sister was so weak when it comes to alcohol... Onii,
piggyback."[1]

"Did you regress into an infant again?"

"Haa... Brother, right, it's Brother. I need to be careful."

"I don't really mind if it's 『Onii』. Didn't you call me that way in the
past?"

"I don't want to. It's childish."

He wondered if she wanted to appear older. She did look really young,
so he could understand that feeling.

While he supported her small body (by the way, they looked like a
student couple making out from a third person's perspective) they
walked together for about five minutes, and arrived at Paradise later
than usual.

"Welcome Taiga... eh what? Why is Fuyuki...?"

"Ah just a little something. Sorry, but if you could get her something
light for breakfast it would be a great help."

Greeted by a maid that didn't suit the store's atmosphere, he put his
little sister down on the seat.

His little sister laid down on the counter table, and looked up at Rui from
below. She saw a chest that couldn't even be compared with her own.

"Everyone with big breasts should just die."

Because she felt bad, her language turned bad as well.

She was at her limit, and her face hit the counter. Taiga and Rui looked
at each other.

"Ahaha... then, I'll get Fuyuki something light."

www.asianovel.com
116

"Sorry for that."

Various things happened after that, and when they finished their meal
they headed to school.

For some reason Fuyuki was revived after eating the breakfast, and the
gloomy atmosphere was instantly dispelled.

Her long black hair that was divided into twin-tails danced in the Spring's
sunshine.

"...how beautiful〜"

From Rui's point of view that figure looked mysterious and fantasy-like,
beautiful enough for her to admire.

The twin-tails was a hairstyle that emphasized childishness, but in

Fuyuki's case it worked in reverse, giving her a more adult charm (also,
it fascinated Taiga).

In other words, it was 『Envy』, something she didn't realize before.

Also, Taiga's silence affirmed it, which worried her even more.

"What's that?"

There were three bags, and in them was rectangular luggage wrapped in
cloth, it was quite heavy.

"It's a secret〜. You'll know in about five hours."

The three of them took a linear later than usual, heading to school.

In Kiritou Academy, the cyber department aimed at the same or a higher

level than general course when it came to basic subjects. That's why,
since there was the additional burden of specialized courses, the
progression rate of basic subjects was inevitably faster.

So, if the level was higher, the lesson structure was more inclined to
application rather than memorization.

www.asianovel.com
117

In other words——

"Sugar〜 give me sugar〜"

"It's too early to collapse, Brother."

The boy who survived the entrance examination thanks to memorization

and overnight cramming, was already getting left behind.

It was the lunch break after four classes, and there weren't many
students in the class. Taiga's face fell on the desk.

It seemed like smoke came out from his head, and it wasn't just a
metaphor. That's because he never was good with studying.

His head was already a mess during the third lecture, during the fourth,
the teacher's words entered his ears from one side, and left through the
other.

Then, a call came in to Taiga's terminal. The caller, Rui, already went
ahead to the rooftop while holding bags with wrapped luggage.

〈"Ah, Taiga? Preparations are done, you can come over."〉

"Finally. So, did you prepare food or something?'

〈"Look for yourself, you'll enjoy it."〉

He gestured to Fuyuki summoning her, and they went up the stairs

aiming for the roof.

"Welcome to 《Paradise》 on a business trip〜!"

The only people on the rooftop were the three of them, a blanket was
spread in the best possible location where the sunlight was strongest,
and boxes with a total of five layers were spread out on it. In the layer
on top of four others were rice balls.

"Woah, Rucchan, did you make all of this?"

"It's all handmade♪."

www.asianovel.com
118

"It really is amazing... but this, no matter how you slice it, isn't this too
much?"

"That's because people who do sports eat a lot don't they〜. I thought
Taiga would be like that as well〜."

"I know of something called weight management. I refrain from indulging

in gluttony."

There was no way to imitate the strongest weapon of his, the speed.
However, it was true that the exercises consumed calories like crazy.

"Uuu... th-then, will you... not eat it...?"

"...no, I can eat if it's this much."

After glancing at Rui, Taiga corrected himself in a hurry.

That expression was a foul play. He wouldn't be a man if he didn't eat it

after seeing that look on her face.

Seeing a smile bloom like a flower on Rui's face, Taiga decided he made
the right choice.

"Well then, Itadakimasu."[2]

"...itadakimasu."

"Enjoy yourselves."

He extended the chopsticks towards the opened boxes in front of him.

No matter which one, the taste was amazing, and Taiga's hand didn't
stop until the five-layered box was empty.

They enjoyed a cup of tea after a meal, and then went back to the
classroom. Also, they refused Rui's proposal to make them boxed lunch
every day with 『"We can't bother you that much"』, and settled on
『Occasionally having some』 after a few complications.

After school they headed together towards the station, and came back
to central station by taking a linear. And just when Taiga thought they

www.asianovel.com
119

will go back home and enter Elysion——

"Brother, let's go on a date."

"...ha?"

Hearing that, he stopped thinking for a moment.

"Date you mean...? Doing things that couples do?"

"YES indeed! The couples going out together do do various things, that
kind of date."

"But you're siblings, aren't you?"

"Even if we're siblings let's go out together. In fact, it's even more
special since we're siblings."

"But it's misleading if you say it's a date. 'Why don't we tour the New
City〜' and invite him like that."

"You mean, you will guide us around, Rui?"

"Of course!"

Certainly, the only places they have been to ever since they moved in,
was just Paradise, their own home, station and school. They could get a
map from their terminal, but they never had time to look around.

"You mean, we're not going to enter Elysion today?"

"We don't have to log in every day, also there's the accumulated
damage from yesterday's battle. We'll wait a day until it recovers."

In that case, there was no reason to refuse the invitation. With that said,
the three of them walked around the New City that was crowded with
people.

New City is mainly divided into an eastern and western part around the
central linear station. Café 《Paradise》 and the Tenryo siblings apartment
were in the eastern part, residential areas, stores and entertainment
mainly scattered around the city. Generally, the students mainly used

www.asianovel.com
120

the city's eastern part.

"There's a lot of large shopping malls... looks like there's a lot of stores
in here."

"That's because Kiritou Academy is a mammoth school with three

thousand students in it. There's no shortage of customers to attract."

The commercial street was a short walk away from the station, it was
really crowded and very active.

There were a lot of students wearing Kiritou Academy's uniforms, they

were either window shopping or eating out in the free time they had
after school.

"That shop over there is expensive, but they sell cute accessories. That
restaurant has delicious parfaits, but other than that it's mediocre."

They walked around the avenue while listening to Rui's guidance. Even
while walking around the commercial street, the trio easily attracted
people's gazes.

Two cute girls were one reason, plus one of them (of course it was
Fuyuki) clung to a boy's arm, and was in the spotlight.

In other words, they were gazes of jealous boys.

"...being stared like that makes it hard to walk."

"Ignore what they're saying. It's a situation that should be openly

enjoyed."

"...Rui-san should also be aggressive like that... but it looks like it's too
embarrassing after all..."

www.asianovel.com
121

"What are you muttering over there, Rucchan?"

The trio continued to walk while acting cheerful and noisy.

In the corner of shopping mall, there was a shop with female

clothing——

"How is it, Brother. Does it suit me?"

"...ain't there too little exposure? Leaving shoulders exposed is normal〜"

"This IS pretty normal. Speaking of which, you're wearing quite plain

clothes as compared to yesterday."

"No, it's Rui who has a perfect style so that looks good on her, unlike this
flat-chested Fuyu——."

"Little Sister's screw uppercut!!!"

"Gouah!"

"...what are you doing in the changing room?"

He accompanied two completely different types of cute girls as they

were shopping,

"Brother, won't you buy me that ring to commemorate our first date?"

www.asianovel.com
122

"Umm, Imouto-sama? Isn't that a diamond or something?"

"...well then I'll settle for that."

"That's also pretty expensi——no, it's nothing."

He held his head with one hand as he made an unplanned expense in

the accessory shop.

"Oh, this is delicious."

"Red potato taste huh, please have a bite."

"Then, here have this in exchange."

"...having crêpes after school, this really feels like youth."

"That's because we are young maidens. Here, I'll give mine to brother as
well."

"Ah yeah, sankyu."

"Mouth to mouth."

"Cherish yourself a little more, young maiden!"

The trio had a good time sitting in the park with crêpes they purchased.

After they finished touring the eastern side, on the opposite side of the
station was the western side occupied by company buildings.

That's where they headed. As expected, there were barely any students
over there.

"No matter where I look it's people in suits."

"Though, there are leisure facilities here, like a zoo or amusement park."

"I see, so that you don't have to leave the city to see one on holidays."

As they walked down the road, the street had skyscrapers lined up and
what entered their line of sight were just signs describing the company
names. As they looked around looking for something standing out, their

www.asianovel.com
123

eyes were naturally drawn to the building around twice as big than
others.

"So that's the Kiritou Group headquarters..."

"Big, isn't it. It seems to represent the power of New City."

"Want to enter and look around? The first and second floors are open for
visitors and have cyber-related products displayed."

"Brother, let's go!"

"...your eye colour changed〜"

He went inside of the Kiritou Group building pulled by Fuyuki whose eyes
were shining.

They passed through the huge building's dazzling entrance hall, and
headed to the second floor in an elevator.

After the front door opened, there was a hallway in which a number of
devices was exhibited.

"Brother, Brother look at this! It's amazing!"

"Ah, yeah, so it is."

While pulled slightly by his max tension little sister, he looked at the
exhibit.

As several of devices like Arclight and terminals that even Taiga knew
were lined up, between them 『How is this used?』 were things that made
him think that.

At some point, excited shouts could be heard from a square away. When
they looked towards that direction interested, they saw a dozen people
gathered in the square's corner.

〈"Everybody, why don't we play a game to commemorate your visit?"〉

www.asianovel.com
124

A hologram depicting a woman in a suit was projected on the side.

Judging from her inorganic, expressionless voice, it was an AI widely

used as a receptionist. Hologram projectors seemed to be installed in
various places.

The game itself was a simple shooting game that pursued realism by
using a Hologram

"Let's try it out!"

Rui enthusiastically placed her hand on a handgun model displayed. A

hologram displaying a two legged drone popped up and approached her.

"There! There—!"

Rui shot them one after another as they were displayed. Fuyuki
continued to observe products not interested in the game. And Taiga
who was being a little bit left behind, observed Rui play from a distance.

...I thought so yesterday already, but Rui has pretty good reflexes. If she
trained she could be as good as I am.

Rui continuously shot the appearing drones breaking them.

Her dynamic vision and reflexes were good, and she hadn't missed a
single time yet.

She had better physical ability than most girls her age, good at studying,
good at cooking and had a perfect figure. Truly a high spec girl.

He moved his line of sight away, there was an AI that didn't move an
inch.

Its fake smile clearly looked like it was 『Artificial』.

"...it's a same AI but it feels fairly different from Iora."

〈"Did'ya call me?"〉

"Ouoah?!!"

www.asianovel.com
125

He heard a response right next to his ear.

And after he looked down at his shoulder, he saw Iora's figure ten times
smaller than she was before, jumping up and down on it.

"Oh, you surprised me... so, why are you here Iora? Also, you've gotten
really small..."

〈"Master's working here, I am currently in navigation mode."〉

She added some more supplemental information about a lot of things. It

seems like she can change the scale of her body. That felt really useful.

"Ah, now that you say it she's a daughter of Kiritou's. So, why on my
shoulder?"

〈"Let's continue from yesterday."〉

The look on her face didn't seem to answer his question, but some kind
of curiosity glimpsed on it. Her heart seemed to be unsteady.

"Continue from yesterday, that means———"

〈"The story about crushing mafia two years ago."〉

"Ah, that. Unfortunately, I'm currently in private time mode. We'll

continue that tomorrow in class."

〈"Mu—......"〉[3]

He was a bit surprised by her regretful expression.

It couldn't be said that she has a lot of expressions, but it seemed like
there's more emotions in her than yesterday. A difference could be
easily seen by comparing her with the AI over there.

"To think you changed just by chatting. Just like I've been told, that's
amazing learning ability."

〈"Did I really change that much?"〉

"There's a great change as compared to yesterday. You're not aware of

www.asianovel.com
126

it?"

〈"...dunno. But... there's something that'snot Iora, something hateful...

what the hell is feeling?"〉

Asking about the dark feelings she had in her heart.

She might not keep up with the rapid development of emotions. He

wanted to say some appropriate words, but he couldn't think of any.

That's when, a loud noise rang out from towards the stage. It seemed
like Rui apparently cleared the game, she had a big smile and was
showing a V signalizing her victory.

〈"Then, about time Iora excuses herself."〉

"Eh? Yeah——"

The moment he removed his gaze from Rui and looked at her, Iora was
already gone. He decided to talk about it with Haya tomorrow, and
looked at Rui again.

"...no matter where you go, you really stand out."

It might be just her looks, but it seemed like there was an aura that
attracted people's gazes around her.

Maybe it was just her natural disposition. Her charm, and a foundation of
her overwhelming presence.

No matter when, she was always dazzling.

I wonder, if I'm like a moth attracted to her light.

He knew. That was, a feeling that came from a silly inferiority complex.

"...really, how ridiculous."

He murmured very quietly, so that no one could hear him.

He wondered if that light could clear up his darkness, wondered if he

could forget about his past.

www.asianovel.com
127

———Even though he decided not to forgive himself, ever. He wondered

if he was asking for salvation.

Rui received praises and applause from people surrounding her, the sun
she was the centre of, seemed like a distant scenery that didn't reach
Taiga.

They walked around until sunset, and returned early to have a dinner at
《Paradise》.

After healing themselves in the bath, the siblings were sitting in the
living room.

"Brother, how about a cold tea?"

"Oh, sankyu."

Together with the sound of his little sister's slippers, the ring on her
finger shined, she got it as a commemoration of the date (she made him
buy it), a ring with an azure stone.

"Umm, isn't that the finger a wedding ring goes on...?"

"There is a deep meaning to it."

"It's no good over there, is it!!"

Recently, this little sister did things that her brother couldn't understand.

Fuyuki stroked the ring cherishing it, it was chosen on the spot by her,
because it had an azure stone embedded in it. When he looked at her
eyes, and compared it to the stone colour, he noticed there was a
difference between them.

Their eyes were ones that direct descendants of the Tenryo line were
born with.

In fact, their mother had the same eyes. Their eyes were often called
『Sky eyes』 or 『Crystal eyes』, their eyes symbolized the power of the

www.asianovel.com
128

Tenryo household that had an even longer history than Renjou's. That's
what they were always told by their mother.

Maybe because he thought of their mother like that. He had a flashback

that felt like an old injury about what happened eight years earlier.

———That day, they were deprived of everything.

The whole family was walking through a cross-walk.

A large truck stuck at the intersection ignored the signal. Taiga who had
superhuman reflexes and dynamic vision noticed immediately and was
able to react, but his parents and little sister couldn't.

As young as he was, he made the worst choice.

No, even if he said it himself, he was the one who was the worst.

With his own physical ability, and the position he stood in, his parents
that couldn't be saved in time——feeling like he wanted to puke because
of his calm thoughts in that situation, Tenryo Taiga discarded his
parents.

"............ngh."

"Brother, your teeth will break if you put any more force in it."

Before he knew it, Fuyuki appeared in front of him and hugged his head
gently. He felt the warmth of the hand that stroked his head repeatedly,
he felt something from it.

"Can it be, did you remember what happened eight years ago?"

"............"

"So that's how it is after all. You made a scary face so I realized
immediately you know?"

"...that's my sin. I won't ever forget it, not even for a moment."

"Brother didn't do anything wrong."

www.asianovel.com
129

"I know. If I tried to help father and mother back then, both of us would
be dead now. I know that!"

He understood that deep inside his head.

Back then it was the best course of action. Even as he is now, back then
he didn't go through any special training, but even now he probably
couldn't save them.

Nevertheless, his heart didn't acknowledge it and continued crying out,

burdening him with that sin. As if it were begging for forgiveness, as if it
was seeking condemnation.

Tenryo Taiga clung to the chest of the one he saved.

"But I, I allowed the two of them to die!! Even though I knew they would
die, even though I understood that, I didn't hesitate even for a second!!"

To rescue just his little sister, he sacrificed both of them.

That's why he sought strength. In order to protect everyone next time. In

order to save everyone.

So that no matter what happens, he can protect everyone.

And more than anything——to protect the last remaining member of his
family.

While being hugged tightly, Taiga breathed heavily releasing it all.

Seeing her brother like that, Little Sister thought,

———It's like a curse.

The talent given to him from the heaven, the talent that led him to the
future, continued to torment him.

And her brother was in agonizing pain. But she loved him very, very
much.

"...it's alright, Onii. The past, the present and the future, your little sister
forgives it all. That's why———"

www.asianovel.com
130

She placed her forehead on his, and stared at him with the same eyes.

"Onii should continue walking on his path without ever stopping."

Just hoping for that.

She wanted for her beloved person to follow his righteous path, and
receive his reward in the end.

Part 2
〈"Now then, hurry up and continue your story."〉

"...I beg you, don't wait for me right by the door, it's scary."

He entered the deserted innermost school building, and after opening

the classroom door he stepped inside slipping through Iora. Haya who
lied on the couch raised just one hand up.

"Heya."

"...as ladylike as ever aren't you, Haya."

That light greeting decreased his mental strength because it was done
by a girl that had the appearance of a yamato nadeshiko. The person in
question had a mean, evil smile on her face at the moment.

"In just two days, she really got attached to you. That Iora, she's been
looking forward to the continuation of your story ever since yesterday."

I'm a little jealous〜, she didn't say it, but that was what her relieved face
seemed to say. It was an expression like that of a mother's who was
happy her child found a playmate.

"How do I say it, you're like a guardian."

"...well, Iora is something like a daughter or a little sister to me. Calling

me her guardian is not wrong."

〈"Taiga, hurry up, I want to listen to the rest of the story."〉

He sat on the couch and Iora continued to float in front of him. Seeing

www.asianovel.com
131

that, he passed off the worries he had the other day as imaginary fears.

After taking a deep breath he looked around the room.

The room wasn't wide, but it was filled to the brim with equipment that
apparently didn't belong to school.

A rare thing in modern times where the e-books are mainstream, was a
bookshelf with about a hundred books on it. The room of course had air
conditioning, a small refrigerator and a dish rack could be seen in the
back, there were also wardrobes with various things in them.

It felt like, a person could even live in this place.

"You really do as you please."

"I am in a position that allows me to do as I please."

She does whatever she wants without a shred of fear. She made a
fictional lecture, made an unused part of the school her private room,
seeing it go that far he could only sigh.

"Oh also, I'm not going to be unreasonable and just force you to work,
don't misunderstand. This is work so you're going to get your reward."

"Reward?"

"Yup. Kiritou is still developing its influence. So they can't afford to

pamper relatives. You get to have one wish fulfilled every time you show
results——that's the agreement I work under."

Kiritou was an electronics-related company that emerged in the recent

decade.

Until then, there were three large companies, Karasuba, Namisagi, and
Tokiminu. They bit into the monopolized cyber market thoroughly,
seeking profit, but they still weren't in a situation where they can let
their guard down.

"...the president's daughter has it unexpectedly hard, huh."

www.asianovel.com
132

"That's how it is—. I accumulate a lot of stress. That's why instead of me,
I count on you to spend your time with Iora."

"Then, if it's just that——hey, wha?!!"

〈"Taiga, I want to listen to rest of the story."〉

Startled by Iora's head popping out from his stomach, Taiga tumbled
down from the sofa.

After school, as usual Haya headed towards the company headquarters,

leaving the specialized course building.

She had to finish all of the student council's business and attend lessons
before the lunch break. To avoid the possibility of teachers complaining
about the work she was responsible for.

"...okay."

After changing clothes from her uniform to work suit, she slapped her
cheeks.

In this place she didn't wear 『The mask of student council president
that's loved by everyone』. What was important in here——was to
produce proper results.

After releasing the lock by authenticating with her brainwaves, she

entered her private laboratory on the upper floor of the Kiritou
company's building.

Even though it was called a laboratory, there was only an arclight there.
The real laboratory was inside of Kiritou's structure.

A company-made arclight was laid out around the centre of the room,
various devices were surrounding it. She closed her eyes after entering
the capsule-like core part.

"——Dive start."

www.asianovel.com
133

Her consciousness was interrupted and instantly put to sleep, she woke
up a moment later.

The login procedure was natural and quiet, there was no dizziness like in
medium-sized machines. Haya immediately began her work.

"Iora, are you awake?"

〈"That question is unnecessary. A virtual personality does not need

rest."〉

Iora appeared in the centre of the room in response to her call.

"It's just a little joke. Don't take it seriously."

〈"...is that so. I still can't understand jokes."〉

When she looked at Iora's pupils as she said that, she saw frustration in
them.

Even though I developed her by myself, this really is amazing progress〜

That could without a doubt, be called an emotion.

Ten months of development, no, three months to be exact. But the

growth didn't show up until a few days before, her sensitivity evolved
dramatically since then.

...really, it's so fast it's scary.

For some reason, Haya couldn't bring herself to rejoice over her
evolution.

After continuing to improve Iora. The fruits of her work have finally
appeared.

However, if this evolution causes an 『Unexpected』 situation———.

"Iora, a schedule change. Lie down there, and give me a full scan."

〈"Understood."〉

She was still anxious, even though she performed a full scan just

www.asianovel.com
134

recently.

A bed appeared through object manipulation, Iora closed her eyes and
lied down on it.

Haya placed a hand on her and shifted the virtual personality into
dormant state. There was no effect on her personality even if she
changed the internal information in there.

"It'd be good if there were no bad viruses inside of it."

She started a scan immediately.

A vast amount of information continued to scroll down like a muddy

stream, and Haya continued to analyse and discuss it in her head.

This is not required so it can be forgotten, I wonder if this has to be

modified. ——Nn?

Scrolling stopped.

There was a program code written in it, that she didn't recognize. It
wasn't there during the scan three days earlier.

"...found it, this is the cause. It's a bit unexpected."

A clear and simple beyond imagination, a program code woven with a

single purpose.

Although she had a déjà vu as she examined it, she immediately tried to
touch and remove it with her hands——

〈"——— Activating."〉

From the supposedly unconscious body's mouth, a machine-like voice

leaked. The change was dramatic.

A crimson light poured out of Iora's body like blood and spread, it started

www.asianovel.com
135

wriggling and wrapping her body from head to toe.

"Wha- what's this?!"

It was an ugly, sickening sight. It's as if a real slime was devouring it's
prey——

Indeed, it was predation. It was definitely predatory, it was eroding her.

"Guhh—— 《Emergency shutdown》!"

Haya ordered it to stop by using remote control. But, it didn't stop.

On the contrary, the crimson mucus began to expand several times. It

swallowed the bed, and stopped in one spot modelling a creepy sphere,
which burst at once and contracted.

The red mucus splattered around, it looked like a gruesome scene of a

tragedy happened.

"...Io...ra...?"

In the centre, in a pool of blood, there was a movement that ignored the
laws of physics, It wasn't 『Iolite』 anymore.

Her appearance itself didn't change much, only her hair was dyed blood
red.

But on the surface, there wasn't a single fragment of Iora left.

The expression, her eyes, even the atmosphere around her was
colourless and transparent. Unfocused eyes that had neither warmth nor
coldness in them, they were just eerie.

〈"——— Recognition start."〉

The crimson girl murmured.

〈"Information acquisition complete. Location confirmed, multiple virtual

bodies reaction confirmed, commands confirmed."〉

"What are you... saying...? Hey... what's going on, answer me!!"

www.asianovel.com
136

It wasn't speech.

She was just listing out words.

That's how devoid of emotions it was.

Showing interest in Haya's cry, what used to be Iora continued.

〈"Situational awareness complete. Program 《Jail》 experimental

operation setup, complete. ———Experiment start."〉

She turned her head around, and looked in front.

"———?!!?!"

Goose bumps appeared on Haya's entire body, instinct more than

thinking drove the finger and activated the room's defence system.

〈"Barrier confirmed. Elimination by cutting recommended."〉

Crimson light converged in her hand creating a huge sickle. It was even
longer than the entirety of her dress, the girl grasped it in her hand
and———everything exploded with a flash.

"Kyaaa!!"

The electronic barrier that was spread around couldn't withstand the

www.asianovel.com
137

shockwave, and was brutally cut apart. Haya was blown away and
slammed into the wall as the aftermath swept into the room.

Can't be... to think the barrier would be broken so easily...

Sometimes unexpected situations happen causing accidents during

experiments in laboratory. That's why, a high level electronic barrier was
set to prevent the worst in case there was an emergency.

And that, was blown away to pieces with a single blow.

It was quite a strong impact, but Kiritou structure blocked the pain. She
looked around the room for her, she noticed ends of scarlet hair in the
destroyed doorway.

"———IORA!!"

Haya thought of what to do as she got up, she chased Iora's back and
contacted the management division at the same time.

If she loses sight of Iora now, she'll never see her again——that's the
feeling she had.

"Emergency call! AI is running away from the lab area, hurry up and seal
the structure———"

"Uowaaaahhh?!"

Her voice was interrupted by a scream.

She repeated the terms 『Virtual bodies reaction』 and 『Start the
experiment』 again and again in her head.

The view that appeared in front of her after she anxiously ran towards
the screams source was, many of her colleagues lying on the ground,
and a crimson girl grabbing a researcher's neck with one hand.

What... just what is going on?!

Her thinking couldn't keep up with the incomprehensible situation. A

scene where dozens of people were lying down unconscious in virtual

www.asianovel.com
138

reality was impossible.

In the first place, people get automatically logged out from their virtual
bodies by management's security measures after they lose
consciousness.

Lying unconscious like that, was impossible.

"H-help me! Everyone was beaten up by her———"

The researcher that was gripped by his neck asked Haya for help, but
the girl holding him poised her sickle,

"Stop, please stop Iora! 《Emergency shutdown》 I beg you, stop——!"

〈"——— 《Jail》 activate."〉

Her desperate cry was in vain, as the sickle of madness pierced through
researcher.

"Ah....gahh...uah..."

The abnormality began immediately.

The researcher trembled as his voice leaked out, and his eyes lost their
light.

The moment the light in his eyes was lost, the sickle pierced into his
belly seeped out, and was pulled out again.

An abnormal spectacle.

However——she knew. She knew what this sight was, she knew very
well.

"It can't be... why, why did that program?!"

The researcher became a dumb doll deprived of its contents and thrown
away. Likely detecting an accident happening, combat AI's transferred
over one after another to protect the structure.

〈"Several hostile forces confirmed. Assessment of the

www.asianovel.com
139

situation———experiment interruption. Escape recommended."〉

"W-wait, Iora!"

She shouted at Iora who realized she was at disadvantage and started
running away. Immediately after, she noticed. That direction——was the
worst.

"The transfer section... she's going to run away to another structure?!"

The blockade process wasn't completed yet.

There were around twenty passages from the transfer section, it was
quite time-consuming to close them all. While it was requested, it will
probably not make it in time.

Haya immediately seized control of the combat AI's invading the

management division, and moved while leading the troops. Alarm
signalling unauthorized access resounded, but she couldn't afford to
care about such a thing. If it's left to Kiritou, Iora will be disposed off
without a doubt.

I won't let that happen... I will stop her!

With determination filling her heart, Kiritou Haya ran through the
structure.

Part 3
At the same time, there were three figures including in the 《Aries》
structure. Taiga was one of them.

"Yahaha, that took a while——"

"There were quite a lot of troublesome small fries. They stood in front of
Little Sister's social standing and didn't give us a single penny, they
should know their limits."

The three of them walked through vast plains between mopped up small
flocks of viruses, some of them were pierced by huge swords here and

www.asianovel.com
140

there. it was a little tiring for them.

"But, well, we should be arriving soon right?"

"Yes, just a bit further."

They walked for twenty minutes from the nearest transition point, Taiga
was tired of the empty plains.

But to earn a living, he could not skip out on a hunt. The three of them
waited until the virtual bodies self-healing was complete, and decided to
go on a suppression mission to subdue a virus for a bounty.

By the way, the current mission was like the last one, a new and yet
undefeated species. Because of that, the reward was higher.

"Honestly, it might be tough with three people, but we have to do our

best."

"How many people together does this usually take?"

"Nn—— It depends on the competence of individuals, but it's at least five

people. But the two of you are stronger than normal because of Rui-
san's special attack-configured program〜"

No matter how much the bounty is, it'll be offset by the repair bill for the
virtual body if it falls apart.

So as to hunt safely and efficiently, it became a basic strategy of

qualification holders to increase the amount of people in a group, even if
it reduces the share they get.

"So, what kind of enemy is it this time?"

"In a nutshell, it's a huge knight machine. It's name is 《Peroon》, it's a
powerful, two-staged enemy that repelled the suppression corps before."

"And it was a party of people who had three A-rankers within them."

"That 『Rank』 isn't quite satisfactory. Isn't there a higher rank we can
obtain by winning?"

www.asianovel.com
141

"Yeah, let me explain it briefly. There are six ranks in total, from E to S
which is top rank. Brother is at the start line, an E-rank."

"Hmmm... and what determines your rank?"

"The battles done up to this point, there's a system incorporated in the

attack-configured programs determining many elements. Going to B is
relatively easy, but from that rank and higher it's extremely difficult.
Little sister has also remained a B rank for two years straight."

"There's only about a hundred people who have an A rank〜"

"That means, Rui is one of those hundred right?"

"No, Rucchan is even higher, she's one of the ten people who have an S-
rank."

"Eh, is she that amazing?"

"Ehehe, oui!"

In the first place, Rui was a senior player who played ever since Aries
was founded. When it comes to ability, Fuyuki was at least an A rank
even though she didn't gather enough experience to advance. The rank
isn't directly related to a player's ability, it's only one of the indicators.

The rank has nothing to do with the body's ability or damage reduction,
it's completely unrelated.

When the talk about that has ended, it suddenly darkened.

"Mm?"

"Did it become night already?"

"No way. Night should have ended barely three hours ago——above!!"

When they looked up to the sky warned by Fuyuki, they could see a
mass of steel falling straight at them. He embraced Fuyuki instinctively
and backstepped, Rui also jumped back.

A second later, the lump of steel collided with the ground.

www.asianovel.com
142

The earth shook from the collision, a limb came out from the growing
metal mass. Gigantic and completely disregarding laws of physics, steel
riddled with complicated symbols, a knight of blue steel shouldering an
enormous axe.

"Mu—. Taiga, what's the meaning of this, why did you only protect
Fuyuki?"

"I believed Rui would be able to dodge that. So, is this guy the target?"

"Yes. It's 《Peroon》. But I didn't think he would come falling from the
sky."

Without panicking, Taiga unsheathed his nodachi, Fuyuki flapped with

her fan, and Rui set up creation stones in her hands.

The enemy, a mechanical knight raised its axe slowly, and was about to
charge at them.

〈"——— Obstacle confirmed. Recommended elimination by cutting

———"〉

And then it happened.

With absolutely no warning, something crimson cut Peroon, bisecting its

body.

"......eh?"

The machine's body was cleanly cut from left to right and continued to
crumble starting with the cut's surface, it faded away unable to maintain
it's integrity.

A single blow, with just a single blow the virus 《Peroon》 was suppressed
and gone becoming particles of light.

"...Fuyuki. Something like that, storming in, does that happen often?"

www.asianovel.com
143

"...no way. Seeing her prey being brought down in front of her like that,
is a first for Little Sister."

In front of three people who couldn't move surprised, the extinction's

afterglow gradually faded out and they saw one figure basked in the
sunlight.

"...a girl?"

Defeating a virus that three people would have a hard time suppressing,
with a single blow. She had a crimson hair and empty pupils, a girl who
held a scythe that could easily slice apart a human.

"She looks like a Grim Reaper. But she doesn't appear to be a virus."

"There's no price on her head, guess we have to change the place."

While the two of them were wary of the intruder, Taiga recognized the
figure from somewhere.

He feels as if he saw her before. And he remembered the AI that was

always together with Haya.

"Iora...?"

Image and atmosphere were completely different. But, that was

definitely her figure.

"An acquaintance?"

"Yeah... but she shouldn't give off such a strange feeling."

He took one step forward towards Iora who was rooted on the spot like
an object. He raised one hand signalizing the other two it's alright and
stood in front of the crimson girl.

"Hey Iora. What's up with this appearance? A makeover?"

There was no answer. While continuously looking expressionless and

empty, the girl turned around slowly. A shiver went down his spine.

He regretted the fact that he approached her thinking it was Iora even

www.asianovel.com
144

for a moment.

Overwhelmingly, hopelessly, catastrophically, it wasn't a body of an

intelligent being——

〈"——— Virtual body confirmed, resuming experiment."〉

Together with these words, the motionless scythe moved slashing at

him.

He avoided the first blow thanks to his reflexes, though an ordinary

person would not be able to react to it, Taiga unsheathed his nodachi in
an instant. But because he was lost in thought, his posture was bad.

Heavy...! How does this brute force come out from such a thin arm...!

He diverted it by changing the angle instantly. But he lost his posture

because of the overwhelming force. The girl slammed him into the
ground and grabbed him by the neck rendering him defenceless.

"Gah——"

There was no pain. But his vision was dyed white for a moment after
being smashed by superhuman strength. The girl used that chance to
swing her scythe down on him——

"I won't let you!"

Blades flew out from between Rui's fingers.

They exploded the moment they collided with the scythe, and the
impact caused it to miss and stab on Taiga's side. At the same time, two
creative stones wrapped around the girl's arm and inhibited her
movement. Rui rotated her body as she changed creative stones to
blades, and slammed them into the defenceless abdomen!

"Fly away!"

The blades exploded the moment they hit the girl, blowing her away.
Furthermore another eight blades were thrown in pursuit and reached
her.

www.asianovel.com
145

"How dare you slam Brother into the ground... I'll smash this crimson
woman until she's one millimetre thin!"

Towards the girl rolling on the ground, Fuyuki smashed three soil-
coloured elemental spheres. The girl was confined in a prison of stone,
and a huge rock fist was dropped on her from above.

"Taiga, are you okay?"

"Sankyu, I'm saved. It seems like she's fairly accustomed with close
combat."

"Fuyuki and Rui-san will be the vanguard."

"That's enough for talking. Brother, I don't know what kind of

acquaintance that is, but for the time being we should beat her up. I
think the other party isn't too talkative."

"...right? She cut the completely defenceless Taiga all of a sudden."

〈"Resistance confirmed. Rendering target harmless recommended."〉

At the same time as the muffled voice can be heard——a crimson blade
hit the rock fist above it, and shattered it.

Fuyuki's attack definitely hit. The damage could be seen on the reaper-
like girl, but she stood up without batting an eyelash.

"I'm going to attack from the front. You two attack her when there's an
opportunity!"

The nodachi and the grim reaper's scythe launched at a tremendous

speed and met.

Deflecting away the sickle's strikes that came at him, he resisted them,
and looked for one. Rui walked behind the girl and threw the blades in
the gap he created.

"————————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————!!!"

www.asianovel.com
146

The grim reaper howled.

No expression other than howl was appropriate. It wasn't high enough to

be a roar, the force of the screech shook their eardrums.

"Gahh——?!"

"Huaa——?!"

"What... is this, ultrasonic wave?!"

Their eardrums were damaged through the ear canal. Although Taiga
withstood sonic grenades before, Fuyuki knelt losing her balance. Even
Taiga could barely stand up, and attacking was out of the question.

*clank* ...he heard a faint high-pitched metallic sound ring in his head.
The instincts he has cultivated so far warned him of crisis, and allowed
him to jump away.

The scythe's blow tore through the thin air and lightly touched his ear.

"Don't... look down on me!!"

Together with the roar his fighting spirit was roused, he lifted the sword
and rebuilt his posture quickly. The sickle and his blade clashed, the girl
retreated two, three steps and lowered her scythe.

〈"Information updated, revising target's threat level

higher———adapting. Suppressing target."〉

The crimson girl moved before he did.

The huge sickle was swung at Taiga from the front. Although he
wondered why she hit without using any tricks, suddenly the speed
increased.

"——Damn it!!"

His dynamic vision held out allowing him to barely keep up. But the
blows were dealt in rapid succession,

It's gotten a bit faster...!

www.asianovel.com
147

Taiga continued to gradually increase the speed he swung his sword at,
same as the grim reaper.

The speed of their exchange seemed to rise endlessly——however, Taiga

reached his limit sooner than he expected.

What's this... the body doesn't keep up with my thoughts...

In a high-speed battle, one can't show carelessness even for a moment.

Although it was only for an instant, it was the first time his body ignored
instructions ever since he was born.

And that happened more often every time his speed increased.

I don't get what's happening, but at this rate... before that happens, I'll
decide it with a single blow!

He lowered the cutting edge and pulled the nodachi.

The nodachi was charged depending on stance, sparks and crackling

resounded. First he slashed at the sickle's handle, and then two blows
followed on the unprotected body.

"——— Fourth form, 《Raijyuji》!!"

A blow that could not be avoided or prevented. A deadly blow that

should definitely have cut the opponent apart——was stopped with a
single hand.

"Wha——?!!"

A hand wearing crimson light stopped the slash clad in purple lightning.
Not even in his wildest dreams had Taiga thought it could be stopped,
and that's what happened there.

Clearly, Taiga was off-guard.

Normally he wouldn't stop after hitting with one skill. He would have
followed up immediately.

The fact that this was Aries and not a battle in real world, has deeply

www.asianovel.com
148

penetrated his heart, causing him to get caught off-guard. It's a game
after all, in the end it has no effect on reality——and so on.

"Taiga, it's coming!"

When he heard Rui's voice, the reaper already swung it's scythe.

Taiga moved his nodachi startled as well, but he could only look at the
sickle swung down with herculean strength.

However——

Rui stood in front of Taiga while holding a blade, which shattered and
she was penetrated by the sickle, unable to do anything.

She probably didn't intend to be slashed. But the defence made out of
blades was destroyed, and the sickle went deeper and deeper inside of
Rui's body.

〈"——— 《Jail》 activate."〉

The crimson girl muttered after piercing her. The red sickle pulsated like
blood vessels, electromagnetic waves crackled around Rui's virtual body
in response to it.

"...aa....aaaa...."

Irises started to fade away from Rui's pupils little by little.

Without blood flowing out, without a scream, but something invisible to

the eye was gradually shaved away.

———Her appearance overlapped with the one his parents had before
they died.

"——I won't let youuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!"

That moment, he stopped thinking.

www.asianovel.com
149

Led by an angry impulse, he smashed into the tip of the sickle. Rui's
body slipped away from the sickle and fell down, at the same time he
gripped the sword stepping forward, and hit the girl with all his strength
blowing her away.

He literally sent the reaper girl flying over ten meters, and she hit the
ground before bouncing a few times.

"Haa—......Haa—......"

He lost control of himself for a moment.

He cooled himself down immediately, remembering it was Elysion

———It's alright. It didn't matter if they were cut in this world, they won't
get injured anyway.

"Brother, Rucchan! Are you alright?"

Fuyuki came running while still wobbly, it seemed like she still didn't
collect herself from the sonic attack.

Taiga raised his hand signalizing they are safe and took a deep breath
calming his mind.

"To think a sound attack would come... my ears have gotten weird."

"Also that superhuman strength. It's too surreal to handle such a scythe
with one hand."

The siblings talked without panicking. Rui's virtual body didn't collapse,
she will get up soon——that's what they thought.

"...Rui?"

The first one who noticed the abnormality in her was Taiga. She didn't
show a sign of getting up, and she was leaning on Taiga without
strength in her body.

"Rui? ...hey, Rui!"

When she didn't respond to his calls, the doubts turned into impatience.

www.asianovel.com
150

Fuyuki also squatted and noticed something strange, she shook Rui's
body.

"Rucchan! What's going on? Rucchan?!"

"...Ta......i...ga.........?"

They were relieved hearing her voice react to them.

But she was barely conscious. Her eyes were opened only slightly, and it
seemed like they would close any moment.

"Fuyuki, what's going on?!"

"...I don't know why, but the auto-logout function isn't working even
though she almost lost consciousness. Let's hurry to a safe place, we're
going to logout manually."

"Well then, let's transfer immediately!"

"Move command will take at least ten seconds because of coordinate

calculations. ...at that time, this thing won't wait obediently."

The crimson girl rose up barely feeling the damage from before. The
moment Taiga raised his sword up, he noticed an abnormality in his
body.

I can't feel my right arm...?!

It was the moment he hit that thing. At that time he moved by instinct,
and something in him completely disconnected.

He wondered if he could fight like this, his leg movements as well——

〈"Minor damage received. Remnants of enemy force confirmed."〉

"...Fuyuki, take Rui and——"

"I won't run away. It's not someone brother can defeat with an immobile
arm."

Looks like she noticed.

www.asianovel.com
151

Casually holding a scythe, the girl approached. The two of them knew
that she was the cause of the abnormal state Rui was in. If that was the
case——they can't afford to be hit a single time.

〈"——— Continuing experiment."〉

Like a ghost, the reaper accelerated slipping through the ground, the
siblings raised their weapons.

"I found you——catch her!"

At that time, he heard a familiar sounding voice.

A dozen of mechanical dolls appeared with weapons in their hands and

according to instructions jumped at the girl.

〈"Several hostile forces confirmed. Assessment of the situation,

recommending elimination."〉

But even though one swing of the sickle bisected three bodies, the
reduced number continued to attack. In the back of the unit, a girl in a
suit commanded them while having a terrible expression.

"They can't match her after all. Civilians over there, hurry up and
run———away..."

When she looked back, she froze seeing the two of them.

"...Taiga?"

"Haya?!"

The two of them were surprised to meet each other in such an

unexpected place.

Haya's eyes looked behind Taiga and Fuyuki, and were directed towards
Rui, she noticed the red scar engraved on her body.

"That wound... it can't be, was she cut?!"

"Was she slashed...? Haya, what are you———"

www.asianovel.com
152

At the same time Taiga questioned her, a loud sound of destruction

reached them.

Dozens of AI bodies were cut apart by a roundhouse slash, faded away

and became light.

"Gh... it can't be helped. I didn't want to use it if possible, Master Code

《Forced Transition》!"

As she clicked her tongue, a hexagonal crystal appeared on Haya's

hand, it faded away and melted into the atmosphere. A big alarm
resounded throughout the world.

《"Emergency alert, emergency alert. A serious problem has been

discovered in the structure. Everyone will be forcefully transferred into
another structure———"》

"What—, what did you do?!"

"It seems like that's going to seal off 《Aries》! Brother, hold Rucchan
tightly!"

The moment he tightly embraced Rui as told to by Fuyuki, his vision

twisted. All of the scenery mixed and became a mess.

"Ughh......"

Along with the uncomfortable sensation that made all of his five senses
go crazy, his consciousness was removed from 《Aries》 structure.

When feeling came back, and his sight was restored, it wasn't 《Aries》
anymore.

"...the academy's... structure?"

The space in which the wall was glowing seemed familiar——it was the
classroom Haya made private. However, it wasn't the real world, but
Elysion. However.

www.asianovel.com
153

Haya triggered another hexagonal body next to her and murmuring

《Quarantine Closure》, exhaled after finishing her job.

"Blockade complete. There's no need to worry that she escapes to

another structure now. ...so, on to the next thing. Taiga, why were you in
a place like that?"

"That should be my line."

Even though it wasn't the real world, he laid Rui down on the couch. He
placed a hand on her cheek, and it felt like she had a fever, he called out
to her quietly.

"Rui, are you alright?"

"...oo...uu....?"

Her eyelids opened lightly, Taiga breathed with relief that her
consciousness recovered a little.

"............who...are you?"

His consciousness froze instantly.

"H-hey..."

"Rucchan, get a hold of yourself! Look, it's Brother. Tenryo Taiga!"

"...Ta...iga...? Right...Fuyuki's...onii-san.. Rui-san's...friend......"

Rui desperately dug in her memory.

But her voice was breaking up, hey eyes were unfocused, her
consciousness was impaired to the point of losing it any moment. These
abnormal words caused the siblings to go blank in this emergency
situation.

Meanwhile, Haya who calmly observed the state Rui was in, moved.

www.asianovel.com
154

While muttering she placed a hand on Rui's head. Then Rui's eyes slowly
closed, and she disappeared into the void as her body shook. And she
was transferred somewhere.

"Leave her to me. I'm not going to do anything bad to her."

Haya stated that with serious eyes she didn't show at school.

"...you better give us a proper explanation later."

"Of course. But wait a little. We need to treat her before it's too late."

Too late, treat her——he wanted to pursue it right away, but Rui's safety
came first.

Fuyuki probably knew that as well, she grasped the hem of Taiga's
clothes and signalized with her eyes 'Let's pull out for now'.

"...I get it."

The siblings started the logout process, and went back to the real world.

Haya contacted them an hour later.

Translator's Notes and

References
1. ↑ Usually Fuyuki uses Ani, which is more mature way of
addressing older brother.
2. ↑ Itadakimasu - In other words, words used before eating, and
considered good manners. Some translate it to "let's eat." though,
it's not entirely correct.
3. ↑ Mu, is a Japanese onomatopoeia for being
annoyed/angry/jealous, but more on the positive side. It comes
from the word Mukatsuku – be annoyed/angry/pissed off.

www.asianovel.com
155

Vol. 1 :

Chapter 4

Part 1
It was the time when sunset began to dye the sky in its colours.

The siblings headed in a taxi through the New City towards the western
business district. After getting off in front of a white building they hurried
inside.

"You came, it's here."

Wary of Fuyuki, Haya who guided them was in student council president
mode. Even though Fuyuki heard her real tone of voice in 《Aries》, she
was still cautious.

The only, and a very large hospital in New City, Kiritou general hospital.
The private room they arrived at was in a special ward, they entered .

"Ah, yahoo—, you two are here〜"

www.asianovel.com
156

Rui had a raised upper body. It didn't feel like she was in a state where
she was barely conscious an hour ago, Taiga stroked his chest in relief.

"Looks like you're alive and well. I wondered what happened when we
were suddenly called to the hospital."

"Yahaha, sorry for worrying you."

"If you're alright, then that's fine."

For the time being, they were happy that Rui was safe.

When he looked around again, he noticed the hospital room was quite
broad. The furniture and a pure white wall had a considerable sense of
quality to them.

"It's a private VIP room. To prepare such a thing in one hour, as

expected from a daughter of Kiritou."

"Fufufu, I'm acquainted with the director of this place. so I had it

specially prepared."

Her tone changed to a polite one (Taiga didn't remember her cold tone
anymore) as she stood a small distance away from the three of them.

Taiga wanted to learn what's happening as soon as possible, but he

www.asianovel.com
157

hesitated to ask in front of Rui.

So while Fuyuki was talking with her, he walked up to Haya and asked in
a low voice.

"...is Rui really alright?"

"There's no need to worry for the time being. But the problems are going
to start now."

"...got it."

Being said that it's alright only for the time being, part of his anxiety was
revived.

"You said you prepared this room. But you're not acquainted with Rui are
you?"

"I knew her name because she's a promising freshman, but that's all.
...so, right. She's staying at your house today, Taiga. Her parents sent
you their best regards and leave her to you."

Although Haya answered indifferently, there was a glimpse of fatigue

she couldn't hide on her face, it was probably mental fatigue——. If it
was Iora who had undergone a sudden change, he could only
sympathize with her.

"Are you alright?"

"Don't worry about me, worry about her."

Haya clasped both her hands soundly as she said that, and drew the line
of sight of Rui and Fuyuki. She instantly pasted a perfect smile on her
face.

"Let's go down the main issue. The state Saionji is in now, and the girl
you three met, I'll explain all of it."

"First of all, Saionji's state. It's pretty poor to be honest."

Haya sat down on the chair and looked straight at Rui. Rui probably

www.asianovel.com
158

guessed it, and somehow accepted the declaration.

"...what do you mean by 'poor'? It looks pretty normal."

"Absolutely not. Saionji-san is in a state where her foot barely works

right?"

"...Rucchan, is that true?"

Fuyuki didn't expect these words and stared at her.

Taiga as well thought that it couldn't be, and grimly stared at Rui.

"Uu... Kaichou-san. I told you not to tell them..."

"Recognition of the current situation is important. Besides that, the

abnormalities are not only on the surface. Saionji-san, how much
memory do you have left?"

"Eh...?"

For some reason Haya said those words with confidence. And not even
Rui herself anticipated them.

"...so you still haven't realized."

"Please wait, Kaichou-san. What do you mean by memory?"

Fuyuki cross-examined Rui. Taiga had an idea. Memory——that word, it

was only for a moment but Rui could not recognize him back then.

"Just what I said. Saionji-san, do you remember where you were last
night?"

"Of course I remember."

"I see. Then a month ago——around the time where you graduated from
middle school. What about that time?"

"Umm... after graduation ceremony I was with a friend... a, eh?"

She played with her friend——that's how it should be.

www.asianovel.com
159

But she could not remember. Her friend's face was definitely in her
memory, but she didn't remember her name. People around her were
missing from the memory's landscape in her memory, as if they were
cloth eaten out by a moth.

"What... why?"

"...looks like you can't remember. Looks like symptoms are still light,
we'll see the results of the scan and you'll leave this place tomorrow
evening."

"Hey, Haya! Come on and tell me already! What's happening to Rui?!"

Taiga hearing the roundabout conversation focused on the core issue.

If there's a progressing abnormality in her body, there's a need to

investigate the cause as soon as possible. And that said, why was she
talking leisurely about it.

"Brother, please calm down."

"But——!!"

"Little Sister is also confused, but nothing will change even if you shout.
Nothing good comes out from losing your cool."

He calmed himself down after taking a glance at Rui. She was laying
straight on the bed and looking at him with a worried expression.

——Idiot. What are you doing worrying her instead.

As Taiga took a deep breath and waited, Haya projected a window from
her terminal.

The projected Hologram looked like a pale sphere floating in the void.

"Now then to continue——Taiga-kun, do you know how the

consciousness is maintained in Elysion?"

"Eh... yeah—what was it. The consciousness is downloaded in form of

data and placed in a virtual body..."

www.asianovel.com
160

"The outline is not wrong, but the answer isn't sufficient."

"Brother, wasn't it just taught in the class today?"

"Ughh..."

His lack of studying was exposed in an unexpected place.

"Lack of Taiga-kun's knowledge aside. Human mental structure is used

as a base for generic biological information and memory. When you log
in, your mental structure is transferred into the virtual body located in
Elysion, after it's removed from the real body by arclight. That means,
the virtual body is extremely sensitive to the mental structure and
changes automatically. The body is very consistent with the mental
structure, in other words, it's exactly the same as the one in physical
reality."

In other words, it is a structure of soul and mind, your own body is left
behind and that's inserted in an empty vessel——that's how Taiga
interpreted it.

"This sphere is a graphical representation of a mental structure.

Normally a mental structure is not beautifully one-coloured like this...
but this is Saionji's mental structure now."

Haya summoned another window, and arranged it neatly right next to

the first one.

The difference between the two of them was obvious.

"...this is, what does this mean."

"...as expected, it's not a laughing matter."

Taiga who was lacking knowledge about cyber-related things, could not
understand the meaning of what the figures were showing.

But even so, he understood that the mental structure that was stained
by crimson in some places as if eaten out was abnormal.

"A spiritual structure, in other words, it's a soul. It's like an engine that's

www.asianovel.com
161

required to move a human brain. If there's a problem with the mental

structure, the body is affected as well. Also, so is the memory."

The part that was contaminated by red was smaller than one percent of
the total. But while they were watching, although only by a little, a
crimson part has eroded a normal part. Turning it blood red - 〈Crimson〉.

It reminded them of the girl with the huge sickle.

"...the cause is that thing?"

"To put it simply, she was injected with a virus. A virus that erodes the
mental structure——although it said something like 《Jail》 or whatever."

"But, I've never heard of a virus that interferes with the mental
structure! No, in the first place interfering with the human soul is
commonly acknowledged as being forbidden!"

"Yeah, that's right. Because interference with Mind Crack."

It's not regulated by law. Rather than that, the laws are far behind the
logic of Elysion.

Although there's a story about a special police department in charge of

Elysion recently, but the country couldn't interfere much because of the
four companies monopoly.

That's why a minimum of morals was required for those that work in the
cyber world. Out of the things ethically prohibited——Mind Hack was a
prime example.

"Mental manipulation... it sounds like that thing is really dangerous."

"I've heard stories that terrorists tried to develop and practice it. But in
fact, I haven't heard of a single success."

"Because it's still a black box to us, we're unable to analyse mental
information."

No matter how much technology progresses, the matters of the human

heart aren't something that can be easily analysed. That's why

www.asianovel.com
162

『Immersion devices』 are only capable of doing things to a certain

extent.

"It's just as Fuyuki-san and Saionji-san said, we can't 『Interfere』 with it

in a true sense. But a year ago, a certain company began studying it for
the purpose of converting it into a military asset, and was able to
artificially create a similar phenomenon. ...the centre of it became a
certain girl."

Haya took a big breath and sighed, she started to talk again after fixing
her posture.

"——a researcher affiliated with Kiritou Group, Asumi Aoko. My best

friend who developed the AI 《Iolite》 together with me."

The past led to the present, the chains of cause and effect.

"Just as I told Taiga-kun in the specialized lecture today, Kiritou is an

emerging power. The cyber market was dominated by three large
companies before. In that market, Kiritou attempted to interrupt their
supremacy and benefit from it."

"There's a lot of rumours about that. Like if it doesn't profit, your actions
will be limited."

"That rumour is true, my father is such a person."

"I see, so that's where the mental structure interference comes in. It
could derive enormous profits if it could be utilized as a weapon.
However, Asumi Aoko was it? For her to develop it alone..."

"Aoko-san had an incredible top class talent."

Haya's attitude as she exposed the dark side of her household was
indifferent. She just relayed the facts to them. Even though she
appeared to be a bit worried about it, she couldn't afford to bother with
that now.

"...so, why is that damn virus in Iora?"

www.asianovel.com
163

"I don't know that myself. The project was aborted in the first place, the
virus should be unfinished as well."

"Unfinished?"

"I've heard that all the data involved in its development was disposed of
and lost. And even though it shouldn't exist anymore..."

"Let's ignore that for the moment. That reaper——certainly, it was called
Iolite. What caused that runaway AI's rampage?"

"I don't know that as well. When I attempted to delete a program I didn't
remember writing, which appeared between two scans, it suddenly
started up in the middle of it and took that appearance."

The deletion was probably a trigger of it to start up, that's what Haya
meant.

It was possible that program code was hidden, and set to appear with
specific timing——with something like this.

But there were too many things to take in at once.

Now that Aoko was dead, the only one who could access internal
information was Haya. Even if someone tried to access it without
authorization, the barrier she developed with Aoko to prevent that
wouldn't be broken so easily.

"Iora who went on a rampage, to borrow Fuyuki-san's words let's call her
a reaper. The reaper has implanted 《Jail》 into the mental structures of
twenty-three researchers from Kiritou before she ran away. You know
what happened after that."

"What happened with those twenty-three people?"

"They were transported into hospital in an unconscious state. They didn't

wake up after being left by her unlike Saionji-san, they completely lost
their mental structure. Also... Saionji-san will soon be the same."

"......!!"

www.asianovel.com
164

Confronted with the facts again, Rui lowered her face.

As if a thread was cut, she hugged her body tightly like she was losing
feeling in it.

"The amount you were infected with was smaller thanks to short contact
time, and I implanted an antibody program in your consciousness to
reduce the erosion, but it doesn't mean its completely suppressed. You
will be completely eroded by tomorrow."

Just when Haya finished explaining the circumstances indifferently, she

had an interactive communication call.

After Haya saw the name displayed in the window, she frowned and said
"Excuse me." before leaving the hospital room.

A silence dominated the room.

Rui lost her voice because of the situation she was in, Fuyuki clasped her
hands gently comforting her best friend. And Taiga blamed himself.

"...It's my fault."

He squeezed the words regretfully. She was cut right in front of him.

It was a distance at which he should have prevented it, he should have

power to block it, and because he awkwardly stood in one spot, it led to
an irreparable situation.

"If I didn't stand there carelessly, the reaper wouldn't have hit you. If I
was stronger, I could defeat that alone, I don't care if I were to be cut,
Rui wouldn't be cut like that in front of me!"

"Taiga... that's——"

Although Rui wanted to deny it, she was stopped by Fuyuki's silence.
Noticing anger swirling in the back of her eyes, she closed her mouth.

"Eight years, I've been training desperately for eight years, and still
nothing has changed! What 『Save everyone in front of myself』! I
couldn't even save one person in front of me!"

www.asianovel.com
165

Fuyuki walked slowly towards her brother who continued to curse

himself.

And she raised her right hand with all the strength she had,

"——stop spouting crap, shaddup, idiot Onii."

*slap*, a loud sound came out as his cheek was hit.

Taiga, surprised by her unexpected behaviour, looked up at the beautiful

sky blue pupils that displayed anger.

"Ah, geez... Rucchan! It will be loud so please block your ears! Little
Sister is going to preach to this idiot!"

"It's a hospital room so be as quiet as possible〜"

"Fuyuki, what are you sudden——"

"Be silent for a moment, Onii! Also, sit in seiza!"

Riled up Fuyuki went back to calling him 『Onii』 from 『Ani』. Partly
because of the atmosphere, Taiga sat down on the floor after getting off
[1]
the hospital chair.

"Little Sister is so upset her head's gotten weird! It's all your fault? What
kind of crazy nonsense are you talking about!"

"No, but——"

"It isn't just Onii, Little Sister is responsible for the fact that Rucchan
turned out like this as well!"

"Let me say a thing as well, it's no one's responsibility. Rui-san jumped

in by herself, the fact that it turned out like this is my responsibility."

Both his cheeks were pinched by Fuyuki, and her face approached his.

The beautiful sky blue eyes looked as if they were to suck him in, and
she conveyed her thoughts to him straight.

"I don't know what kind of lifestyle Onii led at Renjou's. However, to

www.asianovel.com
166

Little Sister it seems like 『No matter what happens, I'll shoulder it by
myself』 was decided from the beginning... and that, is annoying me a
lot, it angers me to the point I can't take it."

"...ngh."

His heart bounced at these words. It was a lucky guess.

『Renjou Taiga』 was a person who wasn't protected, but the one who did
the protecting, he was a human who stood at the top. Depending on his
actions people's life and death was decided. He had no choice but to
shoulder everything by himself.

Fuyuki conveyed her thoughts further.

"I'll say it clearly. I don't know about the real world, but Onii is just a
beginner in Elysion. Know your place. Also, understand one more thing,
now you have Little Sister with you."

Even when he was blessed with strongest subordinates, Taiga was

always alone. He had no people whom he could cry and laugh together
with.

He only needed the strength adults requested from him.

"No matter how far you go, I will always stand next to you——please
don't forget that."

——For some reason. When she said she will always stand by his side,
he was incredibly happy.

He finally could whisper the words, "I'm not alone".

No matter where he ends up, with this he could still believe.

"...Fuyuki."

"Yes. What is it?"

Fuyuki smiled gently. He wanted to convey something to her, but he

couldn't find appropriate words.

www.asianovel.com
167

"...thank you, for being my little sister."

He put all his thoughts in such mundane words.

"Fufufu, Little Sister being your little sister is natural right? What are you
talking about now?"

"Well I guess. But that's just what I thought."

They were separated for eight years, it was so long it wouldn't be

strange if their hearts drifted apart.

Even so, she still had him in mind, with all of her heart. Taiga understood
with his heart rather than his mind just how strong her feelings for him
were.

"...ahh, come on, Brother is so cute!"

And, with that as an impulse Fuyuki came at him and hugged him with
all her strength, while he was still sitting. Entirety of her small yet soft
chest pressed against his face, and a sweet fragrance filled his nostrils.

"Mugha... wa-wait, Fuyuki?!"

"Seeing such weakness it's unbearable! OniiOniiOniiOniiOniii!"

His physical strength was in contrast with the fragility of his mind. That
gap moved her heart.

"...Mu—..."

Looking at the siblings by the bed, Rui closed her lips tightly. Even
though, to be exact it was Fuyuki hugging Taiga, but it was all the same
to Rui.

——Not fair.

The two of them had a special atmosphere between them, and she was
so envious she couldn't stand it.

She wondered, if that was why she extended her hand grabbing Taiga's
ear unconsciously.

www.asianovel.com
168

"Eh? Ru-Rui? ——Ow, it hurts it hurts it hurts!"

She grabbed it tightly and pulled.

"Mu—, Mu—, Mu—!!"

"Wa-wait a second, it hurts! Did I do anything?!"

Taiga was confused because he was punished not knowing the reason.
Rui just kept pulling and twisting his ear like a child without telling why.
Fuyuki's gaze suddenly sharpened.

"...what are you doing?"

And, coming back unnoticed, Haya looked down on him as if he was

garbage, with a good looking smile on her face.

"Um, no, this is..."

[2]
"A carnage? Two-timing is the worst."

"It's a serious situation in a different sense!"

That façade, she definitely knew what's going on, and yet said that.

Fuyuki stopped hugging him, and Rui stopped pulling on his ear and sat
straight. But she looked slightly angry. She sat up without explaining
why she had been pulling on his ear.

"Looks like the poisonous air disappeared somehow, is it alright to

continue the talk?"

"...go on."

Certainly, the tension caused by his sense of guilt disappeared. He

wondered if that's what Fuyuki intended by acting like that——?

...I'm thinking too much into it.

Taiga immediately rejected that guess in his mind.

"Really, it's all because Brother said such things."

www.asianovel.com
169

"Is that my fault?!"

"No...it's not Taiga's...fault......"

"...Rucchan?"

Suddenly, Rui's condition turned strange.

Her pupils unfocused, her body lost its strength and fell on the bed.

"Hey, Rui?!"

Taiga wanted to approach her in a hurry, but was stopped by Haya.

"Please calm down. She probably just fainted because the erosion has
progressed, she will wake up soon."

He was relieved to hear that.

But it wasn't a state where they could be optimistic. Taiga asked Haya
straight.

"Haya, what do we have to do to turn Rui back to normal?"

"...the method is very simple. I will create an antibody program that will
destroy the cause of abnormality in Iora, the mental structures should all
be released and restored. However, there are some concerns."

"Concerns... is there a time limit?"

"A time limit? What do you mean?'

"...the mental structure, in other words, if there's no soul it can't be

logged into Elysion, she has to be a proper entity."

If the mental structure disappears, there's no recovering. Currently it's

the common belief that there's some kind of connection between the
mind structure and body.

That's why in Elysion, a bowl called virtual body replaces the substance
required for mental structure.

"However, if 《Jail》 erodes the mental structure, the connection might be

www.asianovel.com
170

cut off."

"If the connection is cut off, is that bad?"

"It's very bad. Brother please think about it. You cannot return to the
original location after that thread is cut. Even if the mental structure is
intact, it doesn't mean anything if it can't go back to the body."

"Wha...... then, then Rui will——"

"Taiga-kun, calm down. It won't happen immediately. In Saionji's case

the erosion isn't done yet, also there's still a possibility of re-connecting
it after it's eroded."

He was somewhat relieved by those words. And, Fuyuki asked further

details.

"In that case, do you know roughly how much time is left?"

"Unfortunately I don't know the exact time... but it won't be too fast."

If she doesn't recover her mental structure as soon as possible, there's a

worst case possibility Rui will never wake up.

A day, maybe three days, even if he asks... he has to hurry anyway.

"And one more thing. Since there's a barrier around Iora, it's impossible
to inject the program in that state. Someone has to destroy the barrier
by attacking her..."

"The stage is 《Aries》, there's no choice but to do it by force... Brother?"

"I know... that's my role"

Taiga swore to her as she slept, and muttered the words with resolution.

Part 2
——She had a dream.

www.asianovel.com
171

She felt as if she was floating on uncertain waters, and nevertheless, she
felt at peace.

She continued to look at her memories with dulled thinking ability.

It were memories from the four last days, but even though the time was
short the memories had a high density.

That time repeated again and again, and Saionji Rui continued to replay
those last four days.

Suddenly, her field of view was dyed crimson. It seemed like it came to
steal it.

No way. I'm not going to give it up.

It didn't hear her. The crimson continued to take away her dreams, and
soon faded away as if satisfied. She wondered just how many times this
『Predation』 repeated.

The tape called memory, was literally eaten away little by little.

She was exhausted by being eaten away at, she knew that even as she
slept.

Even so, just that, just those feelings, she will definitely not forget.

Thinking like that, Saionji Rui immersed herself in the memory.

Suddenly, she woke up.

"Hey, sleeping beauty. Are you awake?"

"......aa...eh...? Tai...ga...?"

She turned in the direction the voice came from, she wondered if he
kept watching her, it was the figure of ******* Taiga sitting down on a
chair in a white room.

E...h...?

www.asianovel.com
172

Weird... the information she should have was missing from her head. As
she moved her gaze after being attacked by anxiety, what entered her
field of view was a white wall and a darkened night sky.

"It's already night?"

"You slept for about three hours. ...that fake yamato nadeshiko, what
kind of 『she will wake up』 was it. We were insanely worried..."

Taiga muttered under his nose and took out a plastic bottle filled with
water from the refrigerator, and held it out to her. Rui was thirsty so she
accepted it——but it dropped down on the bed.

"....ah."

"There."

Taiga caught the plastic bottle that almost fell off the bed.

...I see, my right hand is messed up as well now.

Somehow, she recognized the state she was in, as if she was talking
about someone else.

There still wasn't anything wrong with her sight and hearing, she would
go mad if that was the case——it wasn't a theory, but an intuition.

"...ho, then I'll help you drink it then."

Taiga opened the cap, and helped her drink the water while making sure
she didn't choke.

Just because she couldn't muster much strength he moved, even though
she could drink it by herself if she used both hands.

"Thank you, Taiga."

"You're welcome. How's your memory?"

"Nn〜it's more or less alright."

She was in a state that normally would cause fear to crush her, but she

www.asianovel.com
173

answered with a smile.

Beaming with a radiant smile blowing away the negative feelings, hiding
her helplessness in the deepest corner of her heart.

Because she knew that's the only thing she can do.

『It's my fault』, she knew that was the only way to heal the heart of the
boy in front of her.

"I see... and more specifically?"

"Nn〜 memories of middle school first year disappeared as if they never

existed. Ah, and also I don't know Taiga's and Fuyuki's last name
anymore."

"...isn't this serious?"

"That's why, tell me?"

"...it's Tenryo. Tenryo Taiga, and Tenryo Fuyuki."

"Tenryo, Tenryo Taiga... Tenryo Fuyuki..."

Before the girl who tried to remember it, Taiga was also aware of his
own powerlessness.

But it was not the time to regret. It's not possible for Tenryo Taiga to
save her now. And because he can't do it, he needs to use this time well.

"Then——Rui. Umm... tomorrow, will you go on a date with me?"

"...oui?"

Being suddenly invited 『?』 mark appeared as she smiled.

Next day, eight forty in the morning.

"Well then, I'm off."

Taiga sat on a chair in the dive room and fixed his breathing. Fuyuki was

www.asianovel.com
174

on the other hand sitting on the floor tired after working all night and
just raised her hand seeing her brother off.

"Yes. Please send Rucchan my regards. Little Sister is so focused on

work she doesn't have time to contact her. My apologies."

"I know. About that program, I leave it to you. ——Dive Start."

Taiga started up arclight, and his consciousness moved to Elysion.

The mental structure was as usual, transferred to the virtual body. But
the log in destination was different.

It was not 《Aries》 which was currently sealed off, but a public structure
anyone could enter for free.

There are many various types of structures.

It was just like Aries which was a game that used surplus processing
power, but the amount it used was very small and barely around 0.1%.

Unlike a special structure like Aries, most of the city structures for public
use mimicked reality. They were literally an existence that was a
『Second world』.

When it comes to the city the three of them lived in, the structure was
referred to as 『Virtual New City』.

This virtual area imitated the real New City, a small world mimicking it.

Of course, if citizens couldn't access it it wouldn't be a public

structure——that's what an urban structure was.

"...so. I came here for the first time, but it is a mysterious place."

He felt light-headed for a moment, his virtual body was in front of the
station.

The city entrance——this was the location everyone was sent to when
they logged in to 『Virtual New City』 for the first time, the station.
Though it was called a station, the linears were not running.

www.asianovel.com
175

When he looked up, there a number of strange coloured cubes floated in

the sky, displaying information and news.

Buildings, roads, everything, the futuristic city looked somehow surreal.

Those guys couldn't stop themselves from doing whatever they please,
such a thing...

In fact, there's a lot of incidents where people fall into malnutrition after
continuously diving for a long time.

Since he wasn't using a small headgear type arclight used at homes but
one with life support system, continuous diving should not cause any
serious consequences.

"Well then. Just as I've been told by Fuyuki, I came twenty minutes
before the promised time."

In front of him, there was another visitor in the meeting place they
decided together a day before.

"Why are you here already..."

Even though he intended to go over there before she came——but

Fuyuki's advice was defeated. And, then she came over while waving
cheerfully after noticing him.

Chestnut fluffy hair, a girl wearing irregular daring clothes.

Having a natural charm that attracted people's gazes, it was Saionji Rui.

Why were the two of them on a date at a time like this.

It's something they talked about yesterday, before Rui woke up.

"Role, is it... certainly, the only one who can fight back against it, is only
Brother, but do you have a chance? Taking the previous battle into
consideration, I don't think Brother has any?"

"Ugh..."

www.asianovel.com
176

Although he said something cool, he was at a loss for words when he

was told that.

Even if he was caught off guard, but he would be defeated anyway if he

continued to fight like that. And, for some reason his body acted weird
during the battle.

"...you didn't think about it. As expected."

"Well well, isn't that just like Taiga-kun. Making a rash decision and
ending up looking uncool."

He noticed it just now, but Haya and Fuyuki were quite similar.

"But there's no need to worry. This wonderful cute Little Sister will think
about it. ——Give Little Sister a day, and I will determine the reason for
Brother's malfunction, I'll do something about the difference in
strength."

Fuyuki looked straight at him, and that look increased the feelings of
helplessness he had.

Twenty-four hours. During that time, he could do nothing but look at his
best friend, Rui to break in silence.

Even so, Fuyuki would not budge.

In order to save her, in order to avoid failing no matter what. She would
not budge.

Because Taiga understood that, he prepared himself.

"...I get it. I leave it to you, Fuyuki."

He left it to her. And his little sister went home immediately.

"I need to complete the antibody program as well, so excuse me. I will
be done by tomorrow as well."

"I see. So, what should I do now..."

He couldn't spend time not doing anything.

www.asianovel.com
177

Looks like they will be skipping school tomorrow, he thought about going
to train after all, but Fuyuki proposed another plan.

"Brother, please stay together with Rucchan the entire time. She will be
insecure and anxious alone. I don't mind if you go on a date or
something you know? I give you special permission."

"D-date? No, but Rui can't walk..."

"If it's that it'll be alright. Kaichou-san, does this hospital lend virtual
bodies that are operated by thoughts?"

"One can be prepared right away."

"It's decided then. Brother, tomorrow go on a date in Elysion tomorrow."

Their conversation skipped a lot of steps. Well he was worried about Rui,
and he wasn't against going out together... still he couldn't help but get
nervous considering it was a date.

"It will go well, Little Sister will give you advice. In exchange, please go
on a date with Little Sister later, okay?"

That's it. Recollection end.

Taiga rushed over and uttered a word of apology.

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

"Mm, no, Rui-san just arrived as well."

The male and female roles were perfectly reversed from what Fuyuki
told him. He couldn't calm down feeling guilty, he started the day he was
supposed to spend with Rui thinking like that.

An innocent smile like usual, and her clothes were hot pants and a tank
top.

Meaning, Rui wanted to look attractive today.

www.asianovel.com
178

...did she change for me?

He didn't know how to call it, but today she was——cute.

It didn't mean she isn't normally cute. It meant... that a very pretty
atmosphere surrounded her body.

He wondered if that was the magic of a date.

"...uh—umm, is your body alright? The thought-operated virtual body,

was it?"

"Yup. It was difficult to move at first, but I've got used to it."

Rui moved her hands she couldn't budge in the real world, to show him.

The virtual body she was using was one often used in hospitals, it's a
virtual body working on a special mechanism allowing it to move by
using images in a human's head. It's mainly used for people with
disabilities.

——She, who cannot move in the real world anymore, can move freely in
Elysion. Realizing what he sees right now is just an illusion, his heart
ached.

"Now then... let's go."

Shaking off that sentiment, he held out his right hand.

Even if you don't cross your arms, at least hold her hand——just as
Fuyuki advised him.

"...yup."

Her cheeks flushed slightly, Rui overlapped her hand with his. And their
fingers firmly entangled, this was the so called lovers tie.

"Ehehe..."

Rui laughed slightly embarrassed for a moment, looking very lovely.

Because she was so attractive Taiga turned away when they started to

www.asianovel.com
179

walk to hide his bright red face.

——Just at this moment, he wanted her to forget about reality and enjoy
herself.

While feeling each other's warmth from their connected hands, their
date began.

From that moment, the two of them toured a lot of places.

Starting with window shopping, the two had a good time at karaoke and
aquarium, after which they took a break at an open air café's terrace.

Above a cup of tea that was a combination of taste data, Saionji Rui
observed the boy in front of her.

...super cool, well not really. But I wonder why? My eyes are attracted to
him. The difference between the front and the back, I wonder if I like the
gap between his everyday self and the feeling he gives off occasionally?

She had a strange taste, even if she said so herself. It was a pretty
dangerous choice.

Because her memories were ragged out, she didn't know much about
their relationship before, but somehow 『Saionji Rui』 felt he was
someone she could get along with.

In a broad, and shallow sense. She thought to herself he might be

『Special』 to her.

And, noticing her gaze, their eyes met.

"What is it? Is there something?"

"No〜 Rui-san is pretty strange, I wasn't aware I was staring at you〜"

"If Rui is strange, then both me and Fuyuki would be categorized as

madmen."

"Ahaha, that's not true!"

"I wonder about that. At the very least, the environments we were

www.asianovel.com
180

brought up in was abnormal."

"Nn〜 it was something like special forces or something right?"

"...asking about it while being perfectly calm is amazing but... calling it

special forces, it isn't all that wrong. I saw guns and military drones on a
daily basis, it was a place people killed each other in reality. The place I
was taken to... well, was the worst."

Even so, he didn't think about the everyday life he lost.

Because he was going to go back there someday——that's what he

decided in his mind, he had a 『World he should return to』 so he didn't
despair.

"...you probably heard about it from Fuyuki, but I was in unexpectedly

old fashioned home."

"Geez. Every country has unmanned weapons as their primary force

nowadays, for people to go between such things, even if you trained it's
some insane stuff."

A place where monsters with abnormal physical ability met.

Taiga didn't criticize the Renjou household that much. He learned sword
techniques, and observing people around him he learned to handle and
hone his body.

"Can it be, that you were bullied?"

"...why do you think so?"

"Well, somehow. You had kind of a pained look. I wondered if you went
through some bitter experience, or something like that."

She's sharp.

His expressions barely changed, and yet he was read this precisely.

"Well, it's humans. There's always some guy who hates you and might
hurt you. ...though I repaid him after becoming strong."

www.asianovel.com
181

"Ahaha..."

At that moment a clerk brought a strange object. It was a pile of fruits

and ice cream that looked like an inverted triangle, and for some reason
it didn't spill out.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. It's the special parfait you ordered."

"Ooh〜 it's here, its here!"

"Eh, what's this. A parfait... is that a joke?"

"Nfufufu〜 because the object has specified fixed coordinates it will not
collapse."

A huge parfait was soundly placed in front of them after arriving.

Although its appearance was worthy of being called special, but no
matter what, that was over the top.

"Hmm... this is also a combined program stimulating the taste. Though

when it isn't placed in a belly, it feels somewhat creepy."

"Hmph〜 stop thinking like that. Taiga should eat some as well. It's
delicious you know?"

"...well then, just a bite."

"Yay, it's here, come on, a—n!"

Rui scooped up a mouthful, and held it out to Taiga.

"Wai- Rui?!"

"Hohoo, you see that's the kind of store this is."

He suddenly noticed that around them there were a lot of couples, some
of them were eating the same parfait, and some were drinking
stereotypical 『Couple Juice』 together.

But——her cheeks were red as she held out the spoon, and he noticed
that her hand was trembling from nervousness, so he couldn't say
anything.

www.asianovel.com
182

It was just a moment later, but, he made his decision and ate the piece
of parfait that was held out.

"...it's delicious."

"Right〜!"

He thought it would be just sweet, but it wasn't so. It was cold and sweet
spreading in his mouth. It wasn't only the taste that was programmed,
there was also an after-taste and refreshing fragrance of fruits drifting
around.

"...ehehe, it's an indirect kiss."

"Goouh?! Y-you?!"

"I wonder if rather than with Fuyuki, your first experience was with Rui-
san?"

"...excluding the time we were kids, it's my first."

Of course it was with Fuyuki. Rui knowing that, looked somewhat

regretful.

"I see. Looks like I can't win against Fuyuki after all〜"

"I don't think it's a matter of winning or losing you know?"

In the first place it was talk about when they were kids. Not something
they did consciously.

"That might be so. But... I just wanted to be number one."

Especially, when it came to the person she liked——but she didn't have
courage to continue like that, she as of now couldn't say that yet.

Wanting to shake off those heavy thoughts from her mind, she changed
the topic.

"Speaking of which, when did you become friends with Kaichou-san?"

"Nn? Ah—... we met on the specialized course by chance. And we spoke

www.asianovel.com
183

quite often after that."

"So that's how it is. For some reason Kaichou-san, treats Taiga and Rui-
san differently〜 or so I was thinking, I wonder if it's my imagination?
Even though she's your senpai you get along with her really well."

"...I-it's your imagination. Come on, let's hurry up and go to the next
location."

Faced with her sharp questions, Taiga changed the topic. Even though
Rui had seen through him, 『I'll ask some other time』 she thought as she
scooped some more of the parfait.

At the same time, in Kiritou Academy's structure.

"...kshun"

A small sneeze echoed.

Haya continued the development of the antibody program while sitting

on the sofa in her room, 『A cold at a time like this?』 she thought and
examined the vitals of her body.

"All values normal... I wonder if someone is gossiping about me."

She assumed it was some researcher... or it might be him. She took a

small break from work until she settled down after thinking something
unnecessary.

As a lot of fatigue had accumulated, she laid down on the sofa and
daydreamed while looking at the ceiling.

...I want to return to the laboratory, but I would probably be surrounded

by other researchers and questioned.

Because, blocking a large structure like Aries was unprecedented.

Though at that time there was no other way than to do that, the reason
didn't matter.

www.asianovel.com
184

The fact that she developed that AI would add fuel to the fire as well.

Currently, Haya was in a delicate position in the company.

"Because of that I don't have access to the facilities... seriously. Even

though there's no time!"

One day. It was the grace time the company gave her.

If the situation doesn't improve Iora will be destroyed——she will lose.

Last time she won the negotiations.

They were people who want to see results above anything else. There's
twenty-three unconscious people, so they didn't want to destroy her
right away.

If it was exposed that Saionji was subjected to 《Jail》 it would be bad. It

would damage them a lot if news that they allowed a civilian to get
involved in it got out.

The forced transition she did already stood out. If it came out to the
public it would cause a scandal involving Kiritou——that's why the higher
ups left it to her.

They wanted to avoid any bad rumours about Kiritou. And absolutely
avoid scandals. Although it was as if she put a rope around her own
neck, she got a chance to save Iora.

——She had to stick with it. That's what she thought. Not because she
was her developer.

Because Iora was her dream.

Because the girl named Kiritou Haya was always lonely.

She could not make any friends because of rumours about her
household. The only ones who approached her were adults who wanted
to get closer to Kiritou.

Act like an adult——that's what her father, who was on the top of the
company ordered her. She was instructed not to give anyone a chance

www.asianovel.com
185

to take advantage of her, and like a tyrant, forbade her from acting
childish.

As the person in question, Haya, grew up, she got more and more
isolated from the environment even if she didn't intend to.

That's why, that was the only dream she had.

——She wanted a friend.

As she grew up hiding her childishness behind an adult mask, she met
someone who had similar thoughts. Asumi Aoko, and started a project.

Making an existence she could be friends with——a virtual personality

with emotions, the development of project Iolite.

That's why she had to protect it. The form of a dream she had together
with her late friend, even more so now that she has people who
supported her, she has to protect it no matter what.

"...just wait. I will definitely save you. No matter what I have to do."

Haya said those words even though she knew no one will hear her
anyway, and resumed work.

They somehow managed to eat the huge parfait together, it wasn't

something one person could eat. And then they went on the streets once
again.

They enjoyed their time in a relaxed manner walking around, Rui

showed interest in the accessories arranged on the stall.

"Waa— this one is wonderful..."

Rui took a pendant shaped like sun in her hand. The design was quite
elaborate, even Taiga who wasn't familiar with this kind of thing was
impressed.

By the way, even though it's called a stall, they didn't sell anything in
there. It was a place that could be used for sampling things, it was a
mechanism that allowed you to order the thing in the real world.

www.asianovel.com
186

"That's certainly beautiful. Also, it would look great on Rui."

He looked at its price. It was a little high, but if it was just that much it
should work out.

"I'll buy this. Send it to this place."

"Eh...? Nonono you can't! Aren't you short on living expanses?"

"It will work out if I fast a little. Also, it's a present not only to
commemorate the date, but also a sign of gratitude."

"Gratitude?"

"Ever since I moved, I was always taken care of by Rui. This is something
like an appreciation gift... thank you, and I'll be in your care from now
on, that's why please take it."

He conveyed his feelings of gratitude to her upfront.

He really was always taken care of by Rui. Things like school, meals,
Aries, and also that she became Fuyuki's friend. He couldn't thank her
enough.

He was honestly embarrassed, but it was something he had to say

properly.

The person in question, Rui was dumbfounded. It was nothing special to

her, she just did what she could do——and yet as she was being
sincerely thanked for that, she thought he was very cute as he said that.

...I feel that I can somehow understand what Fuyuki meant when she
said he's cute.

At the same time, she understood she can't refuse his feelings.

"I see. Then, don't hold back with your present."

"Right."

It would arrive in two days, for the time being until the purchase
procedures were done, she got data with the specification of the

www.asianovel.com
187

accessory as a bonus. That meant she could use the same fashion in
both the real world and Elysion.

"Ah. This is perfect. Taiga, put it on me."

"Eh? N-no at least do that yourse——"

"Come on, hurry up hurry up."

While maintaining the momentum, she got close to him by a step and
removed the pendant's clasp.

As Rui closed her eyes and looked up, looking as if she was prepared for
a kiss, Taiga moved his hand behind her neck trying not to stare at her
as much as possible.

He tried to place the pendant on from the front. But, it didn't seem to
work because he was too stiff.

"Taiga—. It will be hard unless you get closer you know?"

"Uu, n-no, I know that but..."

But if he approaches her any more than that... he would get in close
contact with various things. Especially with her large breasts——is what
he thought but couldn't say.

However, so as not to make Rui wait any longer, after a few more
seconds of struggle, he made his decision and approached her by taking
a step forward.

"————————"

"Hou..."

www.asianovel.com
188

From a third person's point of view. It could only look like a couple
hugging each other. That's how close the two of them were. Soft twin
hills of size incomparable to Fuyuki's pressed against him slightly above
his stomach, and a happy feeling spread through his body.

I knew they are big but... t-this is dangerous...!

It wasn't just the feeling of her body, the sight and the smell were
dangerous as well.

Looking down from above, her body was destructively attractive, on top
of that her chestnut fluffy hair smelled very good. If he was to compare
it... right, it would be like the sun. Like a warm and soft smell of daylight.

It would turn bad if he continued to stay like that. Taiga fastened the
pendant's clasp in a hurry. His sense of smell and touch were stimulated
like crazy as he did that, and his spirit was worn out in various ways by
the time he finished.

"Ehehe..."

Even so, seeing her smile was worth doing that hard work. That's what
he thought.

Rui played with the pendant happily. Although she smiled happily as she

www.asianovel.com
189

looked at it, it suddenly darkened.

"Looks like it's about time..."

They both knew it. No matter how much fun they have, it will eventually
come to an end. While there was still light left in her heart, she declared.

"...there's one last place I want to go to."

Rucchan, is probably at her limit...

Fuyuki continued programming at a tremendous speed without moving

an inch from the spot, or looking away from the screen even for a
moment ever since she saw Taiga off, she checked the time.

Four p.m. ——it was the time Kiritou Haya estimated as a limit. Fuyuki
looked at the ceiling and thought about the girl who was about to
disappear in a distant world.

Tenryo Fuyuki's only friend, the only friend of a girl who used to be
Karasuba Fuyuki, Saionji Rui.

A person who reached out a helping hand to her after she was torn apart
from her beloved brother, her important best friend.

"...don't worry and please wait. I'll save you right away."

Fuyuki went back to work after murmuring that.

Right now there's one thing she had to do, she couldn't think about
anything else.

"Just a little more, one more stretch and it's done."

With her sky blue eyes shining, Fuyuki plunged into the sea of electrons.

"Yup. No matter when I come it's always beautiful here〜"

In the scenery dyed in scarlet, chestnut hair danced in accordance to

www.asianovel.com
190

Rui's movements, it glittered reflecting particles of light cast by the

setting sun.

The light scattered every time her hair flowed in the strong wind,
wrapping her in a gentle and warm ambience.

"...yeah, certainly it's beautiful."

There is a place I want to go to——saying that she brought him to a

viewing platform on a small hill in the outskirts of 《Virtual New City》.

There might have been some people there if it was a holiday, but there
was no one there during daytime on a weekday. Also it wasn't reality so
there were no people who would come over on a whim.

There were only two of them on the viewing platform looking down on
the city.

Taiga and Rui stood side by side looking at the fantasy-like city.

"...why, do you think I chose to come here last?"

The words she murmured melted away carried by the wind. Still, they
easily reached him, Taiga answered her while looking at the scenery of
the city spread below.

"Because the scenery is beautiful, I guess."

"Unfortunately, a miss... but isn't it? It's not like it isn't beautiful. But the
answer is incorrect."

Only last pieces of memory were left in her head, even the recent
memories were becoming a mess.

Even Saionji's Rui personality was becoming ambiguous. Together with

her thoughts, her virtual body slowly stopped to respond and move.

The appointed time, was about to come soon.

"One day. When I found a person I like, I would end the date
here——that's what I decided. I'd prefer if it was reality, but in this state

www.asianovel.com
191

it can't be helped."

"Isn't it all right. After returning to your body, you can go there together
with the person you like."

"Ahahaha, you don't get it at all do you〜 Taiga. It's important for it to be
the first time. Seeing the sunset together... it feels like fate. Wonderful
isn't it?"

"So it's like that."

"That's how it is... can we sit down? In fact, it's a bit hard to stand."

They sat on a bench, and looked at the sun sinking behind the horizon in
a relaxed manner. Then, Rui placed her head on Taiga's shoulder.

"....................................It's scary, after all."

He heard a small voice.

"Even though, I should be prepared for it... but... the fact that I might
disappear... is scary..."

"...Rui."

"Why did something like that happen!! It should have been just a normal
day like usual!! Even though, ever since Taiga came every day became
more interesting and fun, why do I have to go through something like
this?!"

The chain of emotions held in by force burst, it exploded.

Not knowing why was it her, why wasn't it someone else——even though
she knew it was synonymous with hoping for someone else's misfortune,
she couldn't help but think so.

Tenryo Taiga was a boy who was crushed once in reality, so he

understood her pain.

"...I don't want to disappear..."

Large tears fell one after another, fear that has been suppressed until

www.asianovel.com
192

now, the things she was afraid of, surfaced one after another.

——Because he didn't want to see such a face, that's why he's gotten
stronger, didn't he.

"...the one who should have been cut is me, the one who was supposed
to fade away should be me. Because you protected me, I can be here.
That's why—— the fact you were the one cut, I'll make sure it wasn't
meaningless."

There was a meaning in the fact that Tenryo Taiga remained and not
Saionji Rui, he will prove that there was a reason for it and it will lead to
something.

"——I swear. That's why wait for me. It'll be over soon."

He will definitely save her——he won't allow anyone to be sacrificed.

The moment he feels that there's a need to sacrifice something

precious, his existence will become meaningless.

"......aaa......"

Sky blue eyes looked straight at her, as if sucking her in. It reminded her
of a majestic sky encompassing everything, Rui made a small sigh.

Yeah——with this, I'm done for〜

www.asianovel.com
193

There was no doubt about it.

Confirming it, while on verge of disappearing was just like her.

Unnecessary things like suspension bridge effect came to her mind, but
it didn't matter. That's why she saw him off with a wonderful smile on
her face believing in him. Because she will see him again soon.

She wiped the tears that spilled.

In the beautiful orange sunset, the scarlet colour burned in her heart.

Here and now, certainly in her heart,

"———Yup. I will be waiting, my Prince."

Saionji Rui closed her eyes.

Her eyes closed as if she was asleep, they wouldn't open no matter
what.

Basking in the sunset's light, Taiga continued to hug her body as

strength gradually left it.

www.asianovel.com
194

Translator's Notes and

References
1. ↑ Ani here is usually translated as Brother, which is a kinda-
mature way of calling an older brother and probably the term
that's most similar to English "Brother", Onii is more childish way
of calling an older brother, so it's usually distinctively left
untranslated.
2. ↑ Shuraba – In other words, a battle, carnage, hell, that's how
battle between girls over one man is sometimes referred to in
Japanese

www.asianovel.com
195

Vol. 1 :

Chapter 5

Part 1
"Unh..."

Awaiting Taiga's return to the real world was his little sister who rolled
around groaning, he wasn't sure if it couldn't be classified as
cute——probably. He guessed.

"...just when did this place turn into demon world?"

If it had to be explained why he said that, it was because the room's

appearance changed completely from how it was in the morning.

The number of windows floating in mid-air could already be counted in

hundreds. Holograms were deployed in every direction, on every wall,
and even on the ceiling.

Reality and cyber intermingled, it looked quite chaotic.

"Fuyuki〜, are you alright—?"

He hesitated to get closer to the motionless Fuyuki, and called out to

her. He wa s afraid of compromising and causing holograms to disappear
in response to his movement. She was lying down on the floor fatigued
and her glossy black hair was scattered on it, the pretty girl feeling she
usually had was ruined because of that.

www.asianovel.com
196

When he placed a hand on her forehead but it was considerably hot, but
she seemed alright. It wasn't a cold, it was something like intelligence
heat, caused by overworking her brain.

"...seriously, so reckless."

He sighed, then he crouched and picked up Fuyuki's body.

After that, he carried her to bedroom surprised about how small and
light she was, and laid her down on the huge bed. Fuyuki curled up like a
cat.

"Unyaa..."

She was in a state where she would need to keep her eyes open with
small sticks. But she somehow shook off sleepiness and rubbed her
eyes.

"My head......it's so heavy..."

"Keep lying down like you are now, I'll bring you something to drink."

Taiga was familiar with how it felt to use the brain to its limit. Although
he wanted to let her go sleep as soon as possible, it couldn't be helped
this time.

He passed her a cup of coffee he brewed as a cure for drowsiness, he

also added milk and gum syrup to it. Although it should still be quite
bitter, bitterness should increase the effect and wake her up.

"Uuhh... it's been a while since I did my best like this..."

Fuyuki continued to process vast amounts of information in her head

ever since yesterday, except for a moment she took to eat and take a
shower. Also, she was thinking at an exceptionally fast rate.

While Taiga's weapon was physical speed, Fuyuki's weapon was the
speed she was thinking at.

A capability of processing many things in parallel, ability to deal with

multiple events that was far beyond a normal person's, and an intuition,

www.asianovel.com
197

a sixth sense when it came to cyber-related things.

On par with Taiga's 『Eye』 in reality, she had a 『Eye』 for the Elysion."

It wasn't some kind of supernatural power, it was just using the human
brain to its very limits.

But it didn't change the fact that it was quite absurd.

If her brain was used for a long time, she could collapse and wake up
only three day after.

"Good job, Fuyuki. Thanks."

Taiga knew just how tired she was, so he stroked her head.

Funya〜, she enjoyed the feeling with a charming expression on her face
for a moment, and shortly after she corrected her posture. The look in
her eyes became serious.

"...well then, let's get down to the main issue."

Taiga retracted his hand and looked at her, Fuyuki operated the
terminal, opening a window that projected a crystal.

The mysterious crystal changed its colour depending on his viewing

angle as it floated in front of Taiga's eyes, and a small window emerged
from its body.

《"Submit permission to install program 《 Synchro Infinity 》 sent from

Tenryo Fuyuki. 『 YES 』 or 『 NO 』?"》

"Let me say this first. This program will definitely be of help to Brother
during his fight with the Reaper. It perfectly fixes the malfunctions with
Brother's body."

Even though fatigue obscured her thinking as she spoke. Fuyuki had to
tell that much, she formed words while forcing her own mind.

"The studies Little Sister was involved in while at Karasuba was

『Synchronization of virtual and real body』 and she helped to make this

www.asianovel.com
198

application. But because of the high risk research has been frozen.
《Synchro Infinity》 is without a doubt a dangerous program a researcher
should never create."

"...dangerous, and more specifically?"

"Life-threatening level dangerous."

His little sister answered instantly as she stared right at him.

——It was not a domain he should step into with half-assed

determination.

"When it comes to risk, it probably exceeds 《Jail》. One wrong move and
you will become a cripple."

Fuyuki looked completely serious, and it seemed like she was not
exaggerating.

"This program, 《Synchro Infinity》 is a high risk no return for a normal

person, completely pointless for them to use. But Elysion specific
mechanism works in a way that has a negative effect on Brother."

"Specific mechanism?"

"Half of Elysion was made for entertainment purposes, factors that

induce negative feelings have been eliminated as much as possible.
They are either cut off or restricted, pain is a prime example."

"Well, no one would like to feel pain in a structure like 《Aries》 ."

You can get cut, crushed, burned, and so on. If those feelings were left
unchanged people would not be able to stand pain.

"《Aries》 provides physical ability assistance according to rank, although

it's a system original to the structure that helps you enjoy it, at the same
time it tunes the virtual body making it deviate from original."

It wasn't reality, so they dropped what was unnecessary.

That's why it was impossible to tune a virtual body to be exactly same

www.asianovel.com
199

as a real one.

"In the first place, a normal person doesn't use their body's full
performance, so a slight difference does not affect them... but it's
different when it comes to Brother's physical ability that was trained to
the limit, and when it comes to our 『Eyes』."

For someone who has reflexes and dynamic vision far beyond a normal
person, extra processing is nothing but an obstruction. An error appears
when the movement intended and actual movement of the body differ,
expanding little by little and eventually ends up disconnecting them.

"So that's why I lost feeling in my arm."

"Yes. That's how it is, the effect this program has is simple. In order to
disable the program that creates that difference, it will continue to hack
you."

"Hack... me?"

"Full explanation would take three hours, but I'll omit that. There are two
main risks. One, the blocked pain is released and the damage dealt to
the electronic body is transferred to you. If your arm is cut off, you will
receive mental damage as if it really was cut off. If you receive a horrible
amount of damage, your spirit might collapse."

Even though it has no effect on his real body if his virtual body is
damaged, the pain itself will still damage his spirit.

A wound someone received in the past and the phantom pain

unexpectedly appearing afterwards is a perfect example.

"Also the other one. Because it continues to hack so that it can trigger
the effect, the burden on the brain is tremendous. Little Sister tried it
but only withstood five minutes——that was as long as it went on until
my brain started overheating. In Brother's and Little Sister's case,
because of our 『Eyes』 the time limit is shorter than usual."

"Another thing that's restricting in various ways, huh."

www.asianovel.com
200

Receiving attacks is bad on the time limit, and the time is further
shortened if it goes through.

"...I'm sorry, Brother."

Fuyuki apologized and bowed her head.

"I tried to reduce the risk somehow, but in the end I couldn't do it.
Having Brother fight while using such a flawed program, Little Sister is
the worst. I am really sorry..."

Painfully aware of her own shortcoming, Fuyuki continued with her head
bowed down.

If she was the one who used the defective crystal, it wouldn't matter
because she would only risk herself.

However, this time the one who will be using the program was Taiga.
The one risks and the one who is exposed to danger is the person was
front of her.

That's why, she had to say it.

"...whether you accept it or not, I leave the decision to Brother. If you

don't trust this program, and decide it's too risky——"

*click* ——he interrupted his little sister's speech by tapping 『 YES 』.

Fuyuki was surprised, but Taiga didn't hesitate.

"I swore. That I would definitely save her. Life-threatening? I am here

thanks to Rui, I won't hesitate with just this much."

If he was unable to save her, Tenryo Taiga wouldn't be able to ever

forgive himself. If he broke his promise, he wouldn't be able to live
anymore. It was no different from dying.

"Also, I believe in Fuyuki."

"...haa, geez, Brother is really hard to handle."

Fuyuki sighed, but she continued somewhat happily.

www.asianovel.com
201

The crystal shattered turning into small particles and was sucked into
Taiga's terminal.

《Install started. Three minutes left.》

That's what was displayed in the window, it switched into a status

screen that displayed progress. They could only wait.

And, Fuyuki's body suddenly tilted. He wondered if it was because she

has done everything she had to do. It looked like she could no longer
fight back against fatigue, and it surged all at once. Her eyelids started
to close.

Thanking his little sister for the hard work she has done, he gently pat
her head.

"...leave the rest to me. I will definitely save Rui."

Calmed down by his words, her drowsiness increased as he pat her

head——and Fuyuki smiled faintly before she entered the dream world.

"I believe in you. Brother."

Saying just that much, Fuyuki closed her eyes, and started to breathe
sleepily a few seconds later. He covered her looking at her relieved
expression, and left the bedroom.

He entered the dive room again, and contacted Haya through the
terminal as he prepared to log in.

"I'm prepared on this side."

〈"Okay. Then please come to the school's structure at once. The place
will be that classroom. I'm going to break the locks so you can come
from the front."〉

All of his senses gradually switched over as he signalized the dive start.

After logging in safely, he confirmed the school's structure as his target

and——he stepped into the compartment that was as deserted as in
reality.

www.asianovel.com
202

Come to think of it, the first time I met Iora was here.

At that time, on a whim he just turned on a hologram projector. She

didn't appear properly back then and her figure only flashed for a
moment.

...if that didn't happen, I wouldn't be acquainted with Haya now.

If he didn't meet Iora back then, he wondered what would be happening

now——useless thoughts filled his head as he tried to escape from
reality.

Maybe nothing would be happening now. Such a convenient illusion

came to him, but it faded away soon after.

"You came."

The privatized classroom has become a weird space where a lot of

windows floated all over.

Haya was immersed in work while sitting on the sofa like usual, she still
wore the suit he saw the other day.

Because she had the appearance of a Japanese-style beauty, it didn't fit

her.

"A little longer and I'll be done. Just wait for a moment."

Haya continued to work while operating at dozens of windows at once,

at an incredible pace without looking his way. The fact that she
completely concentrated on her work was obvious.

He sat on an edge of the sofa as to not to get in the way. Taiga looked
around daydreaming as he had nothing to do in particular. And, as he
looked around he saw something that made him feel uncomfortable.

"...nn?"

A lot of windows repeatedly appeared and disappeared——between

them, he noticed that one didn't change. He leaned towards it curiously,
for some reason it wasn't operated.

www.asianovel.com
203

It was a picture. And on it, there were two girls.

Haya and... Iora? No, but why is she wearing Kiritou uniform?

It looked like Haya was younger, he wondered if it was taken one or two
years ago. But it didn't matter. What he was curious about, was what
they were wearing.

Haya aside, it was weird that Iora was wearing a uniform. Also the
quality of Iora who was captured in this photo, felt like she wasn't a
hologram. It was as if, she was a living human.

What did that mean——he wanted to look closer, but the photo suddenly
disappeared.

"Peeping is not good."

Haya was staring at him. Apparently she finished her work, all the
windows she used for development disappeared the same way.

"Did you finish?"

"We don't have time to test it, there's no choice but to check if during
the battle. Theoretically it should delete Iora's 《Jail》 if she's damaged
enough."

As opposed to blood-like crimson, the crystal she had was sky blue.

Though Taiga received it on reflex, it was sucked into his body the
instant he touched the crystal. And with that, the installation was
complete.

"I see. Then... next, is my job."

With that, everything was ready.

Taiga manipulated the inventory window of 《Aries》 and changed into a

long coat, at the same time he checked if his nodachi showed up by his
waist.

"...about the picture, don't you want to know?"

www.asianovel.com
204

Haya asked cautiously as he was preparing for battle. After looking back
at her, Taiga honestly answered.

"I won't say I'm not curious about it, but it seems that even if I asked, I
wouldn't get an answer."

Just by looking at her, he could tell that she was depressed and in a bad
state. He wasn't that insensitive to probe any further in that direction.

"You too are suffering because of something. I think you want to help
Iora no matter what... that's enough for you to cooperate with us. So
both of us have something we want from the other."

They are partners who had just met a few days earlier. There was no
reason to trust each other.

"One of us uses the other. That's the relationship between us right now,
right?'

He simplified it, no, he simplified it too much, even Haya was surprised
by what he said.

"...that's surprising. Looking at you your relationship with your little

sister and Saionji-san , I thought you easily trust people and pushing an
idea on you would be piss easy. You're more of a realistic person than I
thought you were."

"If it's to save Rui, I won't care about what you are really thinking."

In these words, Haya noticed a glimpse of a similar nature to hers.

Probably, in order to save Saionji Rui, this boy will act without hesitation.
Just like her, who didn't care if she was to make the entire company into
her enemy if it was to save Iora.

Both of them had similar thoughts and determination.

...why is she that attached to Iora, I think I can understand a little.

Part of the wall changed as Haya snapped her fingers, it changed into a
shining white door. It was big enough for one person to pass through it,

www.asianovel.com
205

and he couldn't see what's inside.

"This place and 《Aries》 are temporarily connected. As soon as you go

through, I'll disconnect it. You'll be able to contact me from the other
side, when you're done, call me."

"Yeah, got it."

Taiga took a step towards the gate he couldn't see anything through.
And he heard a voice from behind his back.

"...Taiga, it's an order. You must definitely rescue Iora. If all my effort
goes to waste, I won't forgive you."

"I get it. It's not just yours, I also carry Fuyuki's share over here."

Taiga entered the transfer door, setting his foot into 《Aries》 once again.

"——I decided long time ago. That I won't lose ever again."

Part 2
*rustle* ——He felt hard soil with his feet. Apparently it was daytime in
《Aries》, the sun overhead was shining fiercely.

Here and there on the plains, huge swords were stuck in it. Even though
they fought with the Reaper in this place the previous day, it felt like it
was a long time ago. The darkness was much more dense in this place
before.

...the date, it was really fun.

It was the first time for him to spend his time like that with a girl of the
same age. In between the memories of his brutal daily life, it was a
memory that shined brightly.

Living together with his little sister, playing with a friend, everyone
laughing together.

Such a normal, every day life was extremely precious, he understood

that. That's why——

www.asianovel.com
206

"...I won't forgive you bastard"

In the direction he looked to, was someone with long blood-red hair. The
large sickle almost as long as her dress was lowered, an existence that
looked like a girl.

He received no answer.

Dead——her eyes had no light in them, no intent, and her hair colour
was also in harmony with that word. There, was a Grim Reaper in front
of him.

〈"Virtual body confirmed."〉

Her head rotated to face his way, an inorganic cold sound was emitted.

That figure, that sound, they caused a tremendous anger to well up

inside of him.

That thing robbed him of it.

The daily life he recovered after waiting for eight years, her bright and
warm smile that reminded him of the sun.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

3, 2, 1... together with the countdown he roused all the cells in his body.

〈"Assessment of situation, experiment re——"〉

"——A thank you gift, for what happened when we first met!!!"

In an instant, he jumped right in front of the Reaper and dealt an

explosively powerful blow to her with his left fist.

He ignored her unnecessary operation and stopped it with his fist, the
Reaper barely reacted to it. As her shoulder was hit her delicate body
was blown over twenty meters away.

If it was the real world, that blow would have crushed her shoulder bone.

Whether it was caused by 《Jail》, or whether it was Iora's original

www.asianovel.com
207

characteristic, the Reaper was more durable and the blow wasn't that
effective. There wasn't a single scratch on her, not to mention it being
fatal.

The Reaper tried to stand up, but was bound at a furious speed,

"And one more blow!!!"

And with his tremendous speed he drilled his fist into her body, and
slammed her into the ground.

Her back was nailed to the ground, and a loud impact echoed, in the
middle of which was the Reaper. But, even with that she barely
sustained any damage.

〈"Resistance confirmed. Rendering target harmless recommended."〉

"Wa——"

Taiga intuitively realized that it didn't work, and he half-turned his body
while clicking his tongue, and looked for the sickle's strike. While trying
to cut her neck at the same time, he blocked the sickle.

That's as far as the first move can get me.

After receiving the strike with his sword, he moved his left leg and
kicked the Reaper's right leg from the flank.

Because her posture was not too good a light hit was enough. As she
was standing up, Taiga held his nodachi vigilant and kicked off the
ground.

*CLANG*!! Both of them jumped at the same time at their prey, and a
high pitched metallic sound rang out. It was just slightly, but the nodachi
had less power behind it and was pushed back, the cutting edge of the
sickle grazed Taiga's clothes and hit the ground.

——He knew. That as he is right now he couldn't win against Reaper.

Rather than to say he was weaker, it was that he couldn't use his
greatest strength.

www.asianovel.com
208

There was no significant difference between their speed, which was his
greatest weapon. If he received a blow from the front it was obvious he
would be pushed back.

The time limit of his trump card, 《Synchro Infinity》 was five minutes. It
could be shorter depending on usage.

Which meant, if he uses it carelessly the risk would be too high.

There's no other way than to endure it for now...!

If he makes a mistake with timing, it will be Taiga's defeat.

The sickle and nodachi met many, many times, and Taiga was forced
back every time.

Even so, Taiga parried the sharp sickle strikes without wasteful
movements, deflecting them, and attacked Reaper again.

Rather than to win, it was offensive to make sure he won't lose.

Although she couldn't have guessed Taiga's intention, Reaper's attacks

continued to gain momentum, and Taiga paid full attention as well.

"Nh...this brute force, where does it come from...!"

In response to the sickle's slash from the front, he retreated ten meters
away from her.

They had exchanged around thirty blows already, yet neither of them
even grazed each other. While the Reaper pushed him back with her
bodily ability, Taiga competed with his skills and experience.

No matter how strong the Reaper is, her attacks were simple. When it
came to defending himself it was not difficult.

"Fuu——"

It might be called a stalemate, but the fact that it continued was

because he devoted himself to defence. He didn't use any tricks or skills
to breakthrough.

www.asianovel.com
209

Taiga opened his endlessly sky blue eyes wide,

"It's my turn from now on!!!!"

He threw over a meter long nodachi with all his strength.

If the opponent was a human who had feelings, their face would be dyed
with shock.

Because the blade rotated at a high speed like a deep blue bullet. Even
if it was Elysion there should be a limit.

Less than a second before it reached her neck——the sickle reacted just
in time to flick away the sword.

Even though the Reaper was amazing to be able react to the blade flying
at a high speed intercepting it while maintaining a posture she can't use
much force in. It wasn't a feat a human could possibly pull off.

"Haaa! You're full of openings standing like that——!!!"

And, using that opening the boy delivered a blow with his fist to her.

As if the flow of time was completely different, as if he knew the reaction

of the opponent beforehand, Taiga launched at her and sunk his fist
deep into the Reaper's unprotected belly like it was an artillery shell.

The posture the Reaper was standing in wasn't fit for defending herself,
and she rotated three times——

"Fly away!!"

As she rotated, and together with his loud voice, she was hit by an
uppercut and blown away into the sky.

It wasn't just muscle strength. It was also strength derived from using
his legs like a spring, amplified after passing through the muscles of his
entire body, and a twisting the punch hit her internal organs, crushing

www.asianovel.com
210

her.

〈"Body damage percentage, 10%."〉

The Reaper's body bent and was thrown up ten meters above the
ground, *crackle*, and an electromagnetic wave rippled through her.

The Reaper emitted a sound, a scream from her mouth. It seemed like
the damage she accumulated was recognized as pain. But he didn't
intend to go easy on her.

He bent his knees lightly, and kicked off the ground, jumping.

Taiga easily overcame gravity and grasped his nodachi that was flying in
the air with perfect timing, and hit the girl's body with the speed of
sound.

〈"Body damage percentage, 15%."〉

The supersonic slash caused a shockwave, and the Reaper screamed

once again. While she tried to raise her sickle and resist, Taiga grabbed
her hand not allowing it.

"It's the first aerial fight, Reaper!!!"

He twisted his entire body, and slashed with all his strength at the
Reaper's small body, aiming for the shoulder.

The Reaper had no way to resist, and was knocked straight into the
ground head on like lightning.

The continuous attacks would kill a normal human ten times already.

Taiga landed after finishing the chain of inhuman techniques, and stared
at the ground as dust has risen from the shockwave after Reaper's fall.

His, swordsmanship——it wasn't just techniques that only used the

sword.

His entire body was a weapon, at times he used solid slashes, but his
swordsmanship specialized single-mindedly in destruction. Originally, it

www.asianovel.com
211

was just human opponents, so using the sword was enough, but in
modern times there were many mechanical dolls to fight. And as such
inhuman opponents appeared the swordsmanship techniques changed.

I don't know if I'll defeat her with this...

He didn't think she would come intact from that. There should be some
damage dealt.

He looked at the other side of the dust cloud vigilant——and stood up all
at once.

Find her, if he doesn't, he'll die.

As a split second alarm bell rang in his head warning him of the threat,
he jumped to the side. A crimson slash cleaved with enough force to
blow away the dust, and engraved itself into the ground on the plain
ahead.

〈"Body damage percentage, 20%. Experiment interrupted, target

extermination recommended."〉

The Reaper rose up like a ghost while holding a sickle that swayed like a
flame.

《Jail》 that was confined within the sickle leaked out, looking like a
crimson flame.

Seeing the red sickle slowly rise up, Taiga shouted.

"...flying slashes, give me a break with such an outrageous thing——!!"

While spitting curses, he kicked off the ground and accelerated.

The two slashes released just that moment cut into the earth where
Taiga was earlier and left deep scars in the ground.

Without stopping his legs, he ran in a circle around the Reaper while
maintaining a certain distance. The Reaper casually continued to release
a storm of slashes while aiming at Taiga.

www.asianovel.com
212

"If I'm hit by this I'll be eaten by a virus and it'll be the end! This is so
messed up damn it!"

The Reaper's attack was unusual enough to cause Taiga to lose his
composure. Even so, he still continued to observe the attack and
analyse it in his head.

The speed of the slashes, the interval between two blows, the time
required to rotate and how proportional it was to distance... he
continued to cram it all into his head, and instinctively devised tactics.

He wasn't stupid enough to think about slowing down even for an

moment, he instinctively knew that.

"———!!!"

As he was getting closer to her, she thrust at his belly

Taiga obstructed the thrust with the sheath, and as he dashed she
released another slash. He avoided it in the very last moment as it
almost grazed his cheek, and jumped to the side with all his strength
avoiding the next two slashes.

The Reaper tried to fix the direction of her attacks, and continuous

strikes stopped for a moment. He closed the distance aiming at that
opening in an instant.

With a sheath in his hand, he stopped after reaching her and intended to
cut her in two. But then, in a distance just a step away, it appeared.

"Wha——?!"

From the sickle the Reaper was holding, the crimson substance that
covered it bubbled violently. And pebbles small enough to fit in the palm
of a hand emerged one after another.

He could never forget that. That's what Rui was using——

As Taiga was stunned and showed an opening, multiple stones turned

into blades, and his visibility was dyed white.

www.asianovel.com
213

Part 3
"...ou....aah...?"

Suddenly struck with an unpleasant sensation, Tenryo Fuyuki woke up.

She raised her drowsy body up, and squinted as the sunset burned her
eyes. She rubbed her eyes and stretched as drowsiness weighed on her
shoulders, probably because she didn't sleep long.

"...Brother...is...?"

Half of her consciousness looked for warmth.

Fuyuki left the bedroom while walking barely conscious and unsteadily
and headed towards the dive room. She found her brother sitting on the
arclight unmoving, she sat comfortably on his lap.

But as she woke up little by little, she remembered what the current
situation was.

"...Brother is probably in the middle of battle."

If he was sitting in the arclight like that, there was no doubt he was in
Elysion. Even though she really wanted to go and assist him, she
overused her eyes, was too dizzy, and was unable to use much strength.

After starting up the terminal, she contacted the other party that was
registered just the day before. She called a few times, before the other
person picked up and she appeared in a window.

"Hello Student Council President. Is everything alright?"

〈"Ah, it's Fuyuki-san. Did something happen?"〉

The other person was the student council president, Kiritou Haya. She
had the usual graceful smile on her face.

To be honest, Fuyuki wanted to ask this woman a lot of things.

Like, how and when did she meet her brother, why do they get along so
well, or why does she change her atmosphere and tone as if she was

www.asianovel.com
214

hiding behind a façade.

But, she didn't care about it right now.

"I was wondering how is it on that end. Is brother in 《Aries》 already?"

〈"Yes, he probably engaged in combat with the Reaper already. In case

he loses, there's no way to check on him, since I cannot connect to him
from here I don't know any details."〉

"Is that so. So there's no use."

Just like Fuyuki, Haya was clearly worried as well. Although she didn't
know much about her, it was obvious that she held sincere feelings
towards Taiga.

〈"That's surprising. Aren't you worried about your brother?"〉

"I am worried. I want to rush over there right away."

She said that and ended the call.

"...Little Sister's feelings, even if I told her, she wouldn't understand."

With her brain exhausted like that, she would only be a nuisance to him.
Because she knew that, she could only suppress these feelings and wait.

Ever since that day eight years ago, when rather than her life her heart
was saved, Tenryo Fuyuki could only think of him.

She wanted to support him, she wanted to live together with him, hoping
for just that. Having to suppress those feelings——she definitely
wouldn't understand.

Gently, she held her unconscious brother's hand.

Since electrical signals conveying to his senses were cut off, no matter
what happened in reality, it wasn't transmitted to her brother who was in
Elysion.

"...please, you must absolutely win."

www.asianovel.com
215

Even so, Fuyuki continued to hold his hand.

Right now, her brother was fighting in a distant place, fighting for her
best friend's life that was held captive.

She continued to pray for him.

This is... seriously bad.

Tenryo Taiga looked up at the pure white sky, and calmly grasped his
own state. As dozen of swords pierced the ground around him and
exploded, even though he was seriously injured he felt weird, his mouth
formed a smile.

"...she got me there... I didn't think, that she could use Rui's creative
stones..."

He should have known. Iora had a high level learning ability. She
probably imitated Rui's creative stones after seeing them in the previous
battle.

Fortunately, since he wasn't hit with 《Jail》, his mental structure wasn't
affected. However, the blades exploded at a close distance and buried
his body, he avoided collapsing but his body interference dropped to
nearly 20%, and he was immobile.

〈"Target immobile, resuming experiment."〉

*rustle*, he heard footsteps through the sand, and he saw a shadow in

his field of view.

Attempting to stab Taiga who was lying on the ground, she swung the
crimson scythe high up.

He knew that it will be all over once he's hit by that, but his body
wouldn't move. He could only look at it.

...again, will I fail to save someone?

www.asianovel.com
216

Together with that thought, he saw a flashback of what happened a long

time ago.

——Long time ago, to the day he cursed himself.

It was an unusual day, where both of his parents had a day off together.
Feeling it was a good idea, thought that they should take a picture
together, and unlike his indoor little sister, he thought of going out
together with their father 『"Let's all go out together as a family"』, she
said.

It was the first time in few years that all four of them went out together.

While their mother was a famous painter, their father was a man who
devoted himself to work and couldn't spend too much time with them.

They were in high spirits because it was the first time they went out like
that in a while. He walked together with his little sister and parents. He
also remembered the happy, smiling faces of his parents as they looked
at them.

Because they didn't have a car, they were limited to using public
transport. Unfortunately, there was an accident on the road to the
station.

He was in a position that only allowed him to save his little sister in time,
he decided it couldn't be helped and left them to die.

——Fuyuki knew everything up to that point.

What happened after that, even Fuyuki didn't know. An episode that
shaped Tenryo Taiga as he was.

A heavy truck rushed ignoring the signal, and he jumped away while
holding his little sister.

He embraced Fuyuki as to not show her what happened afterwards.

But he continued to look at his parents, because he was responsible.

www.asianovel.com
217

And, the world has stopped.

He could not believe his eyes. It wasn't something a child should see.

Shouldering the deaths of two people, he accepted the consequences of

his choice.

Even though he hated himself and resented himself for it, he believed in
his choice.

——They smiled.

The parents that were left behind to die by their son 『We're glad that
you are safe』, and smiled from the bottom of their hearts.

Seeing that smile, something cracked inside his mind.

Don't fuck with me.

Why are you smiling.

Why are you smiling at someone who left you to die.

I beg you, resent me. Curse me. Hate me. If you don't——these feelings,
won't ever leave me.

While looking at their smile as they were squashed, he felt like his heart
was covered with something black.

Hatred.

It was hatred he had for himself, for being relieved from seeing his
mother smile. His thinking circuitry was overloaded with hatred for
himself, unable to forgive himself for leaving them to die.

He couldn't forgive it.

His heart screamed, demanding punishment.

He hated himself, the one who couldn't save his parents, who was
relieved seeing them smile as he left them to die. He hated himself more

www.asianovel.com
218

than anything else in the world.

That's why he pursued strength.

So that next time he could save everyone, in order to change himself, in

order to punish himself.

Together with that curse he continued to pursue strength, a

commandment he wasn't allowed to forget even for a moment.

Aiming for a height that a human could never reach, and yet putting
absolute effort into it.

——Never again, he will allow this body of his to lose.

And with that, his thinking came back to reality.

Move.

He clenched his teeth strong enough to break his teeth. You are not
allowed to be defeated, as long as you are alive, put some strength in
those muscles and continue walking.

But, he wouldn't make it in time.

《"——— Activate"》

The blade was swung down on him.

If he's pierced, it will all be over, his mental structure will be eaten out,
he won't save Rui, and he won't be able to save Iora. He will betray the
trust of Fuyuki and Haya who bestowed him with their programs.

《"Scanning off, connection on."》

He won't allow such a thing, he will cut through reality.

Whether it's reality or a theory, Tenryo Taiga was not allowed to lose.

No matter how hopeless the situation was. That was the punishment
Tenryo Taiga imposed on himself.

That's why, it didn't matter if it wasn't reality. It didn't matter who is his

www.asianovel.com
219

opponent. He will take it all down by force.

What awaited him was going beyond the limits, an area no one should
ever step in.

Sound, light, time, all of it was left behind——

"———I PROMISED THAT I WILL SAVE HER... DON'T GET IN MY

WAYYYYYYYYYY!!!"

《"Synchro Infinity ———!!!"》

Together with the severe pain of his brain circuits burning out, 《Synchro
Infinity》 activated in response to his call.

At the same time he kicked up at the Reaper who held the sickle,
bounced from the ground pushing himself out with a single hand, and
twisted his body avoiding the blade which only cut his clothing.

All of that, in a split of a second.

Without stopping, he carried through striking back at the Reaper. But

once again without any hesitation the sickle was swung at his body.

There was no skill, no technique in it, it was just a strike with

superhuman brute force.

But, it was an attack that Taiga could easily see through and avoid by
moving his neck lightly. And, a flash of his nodachi cut Reaper the once
again, after that followed a roundhouse kick.

Now that the difference issue was resolved, both Taiga's 《Eye》, and his
body could demonstrate their full performance.

The overwhelming dynamic vision that could capture rifle bullets in slow
motion, instantly saw through the Reaper's attacks, and made it possible
to avoid them just by using small movements.

〈"Body damage percentage, 30%. target's complete annihilation

recommended."〉

www.asianovel.com
220

The Reaper retreated and her red sickle's luster increased gradually. It
was more vivid, and the density eerily increased. And she tried to launch
slashes at him from long distance.

"Too slow!!!"

In an instant, Taiga closed the distance between them and pierced her
shoulder with his sword, and sealed the movement of her shoulder using
it as a wedge. The Reaper's arm stopped momentarily.
[1]
"Renjou Sword Technique, fifth form——— 《Hien》!"

Not missing the opportunity, the nodachi's blade was gradually covered
in blue flames as he said that.

Cutting her and deeply penetrating her shoulder with brute force, he
went behind her at the same time slashing her open back.

The Reaper tried to counter-attack after turning around and cutting his
neck, but that motion was sealed as he grabbed her arm. He upset her
posture by driving his knee into her abdomen, and cut her body again.

Fifth form 《Hien》 wasn't a fixed type technique.

To describe it simply, it would be fluent continuous attacks.

It didn't allow the enemy to find an opportunity to fight back, it was a

swordsmanship skill that tightly combined both swordplay and hand-to-
hand combat.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

The surging anger was released together with the roar.

Reaper wielded her scythe as she tried to resist, but it was deflected
away by the nodachi. It never reached Taiga's body, it was as if he saw
the future.

The nodachi clad in blue flames delivered slashes at the speed of sound
as he danced wildly like a demon.

www.asianovel.com
221

Whenever the sickle moved, it was intercepted, and the cuts were
continuously engraved on the Reaper's body.

〈"Body damage percentage, 50%, 60%, 70%,

80%———————————————————————————!!!!!!"〉

"Guoh?!"

He was forced to retreat because of the acoustic bomb he was hit with
before, but this time at close range. At the same time the Reaper
emitted creative stones which became blades.

It would be possible to cut someone's throat to prevent that in the real

world, but it wouldn't work in Elysion. It was a movement that could not
be stopped even if he noticed it with his 《Eye》, an unstoppable voice.

Now that Taiga was in a state of full synchronization, the sound attack
that could break a glass window, was felt by him as if it was reality.

"I...it hurts, does this bastard intend to tear my eardrums...?"

He couldn't block his ears because he used both of his hands to block
the blades, his head shook and vibrated.

That's when, *clank*, pain assaulted his head as if his skull was cracked.

"Gah...hua...kuhh——"

A massive headache hit his head, he felt like his nerves were directly
assaulted inside of it. His visibility was impaired because of pain, and he
felt so weak he almost fell on the ground.

"Hurry up... I don't have time..."

It was probably an indication of the 『Time limit』. Even though it was

only activated for a minute, the usage of 《Eye》 seemed like it was a
bigger burden than expected.

He faced the Reaper while suffering a continuous headache. He faced

his opponent while enduring the pain. Around thirty creative stones were
prepared.

www.asianovel.com
222

"...just a little more. I beg you, just a little more!"

He kicked off the ground and flew like a bullet.

All creative stones simultaneously turned into swords, axes, and spears.
Taiga intercepted a minimum of them and left his body to deal with the
others. He bisected four linked spears in front of him, and approached
the enemy.

He should be easily able to fend off the sickle now.

Convinced of his victory, he clenched the sword.

A moment later, he realized his blunder.

——— *shiing*

He heard a sound of metal rubbing against metal behind him, and

something entangled with both of his arms.

"What?!"

What he saw, were iron chains that constricted his arms.

He saw it the other day, one of Rui's Creative Stones variant. He knew it.

But,

Just when, when did she throw that thing, how did I overlook it——

His enemy didn't have much time. There's no way he could have
overlooked it with his eyes. He should have seen it.

There was only a moment. Only a fraction of a second, a time when his
visibility became zero.

That time. She threw it the moment I closed my eyes because of pain.

www.asianovel.com
223

The binds weren't strong, he could tear them off if he put some strength
in it.

In front of him, the Reaper raised her sickle. At this rate if he tries to
break the chains and avoid it he won't make it in time. And he couldn't
completely deflect it without both of his arms. He could only release one
of them.

He might have been able block it a little while ago with one arm, but not
anymore.

——— The blocked pain is released, the damage dealt to the electronic
body is transferred to you. If your arm is cut off, you will receive mental
damage as if it really was cut off ———

He recalled Fuyuki's words.

Now that he was in a full synchro state he is more sensitive then a

normal person, if his arm were cut, it will become unusable without a
doubt.

And that wasn't an enemy he could win against with one arm.

But if it was the body that experienced being cut, there was hope.

"...haa."

He prepared himself for it long ago in order to win. Taiga laughed

fearlessly, and he received the sickle's blow directly from the front.

*slosh* ———

"Gbouh...!"

The cutting edge tore into him from the shoulder and crushed his lung,
and cut aiming for his heart.

He felt his body falling apart. He felt pain as if he was skewered with
burning rods and a nausea welling up from his internal organs. Gritting
his teeth trying not to lose consciousness because of pain, he grabbed
the sickle deep in his belly with his right hand.

www.asianovel.com
224

He will definitely not let it go——the sickle suppressed by force didn't

even budge.

After he made a half step, it sank into his waist.

On his palm appeared the antibody program he received from Haya, he

clenched his fist.

"Just how long, are you going to hide in someone else's body——!!!!!"

Together with a shout he drove his fist that was shining with blue light
into the Reaper's belly. With all the strength he had in his virtual body
and soul, he directly attacked the program data that mutated her.

〈"Foreign matter entering confirmed. Searching for countermeasure.

Searching searching searching searching searching searching searching
searching searching."〉

Blue light was crawling all over the Reaper's body.

First it started with a mad voice. And it started to become a noise like a
broken radio's, one big sound that couldn't be called a voice.

Next, it was hair. The vibrant crimson colour disappeared little by little
and went back to it's original colour. The blue light purified the foreign
matter and eroded the sickle which was the symbol of madness,
destroying the bond.

The scythe turned into small fragments, invisible for the naked eye.

When all of the crimson disappeared, instead of a Reaper, there was a

mysterious girl who looked like a fairy.

"...it feels like it's been a while since I last saw you."

He caught her as she was falling down.

With just that the location he was slashed at ached, and he felt pain as if
his entire body was burning, he contacted Haya while bearing with it
somehow.

www.asianovel.com
225

"I retrieved Iora. Collect us."

〈"Well done Taiga! I'll restore the connection immediately!"〉

"...no, before that how's Rui? Did she go back to normal properly?"

He certainly carved the program deep into Iora's body and it was able to
process 《Jail》. But the unpleasant feeling didn't go away.

It's not over yet, there's still something that has to be done——that
thought didn't disappear from his head

〈"Please wait a second. I'll check now... no way, there's no change?!

Was the program properly implanted in her?!"〉

"Yeah, I should have beat it into her properly. ...?!!"

Suddenly. He saw crimson. A piece of crimson fell on the ground and

gathered at one point. A huge lump of crimson light substance bashed
violently deforming and trashing about.

"...Haya, cut the connection after you recover Iora. I'll contact you after
all is finished."

〈"All is finished you mean——"〉

He ended the call after saying that much. A mass of crimson changed
into a definite shape at the same time.

The figure that appeared on the end of the never-changing scythe, was
of a stature twice as big as Taiga. It had a black hood covering its face,
and it gave off a creepy cold feeling. Truly a Grim Reaper.

It was Aries's original nature, identification of viruses and their

immobilization by manifestating them.

It didn't work until now because it was embedded into a virtual body, but
now that it's been expelled from it, it has materialized.

"...shit."

He stood up halfway by using all of his strength, but just that caused him

www.asianovel.com
226

to make a big cough.

The pain that came from his insides was strong enough to make it seem
like his entire body became a complete mess, severe pain ran amok
making him feel as if he would be better off dead.

"Zuaa... gah... haa..."

His visibility was dyed white. His eyes were at their limits. His entire
body screamed. It was impossible. He couldn't fight in such a body——

Immediately after he gripped his sword, the Reaper began to move. It's
scream shakes the air and slashes at Taiga with it's scythe!

"Gu...!!"

The blow was heavier than that of the girl's, it has blown away his
defence.

He rotated two, three times on the ground. And although he rebuilt his
posture after rotating, the Reaper closed the distance by gliding through
the air while holding a huge scythe matching its current physique.

Nodachi and scythe clash and a flurry of sparks appear between them. A
heavy impact hits his arms with every blow and is transmitted into his
body, a dull pain runs through his wounds.

His mind was being disturbed.

His body was barely standing.

His awareness barely endured.

It was the limit.

His brain was overused by 《Synchro Infinity》, severe pain assaulted his
abdomen. A normal person would have gone mad a long time ago. It was
an abnormal, suicidal act to fight in such a condition.

Somewhere in his mind he heard a whisper.

You did well. You saved Iora didn't you. It's okay to leave the rest to

www.asianovel.com
227

someone else.

"——Don't fuck with me."

The sounds of heavy strikes drowned the auditory hallucinations. His

bones, lungs, internal organs, cells throughout his body screamed.

It's okay to leave the rest to someone else?

That girl, she was laughing until the very end, she believed in you, and
that she will not disappear.

With that trust, with those feelings, are you going to betray that vow?
You can still move. You can still fight.

If it hurts, withstand it. If you're losing consciousness hold on to it. It's

fine to exceed the limit.

He took a deep breath while parrying an attack.

3, 2, 1 ——together with the countdown he roused all the cells in his

body.

An imaged flashed in his mind. A lightning ran through his entire body
sharpening it.

——— I believe in you. Brother ———

Burning out until the last drop of his fuel is left. Charging until there is no
energy left, running the engine called mind at full horsepower.

——— Yup. I will be waiting, my Prince ———

"...uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOO!!!"

That moment, the world stopped.

Feeling as if time flowed differently for him, with brute force he broke
through the scythe and slashed the Reaper. The scream echoed.

Crimson light peeped from the tear he engraved on it, he placed the

www.asianovel.com
228

blue sphere inside of it.

"Finally... I got you out..."

Mental structures trapped in jail overflowed.

The souls were released and started to wander in search of their original
bodies.

But, there was no time to be relieved because the tear he made started
to recover, and in a few short seconds it was completely blocked.

"You really don't know when to die... Gu... guoh..."

——One more blow, if he delivers one more blow his body will really
break.

It's enough.

He sheathed the nodachi slowly.

"..... “Secret Technique” first form———"

No tricks. There was no room for that. Purely smashing the enemy with
the single strongest blow he had. His legs used all its strength to kick off,
and he gathered his arms while in front of his prey.

The Reaper continuously slashed with his scythe. But the long range
slashes released could not reach Taiga who ran at full speed and carved
deep tears in the ground behind him.

Ten meters away from him his step collapsed, and Taiga's body sank.

Thinking only of decapitating his opponent, he condensed the speed and

force to the limit, and at the same time as he released that power he
unsheathed the nodachi!!!

www.asianovel.com
229

"——— 《Haryuu》!!!!!!!!"

It was a godspeed sword-drawing technique that didn't even leave an

after-image after slashing.

A supreme slash that had speed and power beyond the limit of humans
has released a shockwave that seemed like it would tear the earth apart,
and bisected the Reaper together with his scythe.

"————————————————————————————————————
—————————————————————————"

From the cut, a torrent of souls overflowed like a muddy stream.

Mental structures flew around looking for their bodies, and he sensed a
girl that reminded him of sun,

"...sorry for the wait, Princess."

Taiga's consciousness sank into darkness.

www.asianovel.com
230

At the same time, a single tear flowed on the cheek of a girl who was
sleeping in a hospital room.

Translator's Notes and

References
1. ↑ Hien used here means Flying Swallow, however if you write it
differently it can also mean scarlet flame.

www.asianovel.com
231

Vol. 1 :

Chapter Epilogue

On that day, the hospital was very crowded because it was a holiday.

Patients rushed to the large and only hospital in the New City for
examinations. There was a lot of people waiting in the lobby.

Passing by the side of that crowd, Tenryo Fuyuki set a foot into the
general ward.

Waiting for procedures to finish at the entrance to the ward, her best
friend who probably came with the same purpose came walked up to
her, she had a surprised expression and a smile on her face.

"Eh〜? And here Rui-san thought she will be first... why are you here,
Fuyuki?"

"That's my line, Rucchan. Certainly, there's a wait until eleven o'clock,

so why are you here an hour early."

Even though they smiled at each other, it didn't reach their eyes. Their
gazes blamed the rival for trying to get a headstart, and as their eyes
met sparks appeared between them.

On the chest of the girl with chestnut brown hair, shined a pendant that
had a shape of the sun.

——Two days have passed ever since the confrontation with the Grim
Reaper.

www.asianovel.com
232

Rui and the Kiritou's researchers who had their spirit structure
imprisoned have all woken up safely, the incident with Iolite running
rampage has ended for the time being.

"Geez... Rucchan is also undergoing convalescence, you shouldn't

overdo it. You'll collapse if you're not careful."

"Ahaha〜, unfortunately Rui-san has already completely recovered. I can

even run a marathon or something now. Fuyuki too, doesn't your head
still hurt? Why don't you obediently go back?"

Rui's original physical strength and consciousness recovered very fast, it

took just an hour and she was able to go home in the evening of the
same day. Though, not knowing what after-effects there might be, she
was continuously examined.

The two girls restrained each other.

It wasn't threatening, but it was a very chilly atmosphere. The nurse who
serviced them said "Umm〜this, the permit..." and held out the paper
timidly.

Written on it was 『Room 202, Tenryo Taiga』.

Fifteen minutes later.

Bathing himself in the daylight pouring from the window, and looking at
the sky that was so sunny it felt hateful. Tenryo Taiga joined his hands
on his head while lying in bed quietly.

——Immediately after defeating the Reaper, Taiga could no longer

endure the pain and fainted.

His consciousness was returned to his real body by emergency

withdrawal that operated normally after the connection was restored,
but because of arrhythmia and seizures caused by pain's feedback, he
collapsed on spot.

www.asianovel.com
233

After that, Fuyuki called an ambulance, he was transported to the

hospital and landed in the hospital room because of severe trauma. He
woke up yesterday after being administered with painkillers.

The uncomfortable feeling in his internal organs that felt like scrapping a
wound still remained, but there was no problems with his body itself.

To be more exact, he felt overly energetic.

"...what a good weather〜"

"Oh, you look pretty well."

"Oouu?!!"

He was so distracted he didn't even notice the sound of the door

opening. When he looked at the source of the voice, he saw Kiritou
Haya's figure closing the door behind her.

"...what, do you have anything you're guilty of?"

"You startled me〜 ...so, I wondered who it was, but it's Haya. Why are
you here so early?"

"Since the aftermath was dealt with at last, I had time and decided to
visit you. I've heard you are getting discharged today too."

Speaking of her appearance, it was very like her, Haya's outfit looked
like one a lady would go in to a summer resort. She sat on the bed's
edge, he didn't believe she came to visit him.

"I didn't thank you yet. Well done, for the time being. Thanks to you Iora
was able to come back safely, thanks."

"You're welcome... speaking of which, what happened to Iora?"

〈"Did'ya call?"〉

Wondering when was she projected, he suddenly looked at his shoulder

and saw a minimum size girl floating there.

Same as ever, but the strange wording of hers gave him a nostalgic feel,

www.asianovel.com
234

he responded to her with a wry smile.

"Heya, it's been a while."

〈"No idea if it's been a while, but hello. Taiga."〉

She lightly lowered her head, on her face was a faint smile. Completely
different from how her face was as a Reaper. Even compared to Iora
from before the Reaper incident, it felt like her emotions were more
natural.

"Surprised? Somehow after returning back to normal, she evolved and

became even more sensitive."

"Hee..."

Saying that it was no different from a humans would be exaggerating,

but without a doubt it was the most human smile an AI ever had.

And that definitely made Kiritou Haya happy.

I wonder if it's because I went through that kind of thing. But it seems
like there's some anxiety remaining...

In the first place her rapid development was a trigger for 《Jail》 to
activate. No matter how many times full scan was performed no
abnormality was found, and they still haven't identified who wrote 《Jail》.
There was a reason to be cautious.

...even if I think about it I can't do anything. Let's examine it steadily.

There were no candidates for it. There was no need to rush——for the
time being she had one more thing to do, and she took out a card from
her pocket.

"Taiga, please take this."

"Nn, isn't this a money card?"

It was an electronic money card, it was applied by scanning it with

personal terminal. Engraved on it was a genuine emblem of Kiritou

www.asianovel.com
235

Group. The amount of money it charged was——fifty thousand.

"...haa, can it be, you're paying me to keep me silent?!"

"No way I'd do such a thing. There should be no problem with this little,
it's the bounty for the Grim Reaper. It wasn't officially registered but...
well, it's payment for your work. Spend it as you please."

The Reaper was identified by Aries as a virus and given a form. Price
should be set automatically at that point.

"...is this fine?"

"Fine or whatever. It's the reward for your work. If you don't want it, just
discard it."

Being told that, he had no choice but to accept it.

After confirming that Taiga held the card next to his terminal, Haya
stood up.

"Well then, I'll be going back. Let's go, Iora."

〈"Understood, Master. Taiga, let's talk later."〉

Miniature-size Iora was gone from his shoulder, and Haya left.

Taiga looked at her back, and stretched on the bed. His joints made a
dry sound, partly because they weren't used for two days.

"——Well then, it's about time."

He jumped down from the bed, and grabbed his packaged luggage. Like
that Taiga left the hospital room.

Meanwhile,

The girls who came to pick up Taiga after he was discharged——couldn't

enter the ward at the same time, and waited for the boy outside of the
hospital.

www.asianovel.com
236

By the way, that didn't mean he was forgotten.

"Rucchan made too much commotion. You didn't have to trouble

yourself to pick Brother up."

"Mu, I don't want to be told that by Fuyuki who tried to get a headstart.
...though Rui-san is the same."

The two of them made a commotion in the ward entrance, and were
ordered by the nurse to leave, and even though they were against it,
they decided to wait outside of the hospital obediently.

It was spring's soft sunlight, it was comfortable even if they stayed

outside——.

A delicate atmosphere was hanging between the two of them as their

backs faced each other, and Rui decided to spark a conversation.

"Hey, Fuyuki... there's one thing I need to tell you, will you listen?"

There was no answer. But it was definitely heard, and believing she will
listen to her,

"I, Saionji Rui am in love with Tenryo Taiga."

Those feelings, she revealed them to her best friend and rival.

It was a declaration of war.

The girl who turned away looked back, and continued her speech.

"Because I met him just recently, my reasoning was simple, I thought

『Let's think about it a little longer』 or something like that you know? But
you know, I'm deeply in love with that cool prince, I can't stop myself."

I won't lose to Fuyuki——thinking like that, she faced her sky blue eyes
straight. Those words were a head on challenge towards Fuyuki.

"No matter where, no matter to whom, I will never give Brother to

anyone. Little Sister will always be by Brother's side, and will always
support him. That person chasing his ephemeral dream, is my most

www.asianovel.com
237

beloved."

After listening to her best friend's rival declaration, Fuyuki didn't budge
at all. Two different girls glared at each other——and they smiled
together.

"Fufufu, having two people attracted to the same boy sure is difficult."

"So it is〜"

Basked in sunlight both girls had radiant smiles, and waited for the
person they thought about. Isn't he coming yet, it's about time——in the
middle of it, Rui asked a question.

"Speaking of which, Fuyuki. Why did you fall in love with Taiga? I don't
think you loved him ever since you were born, right?"

"You want to know... well it's not that special, it's pretty easy."

"So how?"

"...it was right after our parents died in an accident. Our heritage was
ransacked and wasted by some relatives, and to get rid of Brother and
Little Sister, they were put up for adoption. Little Sister had a talent as a
hacker and was adopted by Karasuba's, Brother at that time was
attending a dojo that had connections to Renjou and was picked up by
them. Little Sister back then still didn't accept her parent's death, after
being separated from her brother she realized 『I'm alone now』."

No matter how many unusual talents she had, Fuyuki was only seven
years old at that time. Losing three people from her family in such a
short time was too much for her.

"I cried all day long because of that. When I got tired of crying I went to
sleep, and I started crying again when I woke up dreaming a nightmare.
And then I went to sleep again... I waited three days to be picked up,
every day was like that."

"...and Taiga?"

www.asianovel.com
238

"Because Little Sister's room was secluded there was no opportunity to

meet... and then on the last day, two hours before they came for us, we
met."

She saw a young boy who blamed himself for everything, he could no
longer cry, his heart was worn out and ragged and looked far worse than
his little sister.

If just a little strength were to be put in, he would break. The only family
she had left, debilitated so much it was dangerous.

"And then Brother forced Little Sister outside. Let's play together, he
said. Game of tag, hide-and-seek... we played so much we didn't have
time to grieve. And then I noticed, Little Sister desperately wanted
Brother to smile."

He was so badly distorted, it looked very painful, and very lovely, seeing
that figure she thought 'Yeah, this person is somehow broken.' And she
stopped crying, she laughed.

"As not to have Brother regret that time in the future, I did my best to
smile as we parted——that's what I decided, it was our last meeting. And
as I parted with Brother, he said 'Someday, definitely we will live
together again.'. And that, was unfair. Although I decided to part with
him with a smile on my face, being told that I cried from joy."

Cry, cry, it's a promise.

For the sake of living together in their own house, both of them did their
best.

"And well, that opportunity was like a trigger."

"...that seemed kinda dramatic〜"

"It's embarrassing so it's a secret between you and me, okay?"

"Yup. Got it."

Both of them smiled facing each other, and turned around in agreement,

www.asianovel.com
239

they saw a boy walking slowly towards them.

"Brother〜 Over here〜!"

"If you don't hurry up we'll leave you behind〜"

Then, it was time to start a sweet and sour, exciting and fun day——

"...you're standing out so stop that..."

Taiga was called out to by two cute girls in front of a hospital full of
people, he was troubled by a huge amount of piercing stares. Although
he was glad they came to pick him up, it was problematic that they
didn't know just how much they were standing out.

"...well, it can't be helped."

If he's to walk around with them, he has to be prepared to stand out.

And he already decided in his mind. That he wants to stand next to
those people. He wanted to be with them, that's what he thought. And
he looked up at the sky.

It was a perfectly clear, endless blue sky, like a dream he wanted to

reach, he wanted to stretch his hand and reach out towards it.

I want to go there, I want to go above it and look at the scenery, that

was his dream.

"——Let's go."

Slowly, he began to walk towards the girls who waited for him.

The road leading towards his goal was long, he didn't know how long it
was and how far it would take him.

But he still believed he can reach it, he decided in his mind that he will
continue to walk towards the end.

For now, I have to beat this dull body into shape.

——The boy, aimed to be the strongest.

www.asianovel.com
240

www.asianovel.com
241

Vol. 2 :

Chapter 0: Prologue

Near the end of April, it was a very warm evening.

"Fuu..."

She looked down on the night view of the city spread below and sighed.

Chatting voices could be heard here and there and also a live
performance of classical music in the middle.

Every sound that passes through her eardrum and is amplified, echoing
in her head.

No good, lack of sleep is hitting me at full power.

The girl——Kiritou Haya drank water from a glass all at once trying to
shake off drowsiness and intermittent headache. Although she hid it with
light makeup and wore a vivid scarlet party dress, a glimpse of fatigue
could still be seen from her expression.

As the cold water flowed through the back of her throat, the sun peeked
out from behind the haze obstructing her thinking.

"Geez... a party at a time like this, tough luck is it...."

She cursed quietly and looked around the venue again.

The party hall was located at the top floor of a certain hotel. It was one
of the best hotels in Japan and its furnishing was very refined, it had a
really pleasant atmosphere.

www.asianovel.com
242

Guests inside the party hall were just celebrities matching the
atmosphere. The sponsor was one of the four major cyber-related
corporates 'Namisagi', and all four corporates were attending parties.

In name, it was a party concerning 'presentation of the new Arclight' but

that was already over, and the venue was occupied with social
exchanges. Namisagi family's head changed recently, he probably
wanted to make himself known.

I finished my round of greetings, I can just rest now while I listen.

Just how many people did she greet. Because she couldn't afford
clumsiness, she was even more cautious than usual. Even though there
were countless times she did it since young age, she still couldn't get
used to it.

"——Haya. What are you doing in a place like this."

Just as she tried to eat some food from a plate, at the exact same time
sounded a voice cold as ice. Haya's heart tightened for an instant, but
loosened soon after.

"I told you to show your face to the guests, haven't I."

"I have done so without any problems, Father."

As usual, with no indication of her true character she displayed the mask
of 'yamato nadeshiko' as she faced the blood-related man classified as
her 'father'.

——Kiritou group leader, Kiritou Kouya.

A powerful man who through management turned his company into a

huge group that is one of the four biggest corporates in just a single
generation. Only thoroughly seeking profit, the nickname he was given
because of his ruthless finesse in which he eliminated all nuisances
was——The demon king.

Same as always, this person.

www.asianovel.com
243

They were family but she didn't feel any warmth, his eyes were stone-
cold. He didn't look at his daughter too often, well, she would be
troubled if he showed her his fatherly side now.

"That's fine then. I still have things to do. Just keep hiding your thoughts,
keep them behind the wall."

"Understood."

For this man, his daughter Haya was only a tool.

This party was a chance for him to develop a kingdom called 'Kiritou',
and she was brought in as a convenient tool for that. Haya herself
understood it to a disgusting degree.

Kouya left, and Haya looked towards the ground with her heart frozen
over.

It's been always like that after she speaks with that person, being
reminded that she and many others would be discarded once they could
not be utilized any longer.

...to think of something like that, looks like I'm really tired.

It looked like her thinking wasn't stable.

In an attempt to right herself in the outside air, Haya snuck out to the
balcony in secret.

She looked up at the night sky that was closer than usual and repeatedly
breathed deeply. The chilly air of the night cooled the heat of her body,
the equipment attached to her wrist started flashing.

"Come to think of it, you've been trapped there for three hours now...
Iora, you can come out."

〈"Acknowledged."〉

Making sure no one notices, she activated the terminal.

The built-in projector displayed appearance of a small girl that looked

www.asianovel.com
244

like a fairy. The girl clad in blue light started to fly around Haya——Iora
started to dance in the air like a little girl.

Her figure was flying around under the night sky, seeing that fantastic
sight Haya let out a sigh unintentionally, beautiful.

After looking at the fairy dance, the strain on Haya's mind loosened.

Normally it was impossible for her to relax in public. However, now she
was very tired after working hard every day.

"...that's a very beautiful AI isn't it."

That is why. Until she was called out, she didn't realize her existence.

Haya was surprised and responded while immediately donning the

expression intended for external relations.

There, was a girl as white as snow.

The first thing that caught her attention was the girl's skin colour, her
skin was like scattered snow. No, it was not just her skin, her shining hair
lit up by the moonlight was silver as well, even her fine party dress——it
was all pure white.

It wasn't a bright colour, it was a colour that could've been dyed easily,

www.asianovel.com
245

like a pale white light. She was so white she gave a feeling of a mystery
that shouldn't be approached.

"Is that your AI?"

The girl asked while looking at Iora who danced in the air. Haya
hesitated for a moment, but it couldn't be helped now that Iora was
seen, and answered honestly.

"Yeah. It's my creation."

"I see, I apologize for the sudden question. It's rare for someone to bring
an AI to a place like this, so I've been surprised."

It wasn't limited to parties, bringing AI's along when in public was

implicitly prohibited. Because AI's were existences made to support
people, it's used mainly by people ignorant to cyber-related things.
Bringing such a thing along was simply shameful.

Even so, I didn't expect to be asked about it so bluntly.

Haya looked at the pure white girl again.

She was probably one of the guests, but Haya couldn't find her on the
list she had in her memory.

There was no way she would forget such a pretty girl——...no, she had
an idea who might she be.

"Are you the Karasuba's second daughter?"

That's what Haya has suspected, it came from the rumours she heard at
the party.

The second daughter of Karasuba's that didn't appear in public since

childhood——that was the rumour with no authenticity to it.

"Yes indeed."

The girl's expression sank down.

That's how it was. If the rumours are true, she participated in the party...

www.asianovel.com
246

no, she was forced to participate because——

"...I apologize, I need to greet everyone in the hall, I must excuse

myself."

"Ah——please wait a moment."

Momentarily, Haya called out to the girl stopping her, and held out data
in the form of a crystal that came from a terminal.

"That's...?"

"It's a free pass to freely play in our Kiritou structure. I don't have much
to give a Karasuba, however take this as proof of our acquaintance."

"Eh? B-but——ah!"

The girl had a troubled expression as she stared at the crystal.

Because of the girl's reaction, Haya took her slightly outstretched hand
and forcibly transferred the program's ownership.

"With this, the pass is yours. If you don't want to use it, just dispose of it.
It might be a waste of a valuable free pass, but don't mind it."

While being slightly mean, Haya achieved her goal and the white girl
saved the free pass in her terminal.

"Thank you very much. If you go that far, then I shall use it to the
fullest."

"I see. Ah, my recommendation is 《Aries》. My acquaintance uses it,

please do try it."

The girl bowed down again embarrassed, and left.

When she completely disappeared from Haya's sight, Iora came down
from the air and stood on Haya's shoulder, she had sceptical look in her
eyes.

"...what is it."

www.asianovel.com
247

〈"What does Master intend by acting like that towards her, I don't get
it."〉

"I didn't really intend anything. If I were to name it, that would be——"

Haya stared at the numerous sparkling stars, and muttered softly

towards the sky.

"Just a little, she resembled me just a bit, I wanted to help her free
herself even if it is just a little bit."

The gear that marked the very beginning started to rotate quietly.

www.asianovel.com
248

Vol. 2 :

Chapter 1

Part 1
"Lately it's been lacking the flirt ingredient, what do you think Brother?"

She cut in as soon as he started eating his lunch.

The boy who stretched his chopsticks towards the lunchboxes stopped
moving, he continued to chew the omelet savouring the taste. It was just
as he liked it, seasoned with salt instead of sugar.

"...yeah, tasty."

"Please don't ignore me."

It was impossible not to hear it. He put away the chopsticks reluctantly
and turned towards the black-haired girl.

Glossy black hair long enough to reach her waist and mysterious eyes
that had the colour of the sky. As usual her hair was tied up in twin tails
and she currently got up and was on her knees.

Despite her underdeveloped body, ten out of ten men would call her
'Unusually pretty girl', and now she had a serious expression as she
looked towards him in anticipation.

The boy who had the same sky-blue eyes——Tenryo Taiga asked,
noticing the troublesome atmosphere.

www.asianovel.com
249

"——so, Fuyuki. What is it?"

"I said there isn't enough of Brother and the little sister flirt ingredient."

The one who referred to herself as 'little sister' was Tenryo Fuyuki,
Taiga's twin little sister. Although they didn't bear much resemblance
aside from the eye colour, they were genuinely blood-related siblings.

"...for the time being, I want to confirm. What do you mean by 'flirt
ingredient'? I have an idea what, but still."

"It's generated by Brother and little sister's love flirting, an essential

ingredient for little sister."

"Oh, is that so. That's what I thought it was."

It's been two weeks since their reunion, after this time Taiga finally
understood his little sister.

"And?"

"How dull. Let's make out here, is what I'm saying."

"...just how did you reach that conclusion."

They were inside of the Kiritou Academy's cyber department, the school
the two of them were commuting to. Currently they were on the roof of
the first year's building.

There was a cloudless clear sky today. Even so, the only ones who used
the roof at lunchtime was just them, the siblings expanded the thin
blanket in a good, sunny spot.

By the way, there should be one more person there, the girl who was
always together with the siblings, but she was slightly late today
because of work.

"Like I said earlier, because of the recent lack of physical contact with
brother I am in a bad mood. That's why I was wondering if I could be
supplied with it all at once right now."

www.asianovel.com
250

"What is this imouto-sama saying despite sleeping together with me

every night."

Rather than need of supplementation, it would rather be her having an

excess of it.

Because of certain circumstances (Fuyuki's ploy) there is only one bed in

the siblings' home which is why Taiga and Fuyuki sleep together. Every
day Taiga suffers of sleep deprivation because of it.

Although she was his real sister, it didn't change the fact Fuyuki was an
extraordinarily pretty girl. Furthermore, all she wore to sleep was
practically her underwear and as a bonus she clung to him the entire
night. Being able to sleep like that was an absurd thing to ask of him. If
Taiga didn't cut off all feelings during nighttime, he would already have
fallen long ago.

"Yahoo—— Sorry for the wait you two〜"

From the direction of the school building's door came a cheerful voice. A
girl entered the roof.

With chestnut brown hair fluttering in the wind, the siblings' friend
Saionji Rui ran up to them lightly.

She too, was an extraordinarily pretty girl, although she was completely
different from Fuyuki. The most significant and noticeable difference was
her bodily development beyond that of other girls the same age.

Also, the bright atmosphere her entire body was emitting, she was like a
perfect opposite of Fuyuki.

By the way, all the lunch boxes were prepared by her.

"It came. The root of all evil."

"...what is it all of a sudden?"

Feeling the thorns in Fuyuki's voice, Rui tilted her head. If Taiga who

www.asianovel.com
251

knew the entire flow of the conversation didn't understand, there was no
way for her who just arrived to understand it.

"Why are you blaming Rui. She's unrelated to that right?"

Taiga was so hungry he couldn't bear it, and he reached out towards the
lunch box. Or rather, since they are changing classes after break, if he
didn't start eating soon he would be late. He put three small rice balls in
his mouth and looked for something to drink——

"Yes, here you go."

"Oh, sankyu."

He drank the tea that was held out to him. The Japanese tea in the
thermos was still slightly warm, it went well with the rice ball and its
pickled plum filling.

And, he noticed Fuyuki glaring at him with a disgruntled expression, she

was clearly in a bad mood.

"What is it Fuyuki?"

"Looking back at the act just now, don't you think it's weird?"

"Weird? What is?"

www.asianovel.com
252

"You really do have zero awareness. Well I already knew that."

'Good grief', Fuyuki dropped her shoulders and sighed. She seemed
somehow astonished.

"Brother, please look at Rucchan rea〜lly carefully. Don't you notice

anything?"

As he was told to, he stared at Rui who sat next to him, looking from the
top to bottom. She was shyly, lightly swaying her body, there was
nothing else significant enough to notice.

"So what's weird?"

"Even though it's lunch there's no dishes nor chopsticks, isn't that
weird?"

"Eh? ...yeah, now that you say it."

Although she was late because of work, it didn't seem like Rui was in
hurry. She left behind chopsticks, but carefully prepared the thermos
with tea.

"You know. While Brother was eating, Rucchan was smiling the entire
time and passed the thermos immediately when Brother was looking for
something to drink. What is this, are you a freshly married couple...?!
You bastard Brother!!"

"No, wait why are you snapping at me!?"

Further annoyed by her own words, Fuyuki pinched the back of Taiga's
hand.

It simply hurt.

"Rucchan as well. We agreed on having lunch boxes occasionally, but

aren't you making them on a daily basis lately?"

"Uuu... t-that's because..."

"Because what."

www.asianovel.com
253

"Taiga says its delicious and happily eats it, that... really makes me
happy, ehehe."

As Rui said it shyly, she was so lovely it made Taiga want to hug her. He
couldn't look away from her——

"Flirt like that with little sister, Brother."

"It hurts, it really hurts!?"

The skin on his hand was pinched with enough force to tear it off, and he
screamed in pain.

Operating under unknown logic, it seemed the powerless little sister had
strange power-ups recently when she scolded her older brother.

Under the blue sky, the trio started to eat their lunch in a noisy and fun
atmosphere.

Two weeks have passed——ever since the Tenryo siblings moved to New
City.

"You two, have you gotten used to your new life?"

"Not yet. It's a completely different life, there's a lot of new things."

"Me too, it's been a while since I commuted to school."

Fuyuki and Taiga responded to Rui's question.

The three of them surrounded the lunch boxes laid out between them,
and the conversation blossomed.

They already finished their meal, ten minutes left until the cyber-related
specialized course starts. Kiritou Academy was large enough to be
comparable to a small town, so they will be late unless they leave soon.

"Been a while? Was it elementary school or middle school?"

"I was attending elementary school normally until eight years ago. But I

www.asianovel.com
254

couldn't afford to go to school after being taken to Renjou."

"But isn't education compulsory?"

"On paper, I've graduated properly."

"You really did well passing the entrance exam..."

Kiritou Academy's cyber department was part of the Elysion, a

department specializing in the professional virtual area on the network
that is composed of electronic data.

Since the cyber world is a foundation of the modern life now, out of all
the students aiming for Kiritou Academy, most of them aspire to enter
the cyber department. Of course the level was tremendously high.

Honestly, Taiga would have failed if not for an acquaintance who tutored
him.

"It was very similar for the little sister.'

"Eh? Fuyuki hasn't gone to school for a while either?"

"There is an unique educational institution inside of Karasuba, little

sister graduated from there. But I attended it for only a year, since I was
given a special treatment allowing me to skip grades."

These twin siblings had a little, no, a very special past.

Tenryo Taiga and Tenryo Fuyuki, the siblings lost their parents on a
certain day eight years ago in a traffic accident. And the two of them
were taken away to separate households and spent eight years as
Renjou Taiga and Karasuba Fuyuki.

They started living together again two weeks ago, in this New City where
Fuyuki's best friend Saionji Rui was living in.

"Haa〜 you two really come from strange environments don't you〜"

Rui unintentionally sighed in admiration.

One corner of four major cyber-related corporates 'Karasuba' was in a

www.asianovel.com
255

scope beyond her imagination.

But the martial art masters 'Renjou' who took contracts for anything
from assassination to acting as mercenaries was a region completely
beyond her knowledge. And the fact that boy in front of her was a part of
it was unrealistic.

"Oh, right. You two, what about club activities? It's your first time
attending school properly right, why don't you enter some kind of club?"

"Club activities, speaking of which there was something like that."

"There's the Shinkansai coming too, let's go around together."

"...Shinkansai?"

"It's an official name for club activities' freshman recruitment festival.

[1]
Like the name suggests, it's a festival〜"

"How did recruitment for extracurricular activities turn into a festival?"

Speaking of festival events, it was both a cultural festival and a sports

festival at the same time. He never heard of a festival like that before.

"That's because there's a lot of people from Kiritou group in Kiritou

Academy's board. Every year there's a struggle for human resources.
There were many problems in the past, but even so the festival is fun〜.
And so it became an event the entire school is involved with."

"Oh, no wonder the campus was so noisy today."

As he looked down, the upperclassmen were hurriedly running around,

they were probably finishing the final preparations.

"Club activities... little sister has to pass. The exercise part is out of the
question, as for everything else it's a no because little sister's skill is
beyond high school level."

"Yeah〜 that's right, I guess."

As one of the top people in 'Karasuba' Fuyuki's skills were far beyond

www.asianovel.com
256

that of a normal student's. She wouldn't be able to enjoy club activities

made for students.

"Brother can't do the exercise part either, right."

"Well, that's how it is. I'll have to pass on looking around, sorry."

If Taiga were to get serious in a club no one would be able to keep up

with him.

Because his specs are way too different, skills and experience meant
nothing compared to it.

"Then why don't you do club activities together?"

"What would you do in that case, Rui?"

"Nn— Rui-san gets bored easily. Ever since middle school I entered and
quit many clubs. I guess I'll stop that now. Also, playing together with
the three of us is more fun."

"And we can't do it because we need to earn a living."

"Indeed."

The genius siblings ran away from the households they were taken off
to, and needed to earn their living expenses by themselves. Although
they prepared a substantial amount of money beforehand, but Fuyuki
was too merry when spending and bought the top floor at a luxury
apartment, and they've ran out of money.

Now, the siblings started a part-time job introduced to them by Rui,

although it seems like a simple monster-hunting game, the pay is pretty
good. Because of that, they were reluctant to do club activities.

By the way, before Rui asked 'Why don't you do a job that allows you to
draw more from your abilities?', but the circumstances didn't allow them
to do so. Both of them ran away from families prominent in their own
way, they couldn't afford to stand out. That's why they couldn't work in
fields that involved their own specialties.

www.asianovel.com
257

Finally, they reached the conclusion of 'We're not interested in club

activities, but we'll tour the festival.', right before the lunch break ended.

Part 2
"Club activities? Taiga, do you think I have time to do such a thing?"

"Is that so."

"Seriously, don't ask me stupid questions. I'm busy."

The female student that sat on the sofa with her legs crossed bluntly
while operating a machine on her wrist——and turning on the terminal.
Three windows were projected displaying a three-dimensional image,
the data was being changed in accordance to the movement of her
fingers.

Specialized courses were taking place in the afternoon in Mondays,

Wednesdays, and Fridays. Fuyuki chose a different lecture, so Taiga
parted from her and Rui and was now in a small classroom in the back of
a seemingly unused school building.

Originally, it was supposed to be a classroom in which the lecture of

《Configuration of virtual personality》took place, but the only people
inside of it were Taiga and the black haired female student.

The girl's name was Kiritou Haya. A third year senior from the cyber
department.

She's the student council president and daughter of the 『Kiritou』

group's leader that has its headquarters in New City. Her appearance is
that of a ladylike yamato nadeshiko.

But her real nature is that of someone who privatized a classroom and
forged a fictional lecture, a tyrant that does whatever she wants. Taiga
learned of her true nature by chance (she self destructed), and was
dragged into this lecture by force.

〈"Taiga. Do not look away."〉

www.asianovel.com
258

Just as he recalled his first meeting with Haya, something that looked
like a black needle appeared in his line of sight.

Seems like she didn't overlook it, he looked back at the semitransparent
girl floating in the air in front of him and pointing at him with a black
pointing stick.

〈"Concentrate over here. Slacking in front of Iora-sensei is unforgivable."〉

The fairy-like girl wore an outfit that imitated a teachers and glasses
with a black frame, she looked different than usual.

While it was obvious from her scale, she was not human. She's a virtual
personality Kiritou Haya has developed——codename Iolite, nicknamed
『Iora』.

Although Iora was only existing in a form of data, right now she was
being projected from the terminal's three-dimensional projector. Of
course the range it projected to was very broad.

Then, why was Iora calling herself a 'sensei'? There was a certain
situation that happened a few days ago.

Last week, Taiga was hospitalized after being involved in a certain

incident. Although he was discharged a few days later without a single
injury, there was another problem. Because he was in the hospital, he
couldn't attend class.

It was fatal for Taiga who wasn't good at studying, and what awaited him
after he left the hospital were incomprehensible lectures.

Feeling too miserable to consult it with Fuyuki or Rui, he tried getting

help from his senior, Haya.

As a result, for some reason Iora ended up being his teacher, and was
currently tutoring him.

That was three days ago.

"And to think I was the one teaching not too long ago〜"

www.asianovel.com
259

〈"Now. The next one is mathematics."〉

Somehow having fun, Iora expanded the exercise books with a faint
smile.

She was expressionless and apathetic until a week ago, she felt like a
machine, it was unbelievable.

It was an incredible learning ability, no, it was an eerie growth rate.

It's impossible not to worry.

There was something that caused Iora's rapid evolution——he glanced at

Haya who said so. Although she was usually being lazy and lying down
on the couch, it was different today.

She really does look busy.

It's been thirty minutes, and Haya continued to operate the windows all
this time.

Her appearance suggested that she regretted losing every minute, every
second. Her complexion was poor because she lacked sleep. Although
Taiga worried about her, knowing the reason he couldn't tell her to stop.

The cause was the incident with Iora going berserk, the one that
involved Rui falling into a coma.

Taiga, Fuyuki and Haya. The three of them stopped the runaway Iora,
Haya had to use her status as president's daughter in the process when
using a trick called 'Structure Lockdown'. However, the price was great,
a large amount of work was pushed onto her in order to compensate for
the losses.

『Kiritou』 worked on many matters that were confidential, so Taiga

couldn't help even if he wanted to.

〈"Taiga. Don't look at Master, look over here."〉

"Yeah, I get it."

www.asianovel.com
260

For another hour Haya quietly worked while Taiga worked hard studying.

Part 3
The specialized course ended without incidents, it was now after school.

Taiga, Fuyuki and Rui boarded the academy's dedicated linear and had
just left the ticket station of the New City's central station. The siblings
and Rui are going home in the same direction but Rui stopped at the
station as if she remembered something.

"Oh, right! Dad asked me to do shopping!"

"For the store?"

"Yup. Ah, we're not entering《Aries》today so that's it, see you tomorrow."

"Not going to enter?"

"We can't connect because there's a regular maintenance until 3 p.m.

tomorrow, I've already told you that yesterday didn't I. Did you forget?"

《Aries》is one of the wide variety of structures Elysion consists of. It's a
large scale structure tens of thousands players are using, it's a virtual
world with an orthodox fantasy setting as a base. In that world, bugs and
viruses are arranged to appear as monsters the trio hunts to earn money
from bounties.

Now that I think about it, she said something like that.

To maintain the Aries' system, there is extensive maintenance done on a

regular basis during which the structure is closed.

In general the regular maintenance is disliked, however the bugs and

viruses continue to appear so there is a large quantity of bounties right
after maintenance is finished. That's why, it's said to be a blessed time
for some users like Taiga and the others.

"Well then, Rui-san is going. See you tomorrow!"

"Yeah."

www.asianovel.com
261

"See you tomorrow."

Rui said her farewell and headed towards the grocery store and the
siblings returned home.

Their home was the apartment on the top: fifteenth floor, too luxurious
for just two high school students to live in.

Taiga took off his school uniform's blazer, sat down on the sofa located
in spacious living room and sighed.

"Ah〜...I studied too much and I'm wasted〜..."

He stretched his neck making a dry sound. It seemed like (well, it didn't
just seem like it) it was caused by the spartan Iora's guidance, his head
seemed really heavy.

"Want some coffee?"

"Please〜"

The Remotely controlled coffeemaker started to grind the beans, they

were beans they got from Rui's father who runs a café so it was
delicious.

"Here you go, Brother."

He received the cup from Fuyuki and took a sip. It was best to drink it
right after it was ground from the beans, he enjoyed the bean's taste for
a moment.

"This is really good. Master was right on the mark again——so, what is it
Fuyuki?"

Suddenly, Fuyuki sat down on Taiga's lap.

His little sister's body leaned deeply entrusting her back to him, she was
very light and a flowery smell drifted from her black glossy hair tickling
his nostrils.

Even though we're using the same shampoo.

www.asianovel.com
262

She acted like a spoiled child, but Taiga placed a hand on her head and
gently stroked it without saying anything.

This seemed to be the 'flirting ingredient' this girl spoke of during the
day.

Feeling good Fuyuki narrowed her eyes and raised the cup to her
mouth——and frowned.

"...it's bitter."

"Well, it's black that's why. Here, milk and sugar."

*plunk**plunk**plunk**plunk**plunk**plunk**plunk*

"You put in too much."

Fuyuki listened and started to put in sugar cubes like crazy. Because of
that, the coffee lost all of its flavour, and the high class coffee beans
were ruined.

That's what Taiga thought in the back of his mind, but Fuyuki put in milk

www.asianovel.com
263

without stopping. Her cup of coffee turned into café au lait and she
made a happy smile. Although there were many things he wanted to
say, he couldn't do it seeing his little sister's happy expression.

"Speaking of which, it's the first time I've heard of Karasuba's school."

"I didn't tell you about it?"

"Well, we didn't talk about ourselves enough to know everything, there

surely are one or two things we don't know about each other."

"Then, is there anything Brother doesn't want to tell his little sister?"

"Hmm, I wonder."

"So there is. I see."

Hearing Taiga dodge the subject, Fuyuki puffed her cheeks a little.

The siblings had an eight years blank, for the two of them who are
fifteen years old it's more than half of their lives. That's not a gap you
can fill easily just by talking.

That's when, *pikon*, a sound came out from Fuyuki's terminal and a
window opened. It seemed to be an e-mail.

"It's from Rucchan. Eight o'clock tomorrow morning, meet up in

Paradise."

"Oh, it's about Shinkansai, I look forward to it."

"The first festival since elementary school, little sister is also excited."

Fuyuki closed the window by tapping it and drank the contents of the
cup all at once. It seemed like she didn't have enough, so she stared at
Taiga's cup and put sugar cubes inside before drinking it.

"Hey hey, what are you doing Imouto-sama."

"Little sister is thirsty so let her."

"It's fine if you pour yourself a new one right?"

www.asianovel.com
264

"No. I don't want to move away."

It might have sounded like she was being lazy, but in her case it's
because she's 'sitting on her brother's lap'. As proof of that, the fact is
that she is leaning her head against his chest.

"Geez..."

Having someone on top of him, Taiga couldn't move. He reluctantly tried

to drink the coffee that had a large quantity of sugar and milk put in, it
was too sweet so there was no flavour at all but it wasn't that bad.

"That's an indirect kiss isn't it."

"Nn? ...ah, I guess."

Looking carefully it seemed like they drank from the same side of the
cup. But he didn't really care about it and sipped it again.

"Muu, even though it's an indirect kiss with your cute and wonderful little
sister, your reaction is really bland."

"It's too late to be embarrassed..."

Although it's been only two weeks since he reunited with his little sister,
somehow he already got used to indirect kisses. It might sound horrible
for him to get used to indirect kisses with his sister but they already
share the same bed (meaning is exactly as it sounds like) and there
were various other things happening.

"Is it that fun to tease me?"

"Yeah. Seeing Brother blush in embarrassment is the best."

Fuyuki smiled like a little devil.

As if to fill the eight year's blank, she sought interaction with him.

"Little sister loves spending time with Brother and Rucchan the most."

He wondered why.

www.asianovel.com
265

For Taiga, those earnest feelings of hers made his own turn in a
dangerous direction.

"I'm looking forward to tomorrows festival."

"Yeah, indeed."

As the sun set, the siblings continued to talk in a relaxed manner.

Part 4
The history of Kiritou Academy is very shallow.

While there is a lot of it to the Kiritou Group ever since the company has
been founded, the school is new and it has only been about ten years
since its founding. Even so, since the Kiritou Group has been growing
fast thanks to the school's graduates, its popularity among students is
very high.

It offered professional teaching on many subjects and its average was

quite high, but it wasn't just classes, it also offered active club activities.

Three thousand students divided into various smaller and bigger clubs.
The total number of those is larger than a hundred, and because there's
a lot of room on the campus none of the activities are inconvenienced.

However, it's different with human resources and budget.

To have a budget assigned, achievements are required and to have

achievements there's a need of obtaining talented people. The outcome
of club activities is also directly linked to future employment, so every
year clubs desperately look for new members.

Because the recruitment was gradually intensifying, the school side

limited recruitment to a certain time period, and the public morals
committee acted and created a new school event.

And it became a joint club recruitment festival held at the end of April
called 'Shinkansai'.

www.asianovel.com
266

"Woah〜 it's really busy!"

"Well, it is a festival."

Saturday, half past eight at the station in front of 'Kiritou Academy'.

In modern days due to declining academic standards, the policy called

[2]
relaxed education has been abolished, however Kiritou Academy is
being supplied with a huge amount of money therefore as an
independent school they were free to set their education policies.

On the route there's usually a lot of students, there's space prepared by

clubs as they crammed it in overnight. It was the same scene in every
direction, whether its north, south, east or west.

And there were upperclassmen whose eyes were glittering.

"Is it my imagination or do they look like carnivores looking at their

prey?"

At least, it's not a look a student gives another student.

Taiga wasn't the only one who sensed this turbulent mood, a freshman
who came on board of the same linear noticed the odd presence in front
and didn't want to leave the station.

"Little sister wants to do an immediate U-turn and go back."

"That's no good Fuyuki, if you're not with Taiga you might get taken
away."

"The worst..."

After looking outside Fuyuki wanted to catch a returning linear but was
caught by Rui.

It might be unbearable for her who has a fear of strangers but if they
notice her, a beautiful girl and a top grade student she won't be able to
escape from people trying to recruit her. That's why Taiga had to act like
a wall to help her.

www.asianovel.com
267

"Well then, what is it..."

"Everything will be solved if Brother sacrifices himself and jumps in."

"Hey hey."

With that said, they can't stand there forever. The station will be filled
when the next linear arrives and they will be forced out. Other students
glanced at each other's movements.

As Taiga worried, he felt someone's hand on his back. Having a bad

premonition he looked behind, and saw Fuyuki pushing his waist from
behind.

"...umm, what are you doing Imouto-sama?"

"Little sister's creed is 'act according to one's word'."

Fuyuki made a big smile.

And the next moment, Taiga was pushed with all her strength.

"W-wa... hey! Uwah!"

Taiga plunged forward and left the station building, upperclassmen with
club admittance forms swarmed to him. Seeing them flock to Taiga like
ants flock to sugar, everyone had a painful look on their faces and
Fuyuki smiled proudly.

"Then, Rucchan. Let's use this opening to slip past."

"Umm—...what about Taiga?"

"If its just that much, Brother will manage somehow. Also, he's already
accustomed to being the shield of his cute little sister, if anything, he
would do it until exhaustion and be satisfied afterwards."

Fuyuki left him as a decoy and pulled Rui's hand and passed by the
crowd's side.

The recruiters in front of the station seemed to be the fiercest ones, the
amount of people scouting decreases as they're moving away. It went to

www.asianovel.com
268

the extent of students calling out from their own spaces.

The two ran behind the building escaping from yelling people and were
catching their breath under the tree's shadow.

"Fuah, finally released from that squalid atmosphere."

"That was amazing— ...I wonder if Taiga is all right, maybe he was taken
somewhere——"

"I won't get caught so easily."

"Hey Taiga. When did you catch up with us?"

Rui looked towards the source of the voice, and found Taiga right beside
them.

He looked really rugged, his hair was unkempt and he had club
admittance forms affixed all over his body. He looked quite miserable.

"See. He's alright after all."

"I'm not alright at all. What was that?! You left me alone in that club
recruitment place. That's too much."

Taiga sighed without thinking.

Although he escaped through a gap in the crowd, things like trying to

forcefully sign the form with his arm was no longer recruitment. He had
to fling two, maybe three people off him.

"Ahaha, I've heard rumours about it, but it really is fierce."

Taiga peeled off the papers affixed to his body and placed them in the
trash. Rui took the ones he couldn't reach with his hands, and he fixed
the uniform on his body.

"Now, let's see on the map where we should tour first, where we are is
the part with cultural clubs, among these there's a lot of tech clubs."

Fuyuki displayed an area map from her terminal, and the three stared at
it.

www.asianovel.com
269

The area they're assigned to seemed to be determined by the type of

club activities, the cyber-related activities were lined up around the area
they were currently in.

"It's fine to go around once, it's a festival after all."

"No. Brother would definitely find athletic clubs more fun. And the cyber-
related clubs are full of tech and machines."

"I'm in cyber department so I assumed it's a good chance to get used to

it."

As for machines Taiga uses it's only the daily necessities, the terminal
and machine used to dive in Elysion the 'arclight'. Although in a certain
sense he did use an automatically-controlled drone, he didn't have much
common knowledge about these things.

"Then, let's tour the athletic clubs later, let's conquer the ones here first!
Let's go〜!"

"Fufufu... little sister is going to bring them down on their knees with her
skill..."

"Don't do anything too flashy."

Taiga advised his sister who blurted some disturbing words, and chased
after the girls.

In a nutshell, his advice was wasted.

"Haa〜 with this we toured all cyber-related clubs."

"Yeah. I'm quite tired after all that."

"Well, after trying everything that was exhibited it's obvious that you'll
be tired."

Seeing a 'that was well done' expression on the girl's faces, Taiga
muttered amazed.

www.asianovel.com
270

As a matter of fact, naturally they weren't able to tour the clubs without
any issues. It was mainly because of Fuyuki.

"I didn't really care about their impressions, I just pointed out the
weaknesses, they don't have to necessarily improve it."

"Even so, when I told them what I thought, the club members seemed
very happy."

"And because of that, when you declined their invitation they looked
horrible..."

He was reminded of how students from the entire section flocked with
club admittance forms after seeing the program Fuyuki made by herself.
He scraped his nerves to make sure he didn't hurt anyone there.

"...but in the end even Rui participated in it."

"Yaha〜 Rui-san wasn't able to endure any longer."

The two beautiful girls were incredibly conspicuous.

Although everything calmed down after the two declared 'We're not
going to enter any club' still some of the upperclassmen checked on
them from a distance.

"It's gotten really tedious. Let's hurry to the sports department."

"Whose fault is it, huh?"

While exposed to many stares, Taiga and the others started to move.

"But I expected more of a school directly managed by one of the four

major corporates. Looks like activities done by students are just at this
level."

"Was it that bad?"

"No, the level is pretty high. I think it greatly exceeds normal high
school's level. As expected of Kiritou Academy."

"Fuyuki is just too special. Probably people on the same level as

www.asianovel.com
271

president are as good as the teachers."

"As far as performance goes, Rucchan is probably the runner-up."

"...you mean that Rui is better than the majority of students in this
school?"

"Yeah. Honestly, she's on so a high level it's unthinkable she grew up in

a normal household."

Rui's home was an ordinary café. And come to think of it, Fuyuki was
educated in Karasuba, and as the heir of Kiritou, Haya also received
special education. She really was amazing.

"Yahaha... that's because I've seen Fuyuki programming many times

before. I just mimicked what she did."

"Stealing technology from others is also a talent. There are people who
spend a fortune and can't do
it."

"Also Rucchan doesn't just mimic, you also can do others things.
Especially when it comes to attack-configured programs you're better
than little sister."

A program made to counter viruses and bugs in Elysion, that's the

attack-configured program.

Generally they are programs bought from large companies that develop
them. However Rui prepared them more powerful ones, both Fuyuki and
Taiga use her programs all the time.

"Uuu〜...it's not that big of a deal..."

Embarrassed by the praises, Rui continued to walk at brisk pace with her
cheeks dyed red.

"Look, that's the athletic club's area."

They chased after Rui, it was the first time since admission for the three
of them to set foot on the east side of the school.

www.asianovel.com
272

Kiritou Group was a major cyber-related company, but it also focused on

sports as a strategy to improve its image. They own many professional
sport teams, it's a system that allows sport departments students to join
those after graduation.

"It's all sports grounds and gyms."

"Scholarship students gathered here in sports department from all over

the country. And because there's a lot of clubs there's a need of sports
grounds and facilities."

"Are they by any chance exempt from studying?"

"No, there's no such thing. The department policy is to train both mind
and body. Academic skills are required to some extent in sports
department. Still, compared to the normal and cyber department it's a
breeze."

At the same time, exercise is encouraged in the cyber department. The

ball games tournament, a sports festival or a marathon, events
promoting exercise appear several times a year.

"Anyway, this is pretty quiet〜"

As they looked around, there was recruitment in the form of

experiencing the club. They didn't see any club members raising their
voices and actively recruiting.

"There's no point in loudly recruiting people here. The scholarship

students mostly decided on their club before they came here."

Even so, in some cases they managed to find a talent from among the
general students, they participate in Shinkansai to recruit managers or
with similar goals.

"Well then, where shall we start touring, since little sister is horrible at
sports Brother can do as he pleases."

"Do as you please, even if you say that... what about Rui?"

www.asianovel.com
273

"I don't really have anywhere I want to go."

It was just as Fuyuki declared, her stamina was close to none and as a
bonus her motoric senses were horrible. During the physical education
that's twice a week she's completely out of breath.

Rui had excellent motoric senses, she definitely wouldn't lose to the
students in the sports department. If she trained properly she could
excel at any sport.

"...little Fuyuki is always like that——ouch! Hey!?"

"Where are you looking as you say those words, you asshole brother...!!"

Fuyuki's heel ground on his foot with a sinister sound.

"Where... of course I mean your height..."

"Hee〜 Hou〜 I thought you were looking at my chest, but it seems like it
was my imagination."

"That's a false accusation!"

Though, the fact that he didn't look at it at all was a lie.

"...Taiga is a pervert."

"I'm saying you're wrong!"

It was an act someone looking from the side would take as flirting. As
Taiga defended himself, a figure appeared a short distance away.

"What happened?"

"Nah, it seems like there's something better over there. Let's go."

Taiga brought the two of them towards the spot that caught his
attention. About fifty students gathered there. A punching machine was
located in the center.

"It seems like a joint martial arts project."

They received leaflets from nearby upperclassmen, written on it was

www.asianovel.com
274

'Looking for challengers! A luxurious prize for people who clear it!'.

"What is it, you clear if you exceed the number of points set by the
boxing club captain. Even if you don't reach it you can get gift goods.
The prize is... no way, 《Oonira》 preferential rights!"

"Eh, really?!"

"Ooni—...what?"

It seemed like Taiga was the only one who didn't know about it, both Rui
and Fuyuki looked at the leaflet as if they were to devour it.

There was a queue of people who wanted to participate on the stage,

male students with strong physique hit it and left. The 'luxurious prize'
must have been really good, expressions of the students who received
different prizes were really dark. As Taiga tilted his neck, Rui explained.

"Umm, 《Oonira》 is one of the structures. It's been in operation for about
a year, it's been really popular since then."

"The user can change it as they please, they can change the world as if
it was a dream. Although I've heard there are reservations for it six
months ahead of time."

"Oh, come to think of it, there's a rumour that the karate club captain's
father is one of higher ups at the company managing it. It seems like he
has connections."

"Fuun..."

Taiga's reaction was really bland.

Since he only knew 《Aries》 and 《Virtual New City》 he didn't know about
its greatness.

But it seemed to be different for his little sister.

"Brotherr..."

It was a double combo of looking up at him and pulling the hem of his

www.asianovel.com
275

uniform. Although he knew what it was she was aiming for, she was too
adorable.

"...you want to go there?"

"Yes!"

"Rui-san also wants to go there〜..."

There was no way to refuse after being asked by the two of them. Taiga
lined up at the end of the queue and observed other challengers as he
waited for his turn.

The goal is to score above five hundred points. The guy just now had a
little more than three hundred——

If Taiga hit it at full power, the machine would definitely break. It meant
he had to go easy on it, he can't score too high or too low. He has to
adjust it somehow to the extent of hitting a little above the target
number.

He observed the fifteen people in front of him and continued to modify

the image he had by taking their specs and scores into account. Finally,
Taiga's turn came.

At the reception he filled the form with 'Tenryo Taiga, Cyber

Department'. And received the glove from an upperclassman who
openly didn't expect anything of him.

Well no wonder. For someone from sports department, the cyber

department students were a group of 'wimpy geeks'. For everyone
present at the recruitment with exception of the two girls who knew him,
Taiga was a 'reckless challenger'.

Taiga slowly took a deep breath, gently lowered his hips, he gathered
strength according to his image while surveying his surroundings——and
swung his left fist.

www.asianovel.com
276

Just as students looked away from him, they heard a heavy and dull
sound.

"F-five hundred and thirty points."

The student in charge announced the amount of points in disbelief.

And the measuring machine retracted nearly a meter away, everyone

could tell that it was hit with a considerable amount of force.

"Thirty points over. ...well, this should be enough."

While the upperclassmen were taken aback, Taiga returned to the

reception and held out his hand.

"I've cleared it, can I receive the prize?"

"Ah, yes. There you go."

Taiga prompted the upperclassman who blanked out and received an

electronic card that can be scanned with a terminal. Then he turned on
his heel and headed towards where Fuyuki and Rui were before walking
away cheerfully.

"...eh, where did that guy go?!"

Before they noticed the golden egg has disappeared, the three of them
were already gone.

"We got something really good. Good job Brother!"

As Taiga held the prize he acquired in his hand, Fuyuki smiled at him
from the other counter seat.

Rui who peeped from the seat next to him read an explanation from her
terminal.

"It can be used only for an hour〜 Mm, it can't be helped. But it's free and
can be used without reservation."

www.asianovel.com
277

They were in Rui's home, at café 《Paradise》.

The three of them finished touring the Shinkansai and quickly escaping
the school they returned to New City.

They already finished lunch, in the small store there were only three of
them and 《Paradise》's master, Rui's father who was the back of the
store.

It's Saturday and yet we're the only customers here, is this store really
alright?

The food is delicious and the waitress is cute, normally 《Paradise》 would
be very popular, but the location in the back of the street was really
poor and there wasn't many customers entering.

But it seems like the business is booming in the evening... something is

not right.

Paradise was Jyugo's hobby, and during the night it was open as a chic
bar. He saw it several times, but it was always crowded.

When they used the shop like normal Taiga was at ease, but when the
store he was familiar with was used like that his mood worsened.

"Taiga, why are you making such a difficult face?"

"It's nothing. So, how are you going to use these preferential rights?"

"Since theres no real time limit, we'll do it when we have time. It's our
first time using such a structure so it'll be fun."

"Eh? But can't Fuyuki make a similar program?"

"Unfortunately little sister's skills are only suited for actual combat,
they're unsuitable for entertainment."

Fuyuki was best at hacking, as a programmer her nature and speciality

was 'optimizing the events'. And entertainment was for her 'pointless
effort' and she didn't give it much thought.

www.asianovel.com
278

"So you've never made one before?"

"...no, I've made one, just once. It was a gift for my friend. In the end, I
couldn't pass it to her."

"? What do you mean Fuyuki——"

"Well then——it's about time we went back. It seems like a good

moment."

As he asked the question casually, Fuyuki's voice was dark and quiet.
Taiga wanted to ask her what happened since it was the first time he
heard that kind of voice come from her, but it seemed like she was
hiding something.

It was fifty past two in the afternoon. While it still shouldn't be a 'good
moment'——

"Oh right, the maintenance in 《Aries》 should be over in ten minutes."

"Yeah. Let's dive in and hunt for a bit."

The siblings paid for the lunch and returned home and headed straight
to the room in which various machines were placed which was named
'Dive Room'.

They sat down on the two chairs in the middle, and connected the
equipment surrounding them.

When they turned on the machines the devices made a dull sound as
they started.

A specialized machine allowing two people to dive in Elysion——they

proceeded with the activation of Arclight. They checked various life-
support systems, the medium-sized machine was equipped with and
completed preparations by linking the terminal with the headgear.

"You're quite used to it already."

www.asianovel.com
279

"Well after doing it every day of course I'll learn it. Dive start."

He closed his eyes and muttered, his consciousness blacked out in an

instant.

His body's data was stored in electronic within the terminal——and was
transferred to his virtual body, his nerves and five senses were also
switched one after another.

The last one to transfer was his soul. It was complex human data made
of personality and memory called mental structure, it was removed from
the body and embedded into the virtual body.

——— Log In ———

"...alright."

He opened his eyes and no longer saw the familiar room.

It was a fantastic spectacle of a cool mountain stream and abundant

dark greenery.

A magical sky unlike that in reality was towering over him and spreading
far and wide and majestic land dominated by nature.

Elysion——in the modern days almost everyone used this world made up
of electrons.

It's the lifeline of security and management, it's even used for research
and entertainment, it seemed like a second utopia.

And that electronic world consisted of a multitude of structures rivalling

the numbers of stars in the sky, both large and small.

It was one of them, a large structure managed by Kiritou Group 《Aries》 .

It's said that tens of thousands of people connect to it at the same time
and subdue monsters that appear in form of naturally occuring bugs and
viruses, this grand fantasy world is continously gaining in popularity.

"I didn't log in for only a day, but it feels like it's been a while."

www.asianovel.com
280

As Taiga pulled off grass beside him, the grass in his hand became small
particles of light and faded away into nothingness. He put on the special
white coat suggested to him by 《Aries》 and clenched his fist to ascertain
the senses throughout his body.

"It is slightly sluggish after all."

"That can't be helped. The mental structure and virtual body aren't
tuned perfectly. In the first place, Brother is the only one who can notice
such a small difference."

As he looked behind, there was his little sister wearing a strange outfit
that was a combination of both kimono and a dress instead of her school
uniform. The red and black kimono was fitting for her long black hair.

"But your physical abilities really are monstrous. To think you can't get
serious because the system cannot keep up with you."

"Even if I can't use all my strength here, it still is a good change of pace.
And it's not like I can act violently in the real world now."

"Is that so, then that's good."

Fuyuki put some strength in her leg and lightly jumped to a branch three
meters above the ground. Of course, it wasn't a feat Fuyuki can do
normally with her poor athletic abilities.

Players connected to 《Aries》 are ranked from E to S. Additional

assistance is given to the user's body depending on their rank. Fuyuki is
a B-rank which is third rank from the top, and her physical ability was as
she just displayed.

Taiga's rank was the lowest since he was an E rank, but his original
physical abilities exceeded that of Fuyuki's in 《Aries》.

"The move point is a bit further, it seems like we have to walk through
the forest."

"That's a bit troublesome... speaking of which, isn't Rui here yet?"

www.asianovel.com
281

"Did you call me—?

He heard a voice from above, Rui was wearing a lab coat on top of
skimpy clothes and sat on top of a small cliff.

"I took a look around here, but there's no big monsters there. We can
just ignore them."

Rui lightly jumped down from a height of above ten metres and safely
landed. She already had excellent athletic abilities and she was S ranked
in Aries. Her status was pretty high.

"So Fuyuki, what do we do now?"

"While we can immediately start hunting some bounties since there's no

shortage of them because of maintenance. But first I'll lecture Brother
about 《Aries》 for a moment."

"A lecture, is there anything I can still learn after all this time?"

"There is. First, let's move to the move point——"

Fuyuki guessed something and jumped down from a branch, the next
moment a rugged spear flew in between the branches.

"Oh?"

As he traced the trajectory of the spear, there in the river was a lizard-
like humanoid monster holding a spear.

"A lizardman. How disrespectful for someone of such a low standing to

attack this little sister."

Fuyuki landed safely and fixed her untidy hair and raised her right hand
towards the sky. In her hand appeared a folding fan decorated with
crimson leaves.

"Now, we're ready so let's go."

"Right〜. There's three of them so it's one for each of us."

Taiga pulled out an over a meter long Japanese sword from his waist and

www.asianovel.com
282

Rui placed small pebbles in a characteristic shape between her fingers.

Taiga's 《Heavenly Sword》, Fuyuki's 《Elemental Sphere》, and Rui's

《Creative Stones》 ———Starting their respective attack-configured
programs the three of them started to move at the same time.

In an instant Taiga closed the distance between them and cut both the
lizardman and his spear in two. Fuyuki broke the red sphere with her fan
and summoned a flame and the creative stones Rui has thrown changed
into swords before piercing the enemy's body.

These blows exceeded the lizardmen's durability and they turned into
particles of light.

This was the 《Aries》 structure. Each and every player in this world acts
as a debugger.

Among the monsters there were powerful individual with a bounty

money on them and only the strong players were able to subdue those.

Taiga and the others were a three people team that subdued enemies
for bounty every day.

"I have to fight against these guys again..."

Ten minutes later, for some reason Taiga ended up alone in the forest.

He was separated from the others after defeating the lizardman from
before, it was the same forest in which he first fought monsters two
weeks earlier.

Blocking Taiga's way was the over two metres long worm (or an
organisms resembling a pink earthworm) and a herd of giant mantises.

Since they looked disgusting he didn't want to fight them ever again——

"It can't be helped."

Taiga gave up and started to dismantle the monsters whose appearance

www.asianovel.com
283

was based on insects.

Of course, he didn't come to a place like this for fun.

There was a small update together with this maintenance, it was a fix

applied to all players of rank B and above. Fuyuki and Rui went to a
place called central district to apply the procedure. As they went ahead,
Taiga was left alone.

And thus, Taiga continued to walk through the forest that was crawling
with small fries, just as Fuyuki told him to, he arrived in the open area
soon after.

"The starting point should be around here..."

It was right beside the forest's exit, a wide grassland. A carpet of golden-
coloured natural grass spread all over. The majestic grassland occupied
the entire scenery stretching for kilometres, it spread as far as he could
see.

Taiga didn't know what to do after that. Although he was told to wait in
this place, he couldn't just stand like an idiot in the prairie.

He started to walk to the centre of the grassland, as he headed towards

it he found a girl rooted on spot, he stopped moving.

"——Eh?"

Seeing people wasn't rare, but what caught his attention was the way
she was dressed.

She wore plain, real clothes rather than an outfit from 《Aries》, and she
had no weapons. It was the first time she came from the real world into
this place, he was convinced of that.

"Uuuu... it isn't too user friendly... I want a manual..."

www.asianovel.com
284

The girl was glaring at the opened window, and complained dissatisfied
with a small voice. She didn't notice him at all.

I still have some time.

He made a fast decision, and changed his destination. He walked

towards the girl.

She noticed the sound of his footsteps, looked towards him and asked
warily.

"...who?"

"No, I thought you seem to have some trouble so I wanted to help you
out. I'm not anyone suspicious... I think."

Recalling how he was clothed (and that he carried a sword) he spoke

more politely. With that, the girl's gaze softened, it didn't seem like she
found him suspiscious.

Like light snow——he thought that as he looked at the girl.

That could've been because she had cool shoulder-length hair, or maybe
that was because of the atmosphere she exuded. Or perhaps both.

She was slightly taller than Fuyuki, and her age was about the same.

www.asianovel.com
285

She had a thin body that could be encompassed by a single arm, her
hands and feet seemed like they would break with just a little force. Her
skin was so white, it seemed as if she never went out. She looked like a
western doll, there was no other girl that description would fit better.

A light snow that would melt away the moment it was touched, that was
his first impression of the silver-haired girl.

"So, what happened?"

"...umm, I only have the initial settings set-up here... and I can't move
now."

"Indeed, going anywhere while looking like that would be disastrous."

The white one piece wasn't offering enough protection, and her white
skin would definitely bait monsters in.

"Sorry, I don't know how to change the initial settings either."

"...is that so."

The girl's dropped her shoulders disappointed. And looking at the crystal
she had in her right hand she sighed.

"It's too early to give up. Others will come in a moment. They did my
initial settings before, why don't they teach you?"

The girl didn't know whether she should trust Taiga, she was at a loss for
a moment——and gave him a small nod.

"I'll wait then."

"I see."

Just the two of them in the vast grassland, Taiga and the silver-haired
girl continued to wait.

The atmosphere seemed uncomfortable ever since they met, the girl
seemed to hate it and was acting restless; staring away. Fuyuki was
scared of strangers, but this girl might be beyond that level.

www.asianovel.com
286

"Are you alone?"

Maybe that was why Taiga tried talking to her naturally.

Although the girl was flustered after being talked to suddenly, she slowly
fixed her breathing and replied.

"...yes. I just dived for a bit to have a change of pace from studying."

"Is that so. That free pass a moment ago, what was that?"

"Umm, something I was given. I wanted to throw it away."

He expanded the conversation bit by bit.

While not trying to press on her too much, he tried to accustom her to
talking with people——what he learned when dealing with Fuyuki was
useful.

They talked about silly things for a few minutes, and the girl's stiffness
gradually went away.

Finally, he saw Fuyuki's and Rui's figures at the edge of the forest, and
at that moment.

"Ah, Taiga—! Sorry for the wait〜!"

Rui came over while waving her hand, Taiga answered raising his own.
And when he attempted to introduce the girl——he noticed an
abnormality.

"...those eyes, long black hair... it can't be..."

The girl murmured while dumbfounded and stared at the two who were
walking towards them.

No, she wasn't looking at the two of them, the one she stared at was——

"...eh?"

The girl's gazes met, and Fuyuki's expression froze.

"...Hime-chan?"

www.asianovel.com
287

The silver-haired girl muttered someone's name in disbelief. There was

only one person among them with 「Hime」 in her name.[3]

Taiga stared at his little sister's face as he thought that——

"...why are you here... Karasuba Shio."

With a trembling voice Fuyuki spoke the name of the silver-haired girl.

Translator's Notes and

References
1. ↑ 祭 (sai) which is the last kanji in the Shinkansai name if written
alone means festival (matsuri), all kinds of festival names often
end with 祭 (sai).
2. ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yutori_education
3. ↑ Fuyuki's name is written as 冬姫, and the 姫 kanji can be read
as Hime.

www.asianovel.com
288

Vol. 2 :

Chapter 2

Part 1
Silence had come.

The two girls who had an unexpected, chance meeting were at a loss for
words. Neither Taiga nor Rui knew anything about it and their gaze
drifted between Fuyuki and the silver-haired girl.

"H-hey... Hime-chan..."

"Most likely she refers to Fuyuki. Also that name... Karasuba Shio, was
it."

"By Karasuba, does she mean that Karasuba...?"

Karasuba. The name that is known throughout the entire world. One of
the four major corporates that governs the cyber market. The household
Fuyuki was adopted to eight years ago, and from which she ran away
just the other day.

"It's been a while, hasn't it."

The one who broke the silence was the silver-haired girl——Karasuba
Shio.

"It's the first time we meet face-to-face... in seven years, was it? I
recognized you immediately thanks to your eye colour."

www.asianovel.com
289

Fuyuki didn't answer. But the moment she heard that it's been seven
years, she started to tremble as if she was frightened of something and
looked down. Seeing Fuyuki act clearly different than usual, Rui asked
him in a low voice.

"...how are they related?"

"Who knows... but considering her state, they aren't simply

acquaintances."

Compared to the scared Fuyuki, Shio looked pretty normal. It felt like
Fuyuki felt one-sidedly at fault about something.

Taiga felt a strange discomfort from the girl called Karasuba Shio.

"...why... are you here..."

Fuyuki asked with a trembling voice.

"That's my line. The culprit who hacked the main server of Karasuba, no
matter how much you camouflaged it is probably Hime-chan right? As
always, your skills are amazing."

After hearing Shio's word, Taiga noticed what was causing him
discomfort.

Not just the fact that she carried the name of Karasuba, it was without a
doubt that she was a member of that group.

Because Fuyuki dealt extensive damage to Karasuba, it wasn't a happy

reunion but a meeting with an opponent who denounced her crimes.

Even so, the girl called Karasuba Shio only felt respect and admiration.

"...aren't you angry?"

It seemed like Fuyuki thought the same and asked the question.

For some reason. His little sister thought otherwise——without any basis
for it, that's what intuition told Taiga.

"Angry? Me? Why would I be?"

www.asianovel.com
290

"Because... little sister at that time..."

Fuyuki's voice was very feeble, it was completely different from her
usual voice that was filled with self-confidence.

It wasn't a devil who bullied his little sister, it was a single frail girl.

"I'm not angry or anything. If anything, I'm grateful to Hime-chan."

"Gra...teful...?"

"Yup. It's all thanks to Hime-chan. Even if I play around like this I won't
be told off by father, the fact that all the work has been wasted, all of it,
was thanks to Hime-chan helping me and the researchers to give up."

The silver-haired girl said so and smiled faintly.

Not an evil, but a colourless transparent smile that displayed negative

feelings.

"............"

The moment she saw that smile, Fuyuki realized just how much did that
girl change in seven years. No, how much she herself changed.

When she thought so, Fuyuki turned her back to Shio and ran away.

Taiga's and Rui's voice didn't reach her from behind.

She wanted to run away as soon as possible from the mistakes she
made, run away from the past that should have been left behind.

Where are you going to run now? ——Where this time? She felt as if she
heard a voice saying that behind her.

When Taiga returned to the real world, it was already evening.

"...now. Where did Imouto-sama go?"

The vermilion light of the setting sun entered through the gap in the
curtains, Taiga turned off the Arclight and squinted. Instead of his little

www.asianovel.com
291

sister's figure on the second machine's seat, there was a headgear

thrown on the floor. Before, when Taiga did something similar she got
really angry and said 'and what if it broke?'.

She'll probably be over there...

He left the dive room to look for his little sister and entered the
bedroom.

As expected, she hid behind the large bed that filled nearly half of the
room. She squeezed herself into a small gap and sat down while holding
her knees.

"Found you. It still didn't change even after eight years, your habit of
squeezing yourself into narrow places when you're down."

"...Onii."

"Oh, that's an unusual way of calling me."

Taiga sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked his little sister's
head. Her sleek black hair flowed with just a light touch, it felt very
comfortable.

"Don't misunderstand though, I'm not feeling down. I just thought it

would be nice to sit in a place like this since it's been a while."

"Is that so."

The conversation ended with just that, Taiga continued to gently stroke
his little sister's head as she tried to act strong. He didn't ask anything,
he didn't say anything. He believed that was for the best at the moment.

〈"So, how's Fuyuki?"〉

"She went to take a bath, we're going to rest early today."

Taiga spoke to a holographic window in front of him as he cleaned the

dishes after dinner. Displayed on it was Rui who was in middle of work,
she had an appearance of a neat and clean maid.

www.asianovel.com
292

〈"Shio-chan, was it. Did you hear the circumstances concerning that
girl?"〉

"No, I didn't hear anything. And I have no intention of asking her."

〈"Eh? Why?"〉

"It's just my intuition, but it isn't just depression. Let's just wait until
Fuyuki tells us by herself."

In fact, he really wanted to help his sister immediately. But... if he did

that it might backfire, that's what he felt.

It was a problem between those two.

〈"I see. Yup. If Taiga thinks so, it has to be like that."〉

Rui smiled as she said so. Just by looking at her cheerful expression, he
felt better over the fact that he neglected Fuyuki.

〈"Ah, but you shouldn't leave her alone."〉

"I know. I want to consult with you, are you free tomorrow?"

〈"Nn〜, I'll have to help in the shop a bit in the morning, but aside from
that there's nothing."〉

"That's good. ——Tomorrow's the 1st, I want you to take Fuyuki outside,
please."

〈"That shouldn't be a problem."〉

"I appreciate it. Ah, one more thing. Teach me how to set-up initial
settings in 《Aries》."

〈"...how to set-up initial settings?"〉

Not knowing the purpose of his request, Rui made a questioning smile.

Part 2
Next day, nine o'clock in the morning.

www.asianovel.com
293

"...fuu, I've sweat a lot."

After his routine training Taiga took a shower and was eating breakfast
in the living room.

Because he couldn't cook, it was a simple meal made up of bread and

coffee.

It was Sunday, a regular holiday. Of course there was no school today.

Although he spent five hours of his holiday on his training routine, he

cleaned up the dishes and entered the bedroom Fuyuki was sleeping in.

"Fuyuki, it's about time to wake up."

"...nnyuu...still...sleepy..."

He poked the sleeping Fuyuki's shoulder, but she shook off his hand. The
futon fell off her body so her thin negligee and black laced lingerie were
visible so he looked away momentarily. Although he was accustomed to
it, he still couldn't look at it directly.

"An hour longer, let me sleep for another hour..."

"Don't act selfish, hurry and wake up."

Even though she always said she wants to sleep a little bit more, this
time it was much worse than usual.

With grim determination Taiga cast away the futon and carried Fuyuki in
his embrace to the washroom. With that Fuyuki opened her eyes and
complained "Why do I have to get up on a holiday..." before washing her
face, fixing her hair and changing into a proper dress.

...she looks better than I thought.

Taiga felt relieved seeing her act like usual. It might have been her just
acting strong like the day before but it was still better than her shutting
herself in.

And then, *ding-dong*, a sound of intercom resounded.

www.asianovel.com
294

"Who is it so early in the morning?"

"She came. Hey, come on."

Taiga headed towards the front door while pulling Fuyuki's hand and
opened the door.

"Yahoo〜! Good morning you two〜!"

"...Rucchan?"

The one who greeted them with a big smile on her face was Saionji Rui.
Her chestnut fluffy hair bounced, emitting an aura as bright as the sun.

"Then Rui, I leave the rest to you."

"Yeah, leave it to me. That's why... let's go Fuyuki!"

"Eh?"

Suddenly Rui grabbed Fuyuki's arm and pulled her outside by force.
Significantly weaker Fuyuki did her best to protest and at least wear
shoes.

"Rucchan?! What's this all of a sudden?!"

"Then Taiga, we'll be back before dinner!"

"Have fu—"

"Before that explain——no, Rucchan don't pull me I'll walk on my own!"

"Come outside first〜"

She suddenly pulled the confused Fuyuki towards the elevator, and the
door was closed. Their voices slowly faded and silence came.

"...now, let's get to work."

He returned to the dive room and immediately started preparations to

start the Arclight.

It was absolutely necessary to dive alone today.

www.asianovel.com
295

"——Dive start."

The moment he said those words his consciousness dived into the
paradise consisting of electrons.

After a moment of light-headedness, Taiga stood in the middle of the

grassland that was the starting point.

"This place... it really is huge."

According to Rui's explanation he heard last night, people who connect

for the first time will always appear in here. But, how many people could
it hold. He thought it was wide enough to hold several hundred people at
the same time.

"Now, I wonder if she's here——oh, there she is."

Just as planned, no, he found the person he wanted to see earlier than
expected. Taiga smiled because he was very lucky.

"...I was prepared to wait for half a day, it's really my lucky day."

His line of sight was focused on the silver-haired girl who manipulated
windows just like the day before. She was startled and had a surprised
expression.

"Hey, we meet again."

"Ah... umm... the person I met yesterday?"

A girl wearing a dress unsuitable for Aries——Karasuba Shio stared at

him puzzled. Taiga approached her not minding it and looked at the
window from the side.

"Are you still struggling with the difficult settings?"

"...y-yes."

Although it seemed like she tried various things, she still couldn't get
past them. She didn't contact the management, it was convenient for
Taiga. Thanks to that he could easily enter a conversation with her.

www.asianovel.com
296

"Sorry for suddenly logging out yesterday. Although I can only say sorry,
but do you want me to teach you how to set up the default settings? I've
learned it earlier."

"Eh...? Is that okay?"

"That was my intention from the beginning. Also——I'm interested since

you are Fuyuki's acquaintance."

The moment she heard that name Shio made a long face. It seemed like
she wasn't just an acquaintance.

"For the time being let me introduce myself. I'm Tenryo Taiga, Fuyuki's
brother."

"Hime-chan's onii-san...?"

Shio looked at Taiga's entire body suspiciously and in the end she stared
at his sky blue eyes.

"Oh you really are, your eye colour is identical."

Their pupils had a very rare colour. Even though the siblings didn't look
much alike, it was clear with just that much.

"I see. Hime-chan's name was originally Tenryo..."

Mixed feelings swirled in Shio's pupils as she murmured that.

After catching her interest Taiga continued.

"Then, are you going to take me up on my offer?"

"...I would be really thankful but, is it fine with Onii-san?"

"I don't mind at all——also, by 'Onii-san' you mean me?"

"Yup. Because you're Hime-chan's Onii-san right?"

He wondered about being called like that. But if Shio was fine with that,
he didn't want to force her to change it. It was a little embarrassing, but
it wasn't all that bad.

www.asianovel.com
297

Even though Shio's fear of strangers was on Fuyuki's level judging by the
glare she gave him, she was surprisingly sociable or rather he felt that
she was more open-minded. Maybe it was thanks to the conversation
they had yesterday, or because he was Fuyuki's brother.

Anyway, it seems like a good start.

He continued to shorten the distance that way.

"You can call me what you like. Ah, also I'm going to teach you now how
to set-up the default settings.
This is the recommended setting for people who are poor at athletics."

"...eh? Why do you know I'm bad at it?"

"I can tell that much just by looking at you."

Not only he could tell if someone was poor at exercising, but could also
measure their physical ability just by looking at their arm and leg
muscles.

Shio was about the same as Fuyuki, maybe a little worse. It would be
hard for her to suddenly play or have a battle in a structure like that.

"...I didn't have time to spare for exercises."

She didn't have time to exercise——these words caught his attention a

little, but it wasn't time to pursue their meaning.

"Then about the setting? Can you show me how to fight too?"

"If you want to, then yeah."

"...Onii-san, do you know about me and Hime-chan?"

"Nope, not at all. I don't want to stick my neck into a problem between
the two of you, I have no intention of doing that. That would be
meddling."

Hearing that, Shio closed her eyes to think for a moment.

Honestly, it might have been a pointless act done by Taiga. He won't

www.asianovel.com
298

learn anything about Shio with this, and it won't cheer Fuyuki up.

He just couldn't leave her alone like that. But with her crippled smile,
she looked similar to his little sister.

"...then, just for a moment I'll be intruding on you."

Like that, a strange pair has formed for a limited amount of time.

"Umm, this goes here and this here———oh, it's starting it's starting."

He fiddled with the open window based on his memory of what Rui
taught him, another window expanded and an artificial voice announced.

〈"Welcome to 《Aries》 structure managed by the Kiritou Group. From

now on you shall become inhabitants of this world and hunt monsters
during your adventures."〉

A promotional video briefly describing mechanisms of 《Aries》 was

played. On a dozen number of screens were displayed all kind of
weapons.

〈"Now, please pick your attack-configured program. If you have

prepared one yourself, then skip this step. Also, together with this initial
armament, your costume will also be changed automatically."〉

The weapon that could be chosen were: two handed swords, one handed
swords, shields, bows, knives, hammers, spears, Japanese swords. There
were also minor weapons like tonfas or kusarigamas.

"I have to choose from those? There's so many that I'm lost..."

"Do you have any experience using these... there's no way you do, is
there."

"Yup."

"Then, between short and long range which one you'd like better?"

"...long range."

www.asianovel.com
299

There were several ranged weapons from relatively major ones like bows
and crossbows to things like chakrams, there were also weapons not
even Taiga touched before. Aries was really dreadful.

"For the time being let's try the bow. ...ah, it seems like I can pick a
secondary weapon."

"Then you should pick a melee weapon. One with small reach should be
fine. Shio wouldn't be able to swing a long one properly, right?"

After selecting a dagger as her secondary weapon, a blue light wrapped

around Shio.

Light particles flocked and covered Shio's virtual body. When the
phosphorescence disappeared her outfit completely changed.

"Oh—...you look like a hunter."

She wore a stunning hunter costume. Taiga didn't know, but the
costume had an elven motif.

Probably to better conceal in the woods (or at least that was the setting)
it was mostly green.

Her shoulders were bare for her upper body's ease of movement and her
thighs were exposed. But it wasn't excessive exposure, on her right leg
she had a knee-sock, on her left she had a belt holding the dagger.

"This is somewhat... weird outfit. And its pretty risqué too..."

"Nono, that much is still alright. You look pretty good in it."

Although the costume gave her a flexible and graceful image, but
strangely it didn't feel like a mismatch. Rather than that, coupled with
her pure white skin and silver hair it added to her mysterious
atmosphere.

Shio turned around to check her own appearance, on her back there was
a rugged bow, something she had never seen in her everyday life. She
stared at it.

www.asianovel.com
300

And then, something out of place appeared on the edge of her field of
view. Floating ten meters away was a plate with circles drawn on it.

"You have to shoot that, probably."

"Eh? ...that's impossible. I've never done it before, there's no way I'll hit
something so small."

"Just try it for the time being. We'll discuss it later."

"B-but there's no arrow——"

The moment she said that an arrow appeared on Shio's palm. At the
same time 〈"The arrow is automatically generated by the image."〉
sounded an announcement which cut off her escape route.
[1]
"Looks like there's one. Come on, let's challenge."

"Uuu... Onii-san is high-handed..."

The window displayed an arrow being shot, still reluctant Shio set up the
arrow to mimic the video. She adjusted her aim, targeting the plate and
released the hand that was holding the feather.

Propelled by the stretched string, the arrow vigorously launched forward

penetrating the target——......no such thing. Instead it flew only few
meters ahead and hit the ground.

"...well, something like that."

Although Shio tilted her neck, Taiga thought it was an obvious result.

There wasn't enough force put into pulling the arrow, even if the aim
was good. But it wouldn't fly far, it was surprising it flew that much.

I thought it would immediately fall down... it seems like there's support.

Enemies were monsters, a target that was moving around.

Perhaps for people like Shio right now, who can't hit the stationary
target there is a system that augments the flying distance of the arrows
and allows anyone to handle a bow easily with little practice.

www.asianovel.com
301

"Shio, put more strength into your arm as you pull it, it won't fly
otherwise."

"Even if you say that, I'm not that strong..."

"No such thing. It might be true in the real world, but this is Elysion. The
muscle strength required is minimal and everything else is provided, as
long as you have a clear image you'll be able to do anything."

Taiga remembered his conversation with Rui the night before.

———Then can a girl who is as weak as Fuyuki play it?

———No problem. If original physical strength doesn't reach the average

value, it's automatically corrected. It's improved to the level of an
average highschooler or so.

"To have your arrow fly straight you need an image in your head. If you
do that, you will be able to tell how much strength is required, it's easy
to sense it. And then, well, just believe. Believe in the fact that you can
do it."

"Believing might be the hardest but... I'll try."

Shio created another arrow, slowly took a deep breath and made a
proper posture. And then——

"Fuu!"

After a short pause, she shot it.

Unlike the weakly flying arrow from earlier, the arrow flew at a fast pace.
But the aim was off and it hit the ground like the previous one.

"A pity. If your aim didn't go off the moment you shoot, it would've hit."

"...it looks like it's impossible for me after all."

He thought that for a while, but rather than Shio being mentally weak, it
was her evaluating herself too low.

That was what caused her to fail, a negative spiral that further made her

www.asianovel.com
302

lose confidence.

We have to change that first I guess.

Fortunately, Taiga was a pro when it came to handling weapons. He

could teach her a lot.

"Then, the next opponent will be a monster."

"Eh? And what about that target?"

"We leave it. When you're targeted by a monster it won't be just

standing in place."

"B-but suddenly real combat is..."

"It's all right, it'll be fine. It was the same for me. The monster over here
is disgusting so if you don't defeat it before it approaches you,
something horrible is going to happen you know〜?"

"Awawa... s-stop!! Let me rest for a moment——"

"There's no need for that. Now, let's go—!"

Taiga took Shio's hand and pulled her to the forest.

Part 3
At about the same time as Taiga and Shio proceeded through 《Aries》.

On the terrace of a Café near New City's main station were the figures of
Rui and Fuyuki.

"Yahaa— as usual, the sandwiches here are really delicious—"

It was slightly late to call it a breakfast since it was nine o'clock. While
Rui was wearing a perfectly coordinated outfit with a high amount of
exposure and ate lightly, Fuyuki was eating like a hamster, taking small
bites.

"Fuyuki, aren't you hungry? That's no good〜 you need to eat breakfast
properly."

www.asianovel.com
303

"...it's about time you said what's the purpose of this. Why did you bring
little sister outside?"

"Nn? That's because we haven't played together just the two of us lately
you know? Lately Taiga's been with us the entire time."

Rui gave her an answer with a blank expression causing Fuyuki to sigh.
At a single glance it was clear she was plotting something, considering
the way her brother acted in home it seemed like he was part of it too.

Seriously, what a meddlesome pair.

It seemed like she really made them worry.

"I understand. I'll take that as the truth for now. Do you have anything
planned?"

"Fooling around until sunset, that is all!"

"In other words 'no plan' is it."

Fuyuki was amazed by her best friend's haphazard declaration.

"Well, it's not like I don't have a plan at all? I thought I could pick some
clothes for Fuyuki."

"Clothes... is it?"

"Yup. Fuyuki has a lot of similar clothes right? You need some variation
when it comes to clothes!"

"Little sister already told you before, that she's not familiar with
something like that."

To be precise, she didn't have a need to worry about clothes up until

now.

She was alone in a small laboratory, immersed in work every day. She
was fine with any clothes. The only clothes she owned were the ones she
took from home when she ran away, she knew nothing about fashion
and trends.

www.asianovel.com
304

"It's a shame because you're so cute. For girls, fashion is a weapon you
know?"

"Haa... a weapon."

"That's right. And it's not just to appeal to boys, it's also important to
care about it when among girls. Fuyuki looks good no matter what she
wears, think about it. Don't you think if you were to wear the same
clothes you usually do when going on a date with Taiga, there would be
no freshness?"

"Muu... that might be right."

As expected, when her brother name was mentioned she could no

longer ignore it.

Because she had a date promised before the Grim Reaper incident last
week, it wouldn't hurt to pick some battle clothes now.

"Then it's decided. Let's go at once!"

"I appreciate it, but is that fine with Rucchan? Isn't Rucchan a rival that
competes with me for Brother?"

Just like Fuyuki, Rui was also attracted to Taiga. That's what she herself
had declared last week.

Since they were competing with each other, she didn't expect Rui to
cheer her on actively——

"Nn〜 before being my rival, Fuyuki is my friend. And if my friend wants

to look cute for a person she likes, I'll gladly help her."

Hearing Rui say such a thing with a big smile, Fuyuki sighed once again.

"Haa. That's right, Rucchan is that kind of person."

"That's the person I am. Come on, eat up and let's go〜"

The two girls resumed their breakfast while basked in warm sunlight.

www.asianovel.com
305

"You shot down 73 of them, are you used to it yet?"

"...if that's all I do I'll get used to it even if I don't want to."

On the other hand, the two inside Elysion finally left the forest.

He left the countless monsters they encountered along the way (or
rather lured them at her) to the silver-haired girl and as a result, her skill
with a bow improved in a short while. Since Shio's opponents were all
disgusting monsters, her mood worsened significantly.

She got used to moving in cyber world and was able to defeat the
enemies they encountered with room to spare.

Then after an hour of walking through the forest the two finally reached
the exit.

"Why is there a gate at the forest's exit?"

"No idea. It's probably the creator's hobby. Even so, it is a ridiculously
huge gate."

The two of them stopped by the forest's exit and looked up the huge
gate. Ahead of them was a cliff, and there was no other route that could
be used.

And, as the two of them waited, a large window emerged in front of the
gate.

〈"『Forest of Silence』 completed, congratulations. If you proceed, the

tutorial will be finished. If you journey to a new location, adjusting your
equipment will be left to your own discretion and you're free to do as
you please."〉

As the voice message finished, the heavy gate slowly opened.

〈"Now then, please enjoy your second life in 《Aries》."〉

Beyond the door there was only light. It simply seemed 'fantasy-like'.

"...shall we go?"

www.asianovel.com
306

"...yes."

They looked at each other and took a step towards the light at the same
time.

〈"——Move"〉

Immediately after that he experienced something he felt many times

before, it was as if his entire body was being twisted.

When they were able to distinguish colours again, rather than being
surrounded by lush and dense forest vegetation, they were right in the
middle of a city crowded by people.

"Waa〜"

Unconsciously, Shio raised a voice of admiration. Taiga reacted similarly

in the past, he looked at the unfolding spectacle with a surprised
expression.

It was a strange place completely different from cities in the real world.

The first thing that entered their vision was the abundance of nature.
There were rivers running throughout the entire city, non-existing in
reality, trees that emitted seven colours of light arranged all over. The
buildings were fitting for the world, and were fashionably build out of
stone.

In the square where the two were, there was a fountain that ejected
water high up in the air, giving birth to an arched rainbow. On top of it,
there were several people.

It was a town filled with fantasy.

"...I thought I wasn't into fantasy settings but this is somewhat

extraordinary."

Taiga muttered, overwhelmed by the sight of the city.

As he looked up, there was a huge rock floating in the sky and there was
a spiral that connected to the building on top of it. Unconsciously he

www.asianovel.com
307

thought that it went beyond common sense.

It seemed to be quite a big city, according to the map he expanded from

his terminal they seemed to be in the city's centre. On the upper corner
of the map there was it's name written, 《Central District, Central
Kadora》.

And with that, a single question appeared.

"So, what do I do now?"

According to the announcement at the gate, the tutorial was already

over. There will be no more guidance.

"It said 'do as you please' is what it said but..."

"Let's catch someone and ask. Wait a moment."

The two beginners couldn't make any progress alone.

Since it was impossible for Shio who was scared of strangers, Taiga told
her to wait and after choosing a person he started to gather information.

On the other hand, Shio who was waiting for Taiga was looking around.

What entered her field of view were objects made with transparent ores
and trees glowing in seven different colours, they were things that didn't
exist in the real world.

But they weren't the only thing that caught Shio's attention. Even
ordinary boulevards bustling with people and the noisy atmosphere were
the first experience for her, who was always confined in the mansion.

"There's a lot of people here... I wonder if all cities are like that."

From the middle of the main street, Shio continued to look at the city
around her.

With her pure white skin and revealing clothes Shio stood out. But she
was carried away by the sight of the city and didn't care about her
surroundings.

www.asianovel.com
308

That's why she didn't notice people that started to stare at her, that was
also why she wasn't aware of people flocking to her.

"Eh, what is it...——ah!!"

Absorbed while looking forward at a huge tower in the distance, Shio

took a step forward and collided with a man next to her who wore black
clothes on his entire body. She fell on her butt and immediately tried to
apologize——

"...to stand in my way, what a foolish little girl."

Hearing the man's words, her heart groaned.

It was just an accident. It was just a little incident that should have
ended with a single apology.

But the man's eyes, they looked down on her as if she was an insect,
those pupils roused memories from depths of her heart.

"Aaa...aa..."

——Why are you so incompetent.

The words her father said to her while having the same look in his eyes,
haunted her in the form of auditory hallucinations.

"A bow from the initial equipment... hmph, a newbie. Weak small fries
like you shouldn't tempt fate and watch how you walk. You're an
eyesore."

The man's attitude was abnormally overbearing. He thought of himself

as absolute.

As she heard more of his offensive speech and attitude, the more her
emotional scars opened.

The surrounding people were just looking at it from a distance.

"Hey, look that guy's the A-rank..."

"Yeah, it's Tokuma... better not to get involved, let's go."

www.asianovel.com
309

And with that, none dared to meddle between the two of them.

The ranting man who was standing in front of terrified Shio clicked his
tongue.

"...tch. Hey, are you listening——"

"Yes, that's enough."

The man extended his hand towards Shio, and then Taiga grabbed his
hand and entered separating them.

"Who the fuck are you."

"I'm with this girl. This is enough. You're going too far, she only bumped
into you."

Taiga released his hand and crouched. He sandwiched Shio's cheeks

between his two hands as she repeated "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." with an
empty look in her eyes and made an eye contact.

"Shio, look over here. ——Shio!"

"...O...Onii...-san...?"

"Are you all right? Come on, stand up."

As he gradually raised the volume of his voice, Shio's eyes finally noticed
Taiga. And as he attempted to take her hand to help her rise, the rude
man reached towards her again.

"Wait, that woman still has to——ghu?!"

"——Cut it out you bastard."

Taiga grabbed his hand again and squeezed it with enough force to
crush his wrist.

He cast him a glare, releasing his caged blood lust causing the man to
unconsciously step backwards. And when the man noticed that fact, his
expression turned furious.

www.asianovel.com
310

"You bastards... mere insects like you think you can stand against me!"

The man shook off Taiga's hand and put it on a sword he had by his
waist. At the same time Taiga placed his hand on the nodachi. That's
when a man came out from the audience.

"Leave it at that, Tokuma. If you pull out a sword in the city, even if
you're an A-rank I won't remain silent. Babel is close too, should I call
someone from the management?"

"...tch!"

After hearing those words, the man called Tokuma clicked his tongue
and walked away after giving Taiga and Shio a dreadful glare.

After Tokuma disappeared in the crowd, the man whispered to Taiga.

"The two of you stand out too much. It's better if you leave as soon as
possible."

"...looks like it."

Wondering what happened, people started to gather around them. It

didn't seem like things would settle down like that.

Taiga said his thanks to the man, took Shio's hand and quickly left the
spot.

Part 4
After walking through the main street for five minutes they entered a
small passage, and finally caught a breath.

"You should be able to calm down here, right...? Shio, are you all right?"

"Y-yes... thank you, Onii-san."

As Shio fixed her breathing, Taiga thought about the previous incident.

The man from before, he was called Tokuma... an A-ranker, he's also a
qualification holder isn't he. He had a seriously screwed-up personality.

www.asianovel.com
311

One of the strongest guys in the Aries, there was only a hundred of them
among the players. A player that's allowed to go on suppression
missions against viruses——that's a qualification holder.

"His arrogance probably comes from that..."

"? Onii-san, what do you mean by that?"

"That Tokuma guy, he thinks he can bully weaker people just because
he's strong. Seriously, to think that's the reason he acts so bossy. How
ridiculous."

A brute that immersed himself in the sense of superiority in his small

world——there were people like that in Renjou as well. To think there
were people like that in this game.

"...isn't that normal?"

Suddenly, Shio muttered that.

"Mm? What did you say?"

"——Isn't it obvious that weak people are going to be treaded upon? At

least for me, it reminded me of Hime-chan."

Hidden in those words was a strong feeling contradicting her tone.

What kind of past did she have to be able to say words like that. As if it
was an absolute truth, Shio stared at Taiga with a cold look in her eyes.

Taiga was at a loss, not knowing how to answer.

Those words were definitely related to the problem between Shio and
Fuyuki. That's why he couldn't find an appropriate answer. He fixed his
breathing, and just when he attempted to answer Shio,

That's when a ringtone was emitted from his terminal. The callers name
was——Kiritou Haya.

"What now, at a time like this... Shio, go towards that big tower over
there. I'll catch up soon."

www.asianovel.com
312

"That spiral tower?"

"Yeah. That's where you can go through rank-up procedure. So go ahead

and leave me for a moment."

"Okay, I got it."

With that said, Shio started walking towards the giant tower that was
piercing the sky. He sent her off and didn't try to hide his displeased look
as he accepted the call.

"Yes yes, Tenryo here——"

〈"You're slow!! Pick it up faster!!"〉

That moment, he thought his eardrums died.

〈"When you see it's a call from me you should answer immediately!! I
don't have time to spare——Taiga, why are you blocking your ears?"〉

"You ask...why...seriously Haya...don't shout...with your volume...set at

max..."

What rushed into his ears was no longer a voice, it was bombardment
made with sound. It was probably because it was set to maximum, but
the sound exceeded even the Grim Reaper's sonic attack and it still
resounded in his bones, his visibility shook as well.

"Ah—shit... a sound this loud completely stunned me..."

"...are you all right?"

Taiga stood up while ignoring the sound still ringing in his head and
looked at the window displaying the caller again.

"So, what is it?"

〈"Oh, yeah. Taiga, do you have any time to spare?"〉

"No, there's something I have to do——"

〈"You don't have time? Then find some. Or rather, make some time for

www.asianovel.com
313

me right now."〉

"Isn't that kind of unreasonable?!"

〈"I won't accept a negative answer or complaints. I've stuff piled up and
I don't have enough time."〉

Not enough time——after hearing those words he noticed big bear-like

circles under Haya's eyes that and that her complexion was worse than
before.

"Hey Haya. When was the last time you slept?"

〈"A lot of work has piled up. I don't have time to sleep."〉

She worked both as the school's student council president and as a

researcher affiliated with the Kiritou Group. Just that was enough of hard
work, but now Haya had more work forced on her. Indeed, she might not
have time to sleep.

"...make sure to secure some sleep time. At this rate you'll pass out."

〈"Thanks for your advice. I do have intentions of adjusting it.

——Actually there's work I want you to do that involves Aries."〉

"Is it fine if I do it?"

〈"Even though I said it's work, it's just an investigation. I'll send you
details via mail so make sure to check it."〉

"Wait wait. I didn't say I'll do it——"

〈"Ooh. If Taiga takes this off my shoulders, I'll be able to take a break〜

But if a certain someone refuses, I'll have to stay up all night again〜"〉

"Guh..."

With a proud look on her face that was her specialty, she cut in the
middle as Taiga spoke. He was the one who told her to secure some
sleep time. If he refused here he would turn out to be a man who's only
good at talking.

www.asianovel.com
314

〈"Then, I leave it to you—♪ "〉

In the end she made a wicked smile right before the window
disappeared.

Taiga made a huge sigh. It's been only two weeks since they met, but
Haya's insolence was getting worse.

"What am I, an errand boy?"

Originally, the one acting as her helper was the AI ・Iora. But it seemed
like she was allowed to act freely 'to learn about society'. It was
enviable, to be released from that tyrant.

And, another sound came from the terminal. It should be the mail Haya
spoke about earlier.

"Umm... and the content is... what's this?"

The first word that he noticed after expanding the text was———'Angel'.

He didn't want to read it, but since it was sent to him, he could no longer
ignore it. He looked through it reluctantly.

To summarize briefly contents of the job.

For a week now, it seemed like a program of an unknown origin was

circling around the structures Kiritou operated. It didn't seem
problematic in itself, but it seemed that this program disrupted the
game system, it was viewed as a potential danger by Kiritou and they
started an investigation.

And the author of the program called himself 'Angel'.

The work was to collect information on 'Angel'. The program was

scattered all over the structures, and Taiga was in charge of 《Aries》, or
so it seemed.

This work, it seems like something an underling would do...

He didn't know whether it was forced on her or she picked it by herself,

www.asianovel.com
315

but it seemed like she couldn't be picky with her jobs.

"...I'll ask while I'm touring around with Shio. Even so, 『Angel』 eh. That's
just like the Grim Reaper, it seems like this world is full of stories like
that."

He murmured that happily, and started to walk towards the spiral.

——A huge tower located in the middle of 《Aries》, 《The management

tower》 known as 《Babel》. It was a facility players often use, the only
place you can access the management from within structure. This was
the place the rank-ups were performed and also the place where you
could buy attack-configured programs, it was possible to perform
various procedures inside.

"Welcome to the management tower. How can I help you?"

When Taiga stepped into the tower's interior, one of the women standing
at the entrance called out to him.

She had green hair that nearly reached the ground and was very
beautiful. There were ten women with cold smiles on their faces, no, to
be exact there were ten bodies.

AI...MR-7 was it?

It seemed like that was how Fuyuki called them. Although it was a
humanoid drone with mechanical body at that time. It could do both
housework and office work, it was used for a variety of chores and
matters such as reception, it seemed to be used in many areas.

"A person should have been here a while ago. Her name was Shio, she
probably wanted a rank-up."

"Please wait a moment, the person in question was directed to the

thirty-third practice field after finishing the procedure. If it pleases you,
shall I guide you?"

www.asianovel.com
316

"Please."

Taiga followed the AI that went ahead and began to climb the spiral
staircase.

There was free space on every floor, they were places the players used
to chat. The further he went the amount of players increased.

"What is up there?"

"The Arena is located on the top floor. It's a place where players can
compete against each other under the variety of conditions, anyone can
participate."

"An arena... I'll go and take a look after I collect some information."

After a few minutes, he arrived in front of the door that was marked with
number 33, the female AI bowed and left. Taiga opened the door and
heard a noise of something cutting through the air coming from inside.

He recognized the sound of an arrow.

The released arrow hit the centre of the target located twenty metres
away and exploded with a small popping sound.

"You've improved a lot. It's completely different from when you first
entered."

As he called out, Shio trembled for a moment and then slowly looked
behind. It might have been because of the conversation before, but she
had a dark expression.

"...the performance augmentation was improved because I became a D-

rank, that's all. It's not a real strength."

"Not all of it is fake. Shio's aim is improving right?"

"...is...that so... Did Onii-san rank up as well? The condition is to break

through that forest and come to the city, so did Onii-san also become a
D-rank?"

www.asianovel.com
317

"No, I want to stay as I am for now."

I would become weaker instead——is what he refrained himself from

saying.

For Taiga who had an abnormal physical ability far beyond a normal
person's, the system that was augmenting players ability would bring
the opposite effect. If his nerve connections were disconnecting after he
got serious as an E rank, that meant there was no point in increasing it.

"Then, we're going outside already?"

"About that, there's a place I want to visit. Do you mind if we take a

detour?"

"Since you've been helping me out this entire time I don't mind it at all.
Ah, but it'll be lunchtime soon."

"Then we can take a break. Let's meet here in an hour."

Taiga opened the window to start the log-out process. What should I eat〜
as he thought of Master's cuisine, he heard a faint voice.

"...don't you want to know about my and Hime-chan's relationship?"

A quiet, barely audible murmur.

He knew Shio would eventually ask that question, Taiga answered

quietly.

"I've told you at the beginning right. I won't ask you about it. It's
something between you and her, that's something the two of you need
to solve amongst each other... am I wrong?"

"...there's no need to solve anything... nothing at all."

After saying that, Shio returned to the real world.

"...looks like it won't be easy."

Taiga who was left behind sighed in secret, and followed her logging out
as well.

www.asianovel.com
318

Translator's Notes and

References
1. ↑ He says here "let's challenge" in English.

www.asianovel.com
319

Vol. 2 :

Chapter 3

Part 1
"Fuu..."

Inside of a dim room from which light had already disappeared from,
Shio slowly opened her eyes.

Her mind was still agitated after she experienced an entertainment

structure for the first time, smouldering heat was leaving her body and
she took deep breaths repeatedly.

Shio waved her arms lightly to clear her thinking. In conjunction with her
movements the lights were turned on, at the same time the Arclight was
turned off.

"...I sweated a lot."

Although that was in the Elysion, it was because she wasn't used to
moving that much. Her camisole was drenched with sweat, sticking to
her skin, and her skin colour could be clearly seen through it. Although
she wiped her entire body with the towel she prepared, she still felt
discomfort.

I'll take a bath first, then have a lunch.

She was alone in her broad room.

www.asianovel.com
320

There was an Arclight and a bed, it was a simple room with minimum
furniture. That was the place she was living in.

——One corner of the four major cyber-related corporates, 'Karasuba'.

Even if there were people who still didn't know Kiritou's name, there
were no people who didn't know the name of Karasuba. That's how large
of an enterprise it was. Karasuba Shio was the granddaughter of its
company head and the second daughter of its current president.

Unlike Fuyuki who was an adopted daughter using the Karasuba name,
she was a daughter descending from a 'Noble Lineage'.

Shio changed into appropriate clothes and draped a coat on her

shoulders before she left the room.

Karasuba owned grounds was the size of a small town and her room was
inside of the head family's manor.

Through the window there were several visible buildings serving as

research facilities and behind those buildings were huge headquarters
towering over them.

It wasn't visible from where Shio was looking now, but on the other side
there is the reception hall of the internal education facility 《Bird Cage》
and its various facilities that were dispersed.

Partially because it was a holiday, but there were less people in the
mansion than usual. Judging from the appearance, Shio was the only one
from the head family in there, everyone else there was a servant.

"My lady, Princess Shio is staying at home again... even her other
siblings are all at laboratories researching..."

"Master and mistress are going to scold her again..."

Along the way, she heard the servants chatting. Shio shut her heart
ignoring the negative chatter.

Aren't they getting bored of repeating the same thing every time...?

www.asianovel.com
321

Again and again and again and again, that talk continued on a daily
basis, these words no longer hurt her but still, somewhere in her heart
she felt worn out.

Shio had an older brother, older sister, and a younger sister.

The three siblings besides Shio were already acting as researchers and
have attained remarkable achievements——they were being called
'Geniuses'.

Children of Karasuba didn't play like normal children would, they don't
attend school. To become people that stand above everyone else, they
are subjected to special thorough education from a young age.

They were trained in different subjects. But what was the most
important among them was the cyber technology. The only thing that
mattered was that they had to have excellent results, that was all.

From a very young age they desperately polished their techniques at the
expense of everything else.

———And despite all of that, Shio had no talent at all.

It took her siblings only a week to learn what she had to study for three
months. No matter how much effort she put in, she couldn't even see
her siblings' backs.

And then, the place 'Karasuba Shio' belonged to slowly faded away.

Shio entered the dressing room, quickly undressed and entered the
absurdly huge bathroom.

Her other family members settled on just using the shower, the only one
who used the bath on a regular basis was Shio. It turned into a situation
where the bathtub was exclusively hers.

www.asianovel.com
322

"Hafuu〜...this is really calming〜"

She soaked in hot water from which white steam rose, and let out a
voice.

The warm water was not only pleasant. She also had a sense of freedom
no one else knew, it was healing Shio's heart.

She relaxed her body releasing all her strength, and floated as the
watery sounds filled the air.

For just a moment Shio felt an unbearable weakness no one knew of. All
the unpleasant feelings melted away in the hot water and her head
became empty——is how it should have been. That's how it normally
was.

...it turned out really weird.

She thought about her first time in 《Aries》, reminded of how she was
travelling with the boy who claimed to be Fuyuki's brother.

Even now when she closed her eyes she was reminded of the feeling she
had as she released an arrow from her bow, she recalled the sight of
arrows flying straight and penetrating through monsters.

www.asianovel.com
323

It was supposed to be a way to kill time. She obtained a free pass by

chance (or rather it was forced on her). She didn't throw it away because
it would be a waste, that's all.

But because of that whim, she was reunited with a friend from her past.

I wonder if that was fate...

Even though the hot water should have warmed her up, her heart was
cold.

She wanted to ignore all of these feelings, but she couldn't get
accustomed to pain that easily.

The pain she felt in her heart seven years ago as her dreams and hopes
were all shattered, it encroached her body slowly, like poison.

Ever since then she didn't expect anything, she wasn't entertained by
anything, she just lived her life while remaining idle. She thought her
own life had no value, that's how it was. However...

...it was fun.

These few hours she spent today were really fun. It was very enjoyable,
even though at some point it became as painful as it was when she was
betrayed, she still wondered 'What is going to happen next?' with high
expectations.

Just a little more, let's continue for a while longer——Shio closed her
eyes and entrusted her body to the hot water once again.

Part 2
After an hour passed since the break started, Taiga returned to 《Aries》.

〈"——Log in."〉

An inorganic voice announced, and he opened his eyes. What he saw

was the interior of 《Babel》's thirty-third training grounds.

He had a meal in Paradise which as usual, had no other customers. He

www.asianovel.com
324

washed away the sweat and his body was in perfect condition.

Then, he heard the sound of an explosion nearby.

He wondered just how long she had been going at it. Shio was shooting
her arrows at the target which was located forty meters away while
maintaining a light breathing. Even though there was compensation it
was difficult, about 40% of her arrows hit the centre of it.

Despite that, it seemed like she made a steady progress as compared to

herself from before the break.

Hey hey... then why did we have an hour long break to rest. There's no
point if she doesn't rest is there.

Not noticing that Taiga has logged in, Shio continued to shoot one arrow
after another.

She didn't grow as an archer, it wasn't like she grasped it intuitively. Her
progress was from the very beginning until the very end a result of her
efforts.

Not knowing what to do, and only repeating the same thing over and
over again. Standing in the middle of pitch black darkness and exploring
everything with touch. A human who only knew how to do it that way,
when it came to efficiency she was clumsy it looked as if her thinking
circuits were removed.

It's impressive that she was able to improve and reach that level by
doing such a thing.

Taiga was shocked, but he didn't hate that kind of thing.

Not having a place for himself, having to be strong to finally get out of
there. Without anyone to rely on, unable to ask anyone for
guidance——his old self overlapped with her, Taiga couldn't keep
watching or leave her alone.

"...Shio, put less strength in from your shoulders."

www.asianovel.com
325

"Ee...Onii-san?! I'm sorry, is it time already?"

"It's fine, just do it."

He cut in the middle of her apology and prompted her to take the
posture.

Panicking Shio tried to pull the string with all her force, she was still stiff.

"You're putting too much strength considering the target is at that

distance. Remember the first arrow you hit in the forest. That much
strength is enough, what's left is technique. Yes, breathe slowly."

Just as she'd been told, Shio took a very deep breath while holding the
arrow. Three times, four times she repeated that and the strength faded
from her body.

Taiga continued to instruct her.

"Don't narrow your eyes, like that you won't be able to see the target
too well if you burden your eyes too much, your concentration will
decrease. Control yourself and your breathing. You must have rhythmic,
shallow breathing. If your breath is too deep you will draw out too much
strength, and if your breath is too shallow you won't have enough
oxygen and your thinking will be blurry. It might be difficult at first, but
you should try to keep your breathing as natural as possible."

Shio followed Taiga's instructions and fixed both her breathing and
vision.

She only saw the contour of the target that was forty meters away, the
dot in the very middle of it was practically invisible.
Seeing Shio anxious like that, Taiga continued to speak.

"You don't need any more information about the target. You know
roughly how big is it and what its shape is, it's fine if you shoot at it and
just adjust your aim accordingly. What's important right now is to grasp
the feeling. Like that you will be able to hit the place you aim at."

"...yes."

www.asianovel.com
326

"Stop your breathing for a moment right before you release the arrow, it
will stop your body from making small movements and help you to
retain the aim. However, you can't stop your breathing for too long, if
you decide to shoot then go through with it immediately."

Following the rhythm inside her head. Shio aimed her arrow straight.
She stopped her breathing for a moment and immediately released the
arrow!

*clank*——the arrow cut through the air and pierced in a place right
beside the dot in the centre. Shio unconsciously murmured "I've done
it!!", and Taiga saw her happy smile.

"Let's continue. How about we see what will happen if you follow the
rhythm?"

"Yup!"

Shio replied vigorously and readied another arrow.

Taiga fixed the parts he felt were bad one by one and eventually when
the number of arrows shot reached fifty she was able to hit nearly every
arrow near the middle.

Her body has a natural posture, rhythm, just as she was taught. She's a
good learner.

It was the first time he taught someone who perfectly listened to his
instructions like that.

Any human would have some kind of habit that would surface to a
certain degree, and that habit would upset what he taught them.

But without tendencies of her own, she absorbed Taiga's words like
wool. At that pace she would improve in no time.

"Shio, let's stop here. We'll continue with monsters as our opponents."

"Uu... it'll be harder than worms. I wonder If I can do it...?"

"Hitting them isn't that hard. Well, though to get a good aim you need to

www.asianovel.com
327

read an opponent's movements."

The basics don't change, only an additional element is added.

"...oh right. Onii-san, you said you had a place you wanted to go to?"

"Yeah, I've been asked something troublesome of an acquaintance. It's

the arena on the top floor.

《Aries' Management Tower》, users call it by a name 'Babel'.

Even with that said, the amount of people who were here to contact
management or get a rank-up were at most a hundred. So what were all
the other players doing here? Their aim was to visit the top floor of the
Babel. On top of the giant rock floating in the sky above the tower
was——an 《Arena》.

"So this is the arena."

"The atmosphere is amazing... also, it's noisy."

The moment they entered after speaking with the transfer staff on the
top of the spiral staircase, Taiga and Shio were forcibly blown away to
the amphitheatre. As two people appeared on the edges of the stage, a
loud applause rumbled, it felt like an earthquake.

The 《Arena》 reminded of the Colosseum from the middle ages. However
it was inside of the Elysion, so it was not normal.

Placed in the middle of the arena, as if having a leading role was a

sparkling, mysterious crystal sphere. It was a projector that reflected
several three-dimensional images from nothingness.

Their number was five in total. They were broadcasting battles in real-
time in five different locations for each one.

"I might be no good with this..."

"That's true it might be hard for Shio since you're very shy. But what's

www.asianovel.com
328

with this amount of people. Do they have nothing better to do?"

Responding to Taiga's condescending tone Shio put on a wry smile.

The audience that consisted of over five hundred people cheered and
taunted as they pleased. Honestly, they were really noisy. It seemed like
it was hard on Shio as she was in a state where her legs were unsteady.

"I feel as if I was drunk...auu..."

"Oops. Shio, are you alright?"

He supported Shio's body who almost collapsed onto her knees. At that
time, he touched her shoulders that were strangely exposed by the
hunter costume.

Whoa... what's this, her skin is too white...

No extra flesh at all and spotless beautiful skin.

So white it seemed like it would melt on touch, so brittle it seemed like it

would spill on touch.

After touching her, he saw her in a new light.

"...Onii-san?"

She looked up towards him with slightly red cheeks, it might have been
because of the enthusiasm in this place. A drop of red in the middle of
pure white, naturally it was her eyes that attracted him with their
diabolical charm.

"——!! Come on, let's look for a vacant seat, you can lean on me."

"Yes... thank you, Onii-san."

After unconsciously staring at her in admiration, he looked away in a

hurry and started to look for a vacant seat Shio could rest on. With that
said, since it was both daytime and a holiday it seemed to be a very
busy time so there was no convenient seat they could use.

As Taiga worried about what to do, that's when a man approached.

www.asianovel.com
329

"Oh, isn't it the two from before! What a coincidence!"

"...?"

A man two, three times older casually spoke to them, Taiga tilted his
neck. Wondering, where did I see this guy before?

"Hey hey, did you forget me already? Earlier today, on the main
street——"

"...ah! The guy who came in to mediate!"

When they had a dispute with the man called Tokuma, he didn't just
stand around and dived in. Because the only thing he was thinking about
back then was to calm Shio, he didn't look at his face.

"That's quite a fast reunion."

"Hahaha, this might be destiny. Speaking of which, I still haven't

introduced myself. I'm Leon, nice to meet you."

"Leon? A foreigner?"

"Onii-san. It's not a real name. It's a secondary name used in Elysion. It's
a temporary name used to hide the real name. It's probably the same for
that Tokuma person."

"...in other words, a pseudonym?"

"Hey hey, from what age did you come from that you don't know about
the second name?"

Leon was amazed. Unfortunately Taiga didn't have any contact with the
cyber world. Since neither Fuyuki nor Rui taught him about it, it was
impossible for him to know.

"It's not like there's a reason to hide it. I'm Taiga, nice to meet you."

"Taiga, is it. By the way, that girl appears to be sick, is she alright?"

"This atmosphere doesn't serve her too well. I was trying to find a place
for her to sit, but there's none so I'm kinda troubled."

www.asianovel.com
330

"Then I know a good place. Not only you can sit down there, but it's also
quiet unlike this place. If you're fine I can guide you?"

Leon's proposal was like a rescue boat. However, there was a single
question.

"...a place like that, where is it?"

"Participants waiting room below. Normally, unrelated people can't use

it, but since the clan is not using it now you can stay there until the
match ends. Do you know what a clan is?"

"It's an English word for family however... but it doesn't seem to be the
case here."

"It's not wrong if you think of it as a kind of group. It's a party of four or
more players. I'm the leader of a clan called 《Lion Alliance》. Well, we're
a weak clan with only four members. Eh, I ended up talking about
unnecessary things. Let me guide you to the waiting room."

As he said that, Leon passed through the audience and headed towards
the stairs installed near the outer wall. Taiga determined that having
Shio get some rest was top priority, he placed his arms around Shio and
picked her up before following Leon.

"O-Onii-san! I can walk by myself!"

"What are you saying, didn't you fall down. Just a little longer so don't
make a fuss and bear with it. By the way Shio, you're way too light, you
should eat more meat."

"Uu...stupid Onii-san..."

Probably embarrassed, Shio's face was dyed scarlet and she lowered her
head. Taiga, surprised by how light her body was held in his arms, felt
like dropping her would be unforgivable.

They walked through a corridor located below the audience seats until
Leon stopped his feet.

www.asianovel.com
331

"We're here, this is our waiting room."

Guided by Leon they arrived and entered a simple room.

There was a projecting sphere just like the one in the field's center and it
was surrounded by chairs. Taiga helped Shio to sit down and bowed his
head to Leon.

"Sorry, you saved me."

"Thank you, Leon-san."

"Don't mention it. ...but why did you come to the Arena? Let me tell you
first, fights here are too hard for beginners alright?"

"I didn't come here to participate. I've been asked to investigate

something by a tyrannical ojou-sama. I just thought I would find
something in a place full of people."

The fact that Kiritou was involved was the most he could say, he
shouldn't talk about his connections any more than that. Especially not
in a place where people might have some information.

"Is that so. By the way, what are you investigating?"

"It's about a guy called 『Angel』 who appeared recently."

"Yeah. Something about bestowing whatever we wish for. Or

something..."

"You know something?"

"Just from the rumours. I never saw him myself."

"That's fine. Just tell me."

"Sure thing. First——uh, wait a second. Leon speaking..."

It seemed like he had a call, Leon started to talk after turning his back to
the two.

As the room became silent, Taiga glanced to check on Shio's state. It

www.asianovel.com
332

seemed like she settled down quite a bit, her cheeks weren't as red as
before either.

"You look better now."

"Yup, it's all thanks to Onii-san. What's the 『Angel』 you mentioned
before?"

"A guy who's said to have scattered around a strange program. I am

supposed to investigate why he did that. ...that Haya, forcing people to
work. She better rest properly."

"...eh?"

Hearing Taiga speak Shio tilted her head, she felt like she knew the
name he just spoke.

"Must be a different person, right?

She got curious and asked honestly.

"By Haya, do you mean Kiritou Haya-san?"

"What, you know her? Oh right, you're both children from the four major
corporates. You must be acquainted."

"We just exchanged greetings once at a party. Oh right. The one who's
given me a free pass and recommended 《Aries》 was Haya-san, she said
her acquaintance uses it..."

"That's definitely about me. In other words, what? The reason Shio came
to 《Aries》, was because of me?"

What a coincidence, no, it was inevitable.

The fact that Taiga and Shio met in 《Aries》 might have been fate.

"That's really surprising... but a party eh. Seems like Shio participates in
such a thing as well."

"Nnn. It was the first time in a while since I participated in one. That's
because a drop-out like me is just a nuisance at home."

www.asianovel.com
333

For Karasuba she was only a disposable tool. Also, a tool of little
value——that's what Shio seriously thought.

Ever since her parents said 'That girl only has good looks so let's have
her marry as fast as possible'——she learned just how much a person
called Karasuba Shio was worth, she was now only a 'Tool for political
marriage'.

Taiga wanted to say 'be more confident' but he swallowed those words.
That wasn't what he should be saying now.

No matter what, that seems way too irresponsible...

Because he didn't know anything about her past.

"HA?! W-wait a minute! You, don't you know how important this day is?!"

Then, Leon who was talking in the corner of the room suddenly raised
his voice in panic. The atmosphere for the conversation disappeared, the
two looked at each other.

"You didn't know... didn't I fucking tell you that before?! The clan
matches are for four people, if even one person is missing——Wait, I said
wait, hey!?"

It seemed like the caller suddenly disconnected, and Leon's voice

resounded throughout the room not reaching him.

"Leon-san, what happened?"

"Seems like it's something troublesome... hey, Leon! What is it?"

"...last minute cancellation."

"Ha?"

"Today's match, we aren't able to participate without four members and

as it suddenly turns out one member can't come... even though it was
determined there will be a match a month ago."

Seeing him fall into a slump like that, it seemed like he really looked

www.asianovel.com
334

forward to today's game.

"Can't you ask someone else to stand in?"

"《Lion Alliance》 is a clan that has only four members, we don't have any
substitutes. And there's no time to look for one——"

That's when Leon stopped talking, and his line of sight was cast towards
Taiga.

Taiga had a bad premonition, he wanted to take Shio and leave the
room but——

"I beg you Taiga! Participate in the game instead!"

"...it turned out like this after all."

He was a bit too slow.

"There's no one else but you! Hey, I beg you!"

"You're the one who said it'll be too hard for me. What are you doing,
inviting me after saying that?"

"Just this time we can overlook it! Anyone who can increase the head
count is fine!"

"Hey hey..."

No matter what, that's suiting himself too much.

"Is it fine even if we lose?"

"Since we're participating we have no intention to lose! Rather than

admit defeat without fighting, I'd rather participate with a handicap! Of
course, I won't tell you to do it for free. If you participate, then me and
my acquaintances will collect information about 『Angel』!"

"...mm."

Because of that condition, his resolve started to falter.

For Taiga himself there was no profit from it, however there could be

www.asianovel.com
335

some for that scheming young lady. If he continued to collect

information at this rate and took too much time, he would be showered
by a barrage of insults.

Moreover, Leon not only helped them in the morning, but Taiga was also
indebted to him for lending a room for Shio to rest in. He would feel
horrible if he were to decline.

Also, it's not like he didn't have any interest in PvP.

"...tell me more details."

"You'll participate?!"

"For the time being, explain everything to me. If it's too weird, I'm not
going out there."

Even if he was pulled in by Leon for numbers, he had no intention of

pulling his punches. That's why he wanted to know if he will be useful
before agreeing to it.

"If you want specifics... I can't explain it to you because I don't know
them myself yet."

"Hey hey..."

Not knowing why he didn't know the contents of the game despite being
a participant, Taiga was shocked. But it seemed like Leon had a good
reason for that.

"Don't jump to conclusions. It's not just us. None of the participants
know the content of the game until the start is signalled. That's the real
thrill of 《UNKNOWN》."

According to Leon's explanation.

Participants don't know the rules until the very last moment. Rules are
different every time, in some cases the rules upset them greatly——it
was held only once a month. Arena's most popular event the
《UNKNOWN》.

www.asianovel.com
336

"The registration will be over soon, and they will announce the rules for
the first time. Also, there was a special rule that was changed from the
old 『Rank Bonus Reversal』 to 『Movement Speed』 whatever it means."

"Fuun... and the number of participants?"

"This time it's ten groups of four people, so a total of forty. Victory
conditions sometimes change, but usually its defeating all other groups
besides your own. It's really simple, I'll take care of all last minute
details."

While saying that, Leon deployed a window and sent it over to Taiga.

Among all that was written there, the thing that made Taiga curious was
a sentence that stood out since it was written in red.

"So what's the prize for winning this?"

"An update program for attack-configured programs. It seems to

drastically power up a weapon. The rewards for participating now seem
to be really great this time."

"Hee..."

With these words, Taiga glanced at Shio. She was resting while sitting on
a chair and looking curiously at the projection sphere floating in the
middle of the room.

"Let me confirm one thing. Even if we lose you will help me to collect
information right?"

"I promise you that."

"Then I'll participate."

"Yeah!! Then right now it's most important to send the party application
to other members! I'm going to explain the circumstances to the other
members now!"

After saying just that Leon turned into an incredibly hurried state, he
immediately expanded a window in front of Taiga.

www.asianovel.com
337

〈"A party request has been filed by player Leon. Do you accept it?"〉

Taiga tapped YES, his name was added to the Leon's and the other two
members names that appeared. Taiga seemed to have become a
member of their party.

"In that case Shio, can you wait for a while? I'll end it in a flash and come
back."

"Y-yes. That's fine but... Onii-san, are you really participating?"

"It seems interesting. Is Shio against it?"

"...beginners like us will be only tread upon by the strong people."

Again. Those eyes again.

Trusting in those words as if it was an absolute truth, eyes of someone

whose heart was crushed. Not attempting to deny or struggle against
it——eyes of a human who lost all hope after confronting reality.

"You won't win anyway, so it's better not to participate at all. The one
who will be laughed at after losing won't be Leon-san, but Onii-san right?
...no matter how hard you try, you can't win against someone who has a
starting line ahead of you right from the beginning. That's what I think."

For some reason, in Shio's words Taiga heard a heartbreaking cry asking
why does it have to be so.

He couldn't agree to it——that's what he thought instinctively.

"I won't be able to win against higher-ranked people, eh. ...then if I win
this match, that would prove that Shio's thinking is wrong. Alright! I've
got some motivation now!"

"...I'm telling you it's impossible."

"In that case, let's have a bet?"

"A bet?"

"Yeah. Shio will bet that I'm going to lose. I say it'll be just the opposite.

www.asianovel.com
338

The loser is going to do one thing the winner requests of him——how's

that?"

Although Shio looked up at Taiga to find his real intention, but she
couldn't read his thoughts that easily. She gave up after a moment and
reluctantly agreed with a sigh.

"Fine. I'm in. Since Onii-san will lose anyway."

"Is that so. Then, just look at it from there."

Leaving behind the girl who closed her mouth with her head down, Taiga
left the place. He felt slightly guilty.

I feel as if I've cheated her... but this time it couldn't be helped.

Taiga might have been an E-rank, but his strength was that of an A rank
or higher. He worked together with Fuyuki and Rui at subjugating viruses
after all. Other users should be no match for him.

At the end of the corridor the waiting rooms were located at, was the
standby room in which nearly forty players have already gathered. In
one of the corners were the members of 《Lion Alliance》.

"Oh, you're here Taiga. Are you prepared?"

"Yeah. I found a reason to win as well."

Although Leon casually spoke to him, the gazes of the other two were
harsh. It looked like they weren't convinced about Taiga's participation.
Since an E-ranker suddenly joined, it was an obvious response there was
no choice but to show them results.

"It looks like you're fired up, but Taiga is an E-rank and has no chance,
as long as the rules aren't too weird you might be able to hide
somewhere and survive until the end if you're lucky."

Leon started a meeting together with other members, Taiga clenched his
fist and observed the opponents for the time being.

As expected, it was different from reality. He couldn't tell how strong

www.asianovel.com
339

they are just by looking. However, he could tell how familiar they are
with fighting. It was just as people said, experience could be seen in its
own way.

"This seems like it'll be harder than expected. ...hm?"

Suddenly the participants groaned "Why are they...", after he heard that
question he followed their line of sight——there, was a man dressed
completely in black.

"Ugh...!!"

The moment Taiga moved his line of sight and turned towards it he
found the reason other participants were so noisy.

"Hmph, the sight of weaklings stretching their necks looks as annoying

as always."

With such an arrogant face and looking down on others, it wasn't a face
Taiga would ever forget.

It was the A-rank guy they met during the day, his name was Tokuma or
something, a qualification holder.

"That guy is participating as well... it might turn out troublesome.

He understood just from his atmosphere. He had a tyrannical attitude,

but it seemed like he wasn't incompetent. The three members who were
together with Tokuma also seemed pretty tough, though not as much as
he Tokuma himself.

As Taiga observed Tokuma's line of sight, unexpectedly the standby

room's door closed with a loud noise. At the same time, a green crystal
appeared near the ceiling. A voice sounded from it.

〈"Everyone, thank you for waiting for so long. Entries of forty

participants confirmed, I'm happy to announce the rules of this
《UNKNOWN》. Ten seconds after the rules have been disclosed, you will
be automatically transferred to the field."〉

www.asianovel.com
340

Together with the mechanical announcement, windows appeared in

front of the participants.

——— Rules of the 《UNKNOWN》 ———

① Battlefield is 《Sea of Trees》. Battle system is survival.

② Privately owned attack-configured program cannot be used. The only

armament available is one scattered around the field. However, if a
player takes down ten others alone, he will be granted access to use his
privately owned attack-configured program.

③ Damage calculation depends on the rank. However the stats do not

change.

④ Damage dealt depends on the body part hit.

"........................ha?"

Seeing the contents written, Taiga freezed.

It wasn't that he didn't understand the meaning. It was because he

understood that his mind froze.

W-what?! Are they rules specifically aimed at me?!

There were several reasons Taiga who was an E rank could demonstrate
the power of an A rank or even greater.

First, was the attack-configured program he received from Rui

《Heavenly Sword》. And another was his specs far beyond an ordinary
person. With these two elements, Taiga had an offensive power far
beyond his rank.

——In other words, with these characteristics of his sealed, Tenryo Taiga
became a real, weak E-rank.

"Ah—shit, there are some weird rules this time. How are we supposed to

www.asianovel.com
341

defeat those A-rank guys with these conditions... Taiga, for the time
being hide and try to survive. We'll do something about Tokuma."

Leon said something, but Taiga was too stunned after reading the rules
and didn't hear him at all.

Soon after, the room was wrapped in blue light and the players were
blown away to the battlefield.

Part 3
"Not started yet... even though it said that it'll start soon..."

As the participants were being transferred to the field, Shio was left
alone in the waiting room and still looked at the projection sphere
floating in the air. Impatient, she moved her feet up and down hitting
the ground.

Now that I think of it, I've never seen Onii-san fighting... he taught me
how to use the bow, I wonder if he's familiar with that kind of thing?

She lost herself in thought as she waited, and then the projection sphere
unexpectedly began to give off a faint glow. Several windows were
deployed in the centre of the room, a forest full of huge trees was
projected.

〈"3 ・2・1———Match Start."〉

When the countdown finished, players appeared throughout the sea of

trees.

T-that person... the one called Tokuma, was it... and there's Leon-san
over there...

The players armed themselves and started to move one after another. It
looked like despite being from one group, they scattered. She confirmed
the positions of three 《Lion Alliance》 members, but she couldn't find
Taiga.

"I wonder where is Onii-san... waawwa!"

www.asianovel.com
342

When she tried to get rid of a distracting window, suddenly another

small window was expanded. She cautiously checked it, but it seemed
like it was a roster of the game participants.

Near the end of the list she found Taiga's name, when she touched it a
small piece of the window spread out——what was displayed in front of
Shio, was Taiga as he moved.

"...why is he kneeling down?"

Shio tilted her neck.

Despite the fact the game has just began, Taiga's figure was down on
his knees, collapsed on the spot.

《Sea of Trees》.

Just as it's name implied, it looked like a sea of trees towering overhead.
Each of the giant trees' branch was as thick as a train, and intertwined
they created a three dimensional structure.

And another characteristic standing out more than anything else, was a
number of weapons stuck here and there.

But even without looking at them, Taiga dropped down.

Just how bad is my luck...

When he wanted to win, suddenly he got hit by the worst

rules——amazed by his own horrible luck he tried to check the rules
once again to make sure. But of course, there was no change in what
was written there.

When he moved his hand to his hip, there was no nodachi nor its sheath
there.

"...what should I do..."

① and ④ were basic rules, he wasn't particularly interested in those. The

problems were rules ② and ③.

www.asianovel.com
343

——Privately owned attack-configured program cannot be used. The only

armament available is one randomly arranged at the field——

The 《Heavenly Sword》 that became the cornerstone of his attack power
could not be used because of this condition.

When he looked around, he saw weapons stuck here and there. It

seemed like he had to fight using those.

Following was ③, damage calculation depends on the rank.

That meant his specs had no effect on his ability to damage his enemies,
it meant that his rank was being converted into his attack power. Thus
with his body ability a reverse correction was applied. These rules were
the worst for Taiga who didn't increase his rank.

Stats do not change. That's my only salvation...

He tried to move his body lightly, but there was no change to his own
physical ability. Like this, he could run away. It won't be one-sided
situation.

No matter how he broods over it, it can't be helped. With that said, Taiga
proceeded to stand up and discerned the sounds around him.

"Okay, there's no one nearby. For the time being let's join Leon and the
others."

He didn't want to admit it, but it seemed like it was impossible for him to
fight on his own now.

Taiga pulled out a suitable sword that was stuck nearby and began to
carefully go deeper into sea of trees where daylight didn't reach. Since
the risk of being found by enemies on the ground was high, so he
decided on a route on top of the branches above.

He walked and ascertained his prey.

A blade length of about sixty centimetres and about four centimetres

wide. It was a sword called 'Broadsword'.

www.asianovel.com
344

Honestly speaking, he couldn't say he was familiar with this weapon. It's
length and weight was significantly different from the nodachi he usually
used... or rather, it was a one handed sword that's usually combined
with a shield. There was no meaning in using it alone.

Long sword, estoc, spear, axe... there was a lot.

He confirmed various weapons just by walking for a while. But at just a

glance he could tell they were all inferior mass produced ones. He didn't
know much about attack-configured programs, but they were obviously
different from his 《Heavenly Sword》. They were probably all initial
equipment.

Although he tried to find and change for a Japanese sword, since he

couldn't find it he decided to rush ahead. This 《Sea of Trees》 was
broader than he imagined it, he walked for five minutes or more but
couldn't find any other player. Meanwhile he looked at the last rule, and
the damage calculation in PvP.

"Hmm... damage increases for hits above the neck. Normally it means
instant death, but this is virtual reality."

Besides that, it seemed like there was bonus damage for attacks from
behind. It seemed also that if arms or legs are cut or crushed to a
certain level they are disconnected. Another important thing, there was
a set durability for attack-configured programs, if it reaches zero they
break.

Let's check the damage for hitting an enemy above the neck first when I
enter battle——just when he decided that, he heard footsteps in the
front. Taiga erased his presence and moved up the trunk without making
any sounds and waited patiently in a position above the enemy.

Before long, Taiga saw the owner of the footsteps——a man who picked
up a halberd.

Taiga held his breath and waited patiently for the man to pass beneath
him. And the moment he saw his back, he ran down the trunk at top

www.asianovel.com
345

speed attacking his unprotected head from behind!

Got him!

Taiga who completely erased his presence closed the distance like a
snake, and cut the unprotected neck with all the momentum.

It was a perfect blow from an ambush that would blow his head off in the
real world.

Taiga slipped away and quickly checked the opponent's HP. As

expected, instead of being fatal, the damage should be displayed behind
his head——

"...ha?"

A light as small as the tip of his small finger appeared on the gauge
decreasing it, and his hopes were crushed.

Rather than a 1%, it was more like 0.1%. It was so small it wouldn't be
noticed unless you're cautious, it was a really slight change. Not only
Taiga, the one who was cutting, but also the person who was cut was
taken aback by the amount of damage dealt.

"Umm, was that an attack just now?"

"Yeah, well... seems like it."

What followed it, was this ridiculous exchange of words.

The man tilted his neck while rubbing his carotid artery that was cut.
Taiga also made a single step back with an unpleasant feeling, the
halberd's tip was lowered——

"...I don't really get it, but let's defeat you for the time being!"

"So it turns out like that after all!"

Taiga avoided the attack with the halberd and made a step forward
before cutting the man's body. But the blow had no bonus applied to it
so the gauge barely decreased.

www.asianovel.com
346

Knowing that even if he's struck there will be no damage, the man has
thrown away all defence and continued to attack.Taiga showered him
with slashes while parrying his attacks, but it was ineffective.

"This is impossible! Just how many times do I have to cut dammit! The
guy who thought of this rule better be prepared to hear a mountain of
complaints!"

"How about you concentrate instead of talking!"

Taiga complained as the battle continued.

As expected, as it went on not a single enemy attack went through

either. No matter how good his defence was, if he dealt no damage
there was no point.

This can go on forever——eh, what?!

Just when Taiga honestly though about escaping, he sprung back after
sensing the presence of someone else.

"——OOORAAAAAaaAaaaaa."

A black shadow assaulted his enemy with a large sword and sent him
flying with sheer force. The man who was blown away rotated in the air
once and somehow managed to rebuilt his posture as he fell to the
ground and readied himself again.

"Yoo, you alright Taiga?"

"Leon?!"
The one who entered the fight between the two of them was the leader
of 《Lion Alliance》 - Leon. Holding a huge two handed sword in one hand,
he laughed in front of the enemy.

"Hee— I saw it. You're doing really well! Are you really a novice?"

"For the time being. It's been only two weeks since I started. Rather than
that, you've saved me. Sankyu."

"What, it's fine. ——I'll take it from here. Stand back."

www.asianovel.com
347

If he fought as he was now, he had no chances of winning. Knowing that,

Taiga obediently stood back.

Leon thrust his large sword into ground, rotated his shoulders and
vigorously hit his fists in front of his chest. *pam* sounded with a nice
feel, and his playful expression disappeared.

"Now... let's start this."

Leon vigorously pulled out the large sword, and a ferocious smile
reminiscent of a lion appeared on his face.

The man instinctively sensed Leon's intensity, and unlike he was earlier,
he took a proper stance as he confronted him.

The halberd was the first one to move, it was a simple therefore fastest
attack on Leon's head.

It seemed like normally he was using a similarly shaped weapon, also in

Taiga's eyes he was quite good too.

...it's Leon's win.

But, his opponent was the worst.

Leon dodged the fast attack of the halberd, his prey was no match for
him. He twisted his entire body and pounded him with the large sword
he held in both of his hands.

"——DDARAAAAaaaaa!!

The man set up the halberd to defend instantly, but it was pointless
resistance.

With a terrifying momentum the halberd was cleaved in two and

continued to cut the man's body, his gauge indicating HP dropped down
to 0 all at once. The man began to disappear and turned into particles of
light without having time to even raise a voice.

"Splendid. It was a good strike."

www.asianovel.com
348

Taiga applauded Leon who fought in his stead.

Both his offence and defence were impressive. Even though he thought
so ever since he saw him in Arena, but to think he was this good.

"I won't lose to a guy like this. ...also Taiga, I told you to hide right?
Rules this time state that rank is directly linked to abilities. It seems like
you're pretty good, but being an E-rank you stand no chance."

"Looks like it... are you alone?"

"No, I'm together with comrades. We're going to run a plan after
partnering up with another group, you coming with us Taiga?"

"A plan?"

"You saw it as well right? It's a plan to beat that despicable Tokuma."

Leon started walking and prompted him to come as well with his head.
Taiga hurried and stood alongside him, and asked about the mentioned
plan.

"Partnering with another group, what do you mean?"

"The matches in Arena are made for normal players, people who are A-
rank or higher holding qualification don't try to participate. That's
because boss battles are more exciting than arena. But even though it's
rare, there are some cases when qualification holders participate in the
matches for the reward."

Taiga was in fact a qualification holder (or rather his comrade was one),
but he thought it's better to remain silent.

"It's the same for those guys. Tokuma is the leader of a clan that
consists of A-ranks only. He brought those members of his. He's
probably aiming for the prize. Between A-rank and B-rank there's a huge
difference in compensation. We can't win this with a group of four A-
ranks with rules like these."

"So that's why you teamed up with other groups, in that case, your

www.asianovel.com
349

numbers?"

"Five groups including 《Lion Alliance》, that's twenty people."

"So it's half of the total participants. Considering just numbers, you
vastly outnumber four opponents."

"Don't talk nonsense. In fact we had ten more people, but everyone else
was taken down by Tokuma and his group. That's why we better hurry,
otherwise we're fucked. If he takes down ten players by himself and
gains access to his own attack-configured program it'll get out of hand."

Maybe that guy from before was a survivor from that. If that was the
case, then they should have recruited him instead——thought Taiga, but
it was too late now.

Also, just how much were the A-rankers hated, to make twenty people
gang up to beat them.

"I decided to look for you before the operation starts. ...so, let's hurry.
According to schedule it should be starting soo——"

That moment, they heard sounds of metal crossing each other a short
distance away.

Leon and Taiga looked at each other, and started to run at the same
time.

"Taiga you hide! It'll be troubling if you go out in front and die!"

"I can protect my body at the very least!"

"That so! Then do as you want!"

They ran through the forest and jumped from a trunk arriving at the
place the sounds came from.

It was the centre of the forest, it was a big space among the huge trees
that conspicuously stood out. The plan seemed to have begun, players
deployed and surrounded the group of four that included Tokuma and
attacked one after another.

www.asianovel.com
350

"Don't try the impossible you trash...!! Don't bother me!!"

Tokuma growled with his usual arrogant attitude, his stamina was
already down to half. Other members were already at 30% as well. It
was obvious at a single glance they were being pressed.

The attacking players repeatedly disengaged after dealing blows as not

to suffer from a counterattack, they were gradually shaving off the
stamina of the four in the middle. It was a sight that embodied the term
'ganging up'.

"Ah—shit. Seems like I missed everything... isn't it nearly over already."

It was just as Leon said, the battle was already over.

Although they could easily get out from that kind of siege by pressing on
one point of it, but it seemed like they lacked the ability to be calm while
being pressed to the wall by the underdogs. Unless something unusual
occurs, the alliance won't lose here.

The players who formed the siege also thought so, and their movements
turned visibly slower.

That stimulated Tokuma's small pride. Going easy on him. The great
Tokuma, small fries like them——anger boiled within him from the
bottom of his stomach.

And as the offensive relaxed, he noticed something he overlooked.

What he saw, was the boy who underestimated and angered him during
the day, and the man who interfered with his revenge. They stood
behind as if overlooking their plan at work and in their eyes sympathy
could be seen. That was the last blow to him.

Tokuma gripped his sword with all his might——and cut the comrade
who was next to him.

"Wha——...!!"

As everyone stood surprised by the fact he suddenly went mad, Tokuma

www.asianovel.com
351

cut down the others. Their stamina that was already at 30% went to zero
with a single blow and the three turned into particles of light and
disappeared.

"...is he insane?"

Someone murmured.

No matter how much they were cornered, why would someone attack his
comrades. He definitely was crazy——

〈"——Defeating ten players alone confirmed. Privately owned attack-

configured program has been released."〉

What answered them, was the announcement they heard coming from
the sky.

Rule ②——『Privately owned attack-configured program cannot be used.

The only armament available is one randomly arranged at the field.
However, if a player takes down ten opponents alone, he will be granted
access to use his privately owned attack-configured program.』——
There, was no mention indicating it has to be an enemy.

"This is bad... everyone run away!"

Sensing the danger Leon cried out, the other players still didn't
understand the situation and didn't move. Even so, some of them
panicked and tried to escape, Tokuma grasped the handle with a brutal
smile and pulled it out all at once.

"Now, begin the execution 《Cihuacóatl》!!!!!!"

Together with his shout, steel howled.

A jet black long sword has been pulled out. It's blade was ominously
large and extended with a *gichichichi* sound. It's total length was
about twenty metres.

www.asianovel.com
352

"Disappear!!!!"

Tokuma rotated his body once, and the sword swiped like a wave.

A slash completely ignoring a normal sword's reach, the slash cut apart
the players who surrounded him. Every weapon that was raised and on
guard was cut through and the players disappeared with a single blow.

"Whip sword...!! He has something like that as his attack-configured

program!"

Also called a snake sword, a fictional weapon. As its name implied, it

was a whip capable of cutting the opponent.

It's main blade splits up into many smaller blades usually connected by
a wire.

It has both the form of a sword and a whip, it's an armament combining
both close range and medium-range. In recent years thanks to
technology advancement it was no longer a fictional weapon. Still,
twenty meters length was non-standard.

"Hyahahahahaaa!! Thought I'll let ya escapee!!?"

Players finally started to run away, but the sword's blade continued to

www.asianovel.com
353

cut them one after another as if it had its own will. It was no longer a
fight, it turned into a simple execution.

In only ten seconds. The offensive that numbered twenty people was
wiped out leaving only Leon and Taiga.

"...hey hey, seriously?"

The overwhelming difference in strength reached the level of absurd.

*pakin*, Leon unconsciously stepped back and broke a branch with his
foot.

It was too late to say 'what are you doing', the glare was turned towards
them.

""———!!""

Taiga jumped at full power avoiding by hair's breadth but Leon was
slightly too slow to make an evasive maneuver.

"Guaa!?"

Leon was blown away after the whip sword hit his legs, it's power was
increased by centrifugal force.

His HP dropped drastically, there was just 5% remaining. Moreover, the

attack didn't end with that. As the 《Cihuacóatl》[1] means as the name
implied, the blade whip flowed and wound around Leon's body.

"You're first!!!"

The whip sword bent according to Tokuma's arm movement, gaining

momentum and slamming Leon into a big tree. *bang*, with a dull sound
as if an iron ball hit the tree, Leon lost his remaining HP, turned into
particles of light and faded away.

"Leon!! Damn, no good!"

"It's your turn you damn insecttttttttttttttttt!!!"

Although Taiga jumped up and landed on a trunk, the sword's tip

www.asianovel.com
354

immediately came flying after him.

The sword's tip pierced the location Taiga was just at a moment earlier
and broke the trunk that was as thick as a train.

"Uwoooooouahh!?"

After losing his footing Taiga lost his balance as well, and 《Cihuacóatl》
approached him.

He reflexively guarded with the one-handed sword and somehow

deflected it. However the fragile weapon shattered and scattered and
Taiga was blown away flashily.

"Guhh?! Kahaa——"

His back slammed into a tree trunk and he lost his breath for a moment.
Using that opening, 《Cihuacóatl》 approached him mowing down
horizontally.

"——Tsuaaa!"

That moment he used all his strength to hit the trunk, thanks to the
rebound made by that he was able to avoid the slash.

Taiga fell down in accordance to the laws of gravity and quickly

distanced himself disappearing from Tokuma's field of vision.

"Haa...haa...did I manage to lose him...?"

"Where are you hiding!! You're a mere bug so don't bring me any more
trouble!!"

Taiga hid himself and fixed his breathing, he glanced through the gap
between the trunks. It seems like the furious Tokuma completely lost
sight of him and continuously destroyed the trunks with his whip sword.

"I somehow managed to dodge it... looks like my attacks being

ineffective is a problem. Moreover, the weapons break after receiving a
single blow."

www.asianovel.com
355

Taiga still had 80% health, but even if he had full health one hit was
enough to end him. Also, that whip sword spelled trouble.

Originally it was a weapon that had trouble in complicated terrain like

labyrinths. But 《Cihuacóatl》 moved like a snake and avoided obstacles
freely. It turned out that it could hit him in blind spots like behind trees.

He couldn't keep on hiding forever, for some reason... he thought the

same thing Shio said, 『It's impossible after all』. Geez, even though he
intended to win, now it was being ruined by strange rules.

His chances for winning were nearly zero, besides, there was no need to
win this match.

However, those eyes, it's hopeless, impossible. Eyes of someone who

gave up, they were bothering him so it couldn't be helped.

Why she started to think like that didn't matter, it had nothing to do with
it.

However, not being able to admit it——give her a reason to deny that,
that much was enough.

"...I'll show her."

Give hope to that twisted girl.

He closed his eyes and exhaled. When he opened his eyes again, he
resented himself for thinking like a coward and squinted sharply.

The battle from earlier was replayed in his head, and he memorized
Tokuma's habits and combat style, as well as 《Cihuacóatl》's movements
and the positions of the weapons scattered around——he packed all this
information and devised the best tactics.

"Now——Let's start the counter-attack."

Taiga pulled out the rapier that was stuck near him, and jumped out
from where he was hidden.

He ran as fast as the wind and closed the distance between himself and

www.asianovel.com
356

Tokuma in an instant. However, the enemy was an A-rank, a

qualification holder. He wasn't sweet enough to allow him to get in point-
blank range that easily.

"Ha, you finally came out!"

Just as he said that the whip sword attacked Taiga from the right side.

To avoid it, using his rapier Taiga dodged by stooping down, and after
barely avoiding the sword which flew above him, he hit off the ground
and accelerated all at once!

"Wha———!?"

"You're mine!!"

He ran straight like lightning, thrusting at Tokuma's throat. The speed

was faster than expected, but Tokuma stood upright and just looked at
the strike——and his mouth distorted suspiciously.

Instantly Taiga leaped to the side. Right next to him, nearly grazing his
cheeks passed 《Cihuacóatl》 that jumped out of a trunk and slashed from
above leaving a bruise in the ground.

"Tch———that's a really nasty weapon!!"

www.asianovel.com
357

Taiga cursed and made some distance. However, he was able to confirm
it.

His acceleration earlier was out of Tokuma's expectations. It seemed like

his sword was able to pinpoint Taiga's location, 《Cihuacóatl》's special
ability was tracking the enemy.

The tip of the sword changed trajectory in the air and aimed at Taiga
again. With a single blow it destroyed his footing, although Taiga jumped
with all his strength towards another trunk, the whip sword approached
him from behind.

"ZU....RRAAAAA!!!!"

He couldn't avoid it while being in mid-air, so Taiga deflected it to the

side with the rapier. The whip sword's trajectory was forcefully changed
and it destroyed a trunk nearby.

The angle at which he received the slash, timing, adjusting to the power
at which it came at its prey——not a single one of those could fail, they
were godly feats. But the fragile weapons still broke. He pulled out an
axe that was stuck nearby and faced Tokuma again.

Now was the moment of truth. If he's able to lure him to that place
without being noticed——the game will be determined.

"All he's been doing up until now was running away! Fight him fair and
square!"

"It's boring!"

The alliance formation started by 《Lion Alliance》 that focused on the A-

ranks, and the reversal of the situation that was one step away from
succeeding——with this development that made their hands sweat, the
storm resolving inside of Arena swelled and approached the climax.

However, at the moment the audience complained seeing the boy

continue to run away.

www.asianovel.com
358

It was obvious. No matter how excited they were, after looking at the
same scene for five minutes anyone would get tired of it.

"...that's why I told you, there's no way you can win."

Ever since the game started Shio continued to look at Taiga.

That's why she knew that his attacks are ineffective, and she saw that
he was saved and somebody else fought instead of him.

The only participants left were Taiga and Tokuma. The one who wins this
duel wins the match.

However the difference between the strength of Taiga who was an E-

rank and Tokuma who was an A-rank and was able to use his own
attack-configured program was too huge.

The boy on the screen just continued to escape by climbing on top of the
huge trees.

"The difference between their powers is absolute. There is no way to win

against someone who starts on a different start line."

Shio repeated her own words, speaking to herself.

She was reminded of her own scattered feelings. No matter how much
effort you put in, you can't beat talent.

That's why———even if she said 'Wrong'. Or even if she had

expectations 'If it's him, then maybe...', she still blamed it all on her own
weakness.

The audience's jeering became more intense.

Parrying 《Cihuacóatl》 while continuously changing weapons must've

been incredibly difficult——for them, such a thing didn't matter.

"Uuu...aa... uguu..."

Shio hugged her body as if she was in pain.

She knew she couldn't say it to herself. But hearing booing at someone's

www.asianovel.com
359

desperate, hard work. His tremendous effort not even being noticed, it
was just like herself who was being repeatedly insulted every single day
by her father.

After meeting eyes like his, she felt it's better to give up right from the
beginning——that's what she was reminded of.

"......——est......"
[2]
She should have understood. In front of an absolute element ,
something as unstable and brittle like effort had no meaning.

"......—our best......"

She was never praised, not even once. She was always compared to her
talented older brother or younger sister, she was one-sidedly labelled as
a disappointment, 'Why are you so incompetent!' or so she was
continuously blamed.

Even such a girl, no, because she was a girl like that——

"...do your best! Onii-san!!"

She wanted effort to be awarded, more than anyone else.

While Shio cheered, Taiga was finally cornered on top of the huge tree in
the centre.

The game was approaching its final stage.

"Fuu... this is pretty high..."

Taiga ran away from 《Cihuacóatl》 and continued to climb the central
tree, finally reaching the top. The ground was far away, he judged with
his eyes that it was about a hundred metres above the ground. An
ordinary person's leg would freeze and he would become unable to
move after climbing this high, but Taiga was completely calm.

It should be fine from here right? Though the prey seems a bit uneasy.

In his hand he had a tanto. There were no more weapons in this place,

www.asianovel.com
360

there was no choice but to make do with this one.

"——Hmph. I finally got you cornered. You annoy me way too much for a
mere bug."

In the background there was the sound of an explosion.

The last footing was destroyed by the twenty metres long whip sword
《Cihuacóatl》 and Tokuma entered, climbing to the top.

"I remember your face bastard. A mere small fry who dares to look at
me with that impertinent look in his eyes..."

"I'm indebted to you for taking care of me back then. Although I wanted
to say thanks, but instead I'll crush you with my full strength. Amateur."

*twitch*, Tokuma's movements stopped.

"You said... amateur?"

"Ah, sorry. A mistaken bastard like you who pretends to be a king in a

small world by brandishing fake power isn't even worth being called an
amateur."

After Taiga said that, a number of blue veins appeared on Tokuma's

head. In response to its owner's anger 《Cihuacóatl》's tip rose up———

"Enough of this... die."

Together with that declaration, the sword's tip shot out like a bullet.

Starting with top speed from the very first step, Taiga rushed at Tokuma
thrusting at him.

"Ha, trying the same thing a second time, foolish!"

In response to Tokuma's arm movement, the whip sword changed

trajectory.

Swung down from above, then assaulted from below. It gained speed
thanks to the centrifugal force——continuously striking one after another
a matchless barrage of attacks, Taiga continued to dodge them all by a

www.asianovel.com
361

hair's breadth.

And it wasn't just the tip of the sword. Because the blade was incredibly
long it spread out like a wire trap and inhibited movement in this place.
However, it didn't hit him.

"You're the one who's foolish. Even a monkey can repeat the same thing
over and over."

No matter how complex the motion was , Tenryou Taiga could perfectly
track it.

In the first place, the whip sword exhibited its full prowess with a
combination of both the whip and sword form.

Tokuma mistook himself as absolute and continued to use the same

attacks over and over, he was just third-rate.

"Ghhu...?! You third rate weaklinggg!!!"

Blood rose up to his head, and the whip sword Tokuma was wielding
turned into a mess.

In the first place that weapon was hard to wield, it couldn't be

manipulated properly by someone who lost his composure, the
automatic tracking caused the blade to hit itself and change trajectory.

Not missing that fatal chance, Taiga accelerated.

Even if he attacked with the tanto there would be no damage. Taiga

closed the gap between them in one step and grabbed the arm that held
the handle of 《Cihuacóatl》 and slammed the back of the gauntlet
towards the ground.

Taiga moved at a godspeed his opponent couldn't even register,

immediately after Tokuma fell over.

There was no damage but the impact hit his entire body, 《Cihuacóatl》
separated from Tokuma's right hand.

Taiga twisted his entire body and with his full strength he hurled Tokuma

www.asianovel.com
362

into the air where there was no footing. He also jumped aiming above.

"Y-you bastard...!! What are you intending!!"

"Can't you see? I'm going to drop you. Since you destroyed all the
footing you're going straight to the very bottom."

He clenched his left hand and swung with all his might.

When Leon was defeated he confirmed that there was damage upon the
impact. When Taiga himself was flicked by 《Cihuacóatl》 there was
damage when he hit the truck.

With a fall from the sky a hundred metres above. Maybe he could
survive if fully recovered, but thanks to the encircling operation his HP
was cut down to nearly 30%.

It can't be this guy... did he lead me around to destroy all the trunks on
purpose!?

There was a possibility that his fall might've ended on one of the trunks
if they remained. That's why he eliminated all the unnecessary risk by
deflecting away 《Cihuacóatl》 towards the trunks which served as
scaffolds.

It all went as Taiga intended it. From the very moment he lured him in
here, the game was already on.

"A hundred metres to the surface——"

"W-wai——?!"

"Enjoy your trip without breaks bastard!!!!!"

With a fist like an artillery shell, he hit Takuma right in the middle of his
face.

Hit by a blow with the strength of a car, Tokuma continued to fall at a

tremendous speed. On the other hand, Taiga began to fall but pierced
through the tree's trunk with the tanto and started to dangle.

www.asianovel.com
363

"Ah—I'm tired. Not doing this ever again."

Immediately after he sighed and said that, from the bottom came the
sound of a heavy crash.

〈"———Only one virtual body reaction detected in the area. Match is

over, all virtual bodies are going to be immediately deported to the
Arena———"〉

Waiting for Taiga to return to the coliseum were waves of an excited

audience.

After all, he overcame the overwhelming difference in power with a

brilliant reversal play. Tokuma who took down his comrades by his own
hand was branded a villain, ear-breaking cheers welcomed Taiga.
Among the audience, there were people who said "I was wrong to call
out such a thing." and apologized, Taiga didn't know what that was
about and just tilted his neck.

He received the winning prize which was an update program for attack-
configured programs and rushed to the waiting room Shio was in.

".................."

Shio was sitting on a chair and stared at the projection sphere that no
longer displayed anything.

"Hey Shio-san, any words of praise for someone who did his best and
won?"

"Wawawa. O-Onii-san since when did you?!"

As Taiga reluctantly called out, Shio looked behind with a startled

expression. For some reason her breath was rough, her cheeks were red
and she had tears in her eyes.

"...Shio?"

www.asianovel.com
364

"Oh, I'm sorry. Umm, I just got too excited."

Shio tried to deceive him and rubbed her eyes in a hurry. Feeling it's
better not to ask for the reason of that, Taiga sat next to her in silence.

"...the bet, it's my win."

"...yes. It's Onii-san's win, and it's my loss."

Somehow, she had a very refreshing smile on her face. Shio looked at
the projection sphere that displayed the fight just a moment ago.

"Onii-san is really amazing. Winning against such a strong opponent."

"That's because I took him off guard. As expected, if I fought him from

the front I would've lost."

"It might have been so... nevertheless, you perfectly proved your words
to be true. You reversed the situation when in an overwhelming
disadvantage."

Her heart that decided right from the beginning that it's impossible, her
weak self that already gave up, he denied it all head on. Taiga didn't
know just how big a hope he has given her.

"...hey, Onii-san."

"What is it?"

"If talent is not absolute... then why did I confine myself in a husk for
seven years?"

She learned of talent, and ran away after finding an area she couldn't
reach.

She was scared that she won't have any results, afraid that she won't be
acknowledged by anyone, of being responsible for her own life, she lived
while blaming everything on her friend.

Believing that neither despair nor effort brings any results, she just
single-mindedly lived an empty life.

www.asianovel.com
365

However... if all of her assumptions were wrong right from the

beginning, there was no point in running away.

"Plunging myself into despair, arbitrarily giving up on every single thing,

was it meaningless?"

"...who knows."

Hearing Shio's heartbreaking cries, Taiga continued.

They were neither words of encouragement nor comfort, they were

incredibly realistic words.

"I don't know what happened in Shio's past. That's why I don't know
what would have changed if you didn't give up. That's how the reality is.
Looking back at the past has no meaning."

He said these words to himself as well.

Always reminded of the past where he survived while leaving his parents
to die, 'If only I was stronger back then', he continued to regret.
Forgetting it all, discarding it all, it would really put him at ease. If he
was able to do it, he wouldn't be having such a hard time.

But, just that——he didn't want to accept such a way of living.

Forgetting his sins, throwing away the fact that his parents died, it would
make their deaths meaningless. He wouldn't be able to attain anything
from their deaths, it would just be a tragedy. There would be no
salvation anywhere.

There must be a meaning in the fact that Tenryo Taiga survived.

Thinking like that allowed him to put in a desperate effort into finding it.

"In the end, finding what Shio wants to do, is your own problem."

"What I want to do..."

Taiga cut off there and didn't say anything else. He told Shio his own
feelings and waited patiently.

www.asianovel.com
366

He conveyed to her what he wanted to convey. From this point, it was all
up to her.

And slightly hesitating, she opened mouth slowly.

"...I, I was always jealous of Hime-chan's talent, and that's how I lost my
only friend... that's why, I stopped struggling. I blamed it all on talent
and wanted to run away. ——......is that, no good?"

"No, isn't it fine? Looking forward instead."

He wondered about it ever since he first met her, eyes that gave up on
everything——they were no longer there. Taiga immersed himself in an
indescribable sense of accomplishment, and vigorously stood up.

"——Alright! Let's continue our journey! I somehow progressed with

Haya's request, and also obtained something good."

"Something good? Ah, you mean the program that was the prize for
winning?"

"Indeed. And... here you go."

He materialized a bright orange crystal on the palm of his hand and

tossed it towards Shio. Although Shio only reached out to catch it, the
crystal smoothly melted like a candy exposed to heat and was sucked
into her body.

"Good, the update is complete. It was a good thing I asked Leon how to
use it."

"Eh, Onii-san?!"

The prize he received for winning wasn't an attack-configured program,

but a program used to strengthen attack-configured programs. Of
course, it was possible to use it to enhance his own program as well.

"W-why? Isn't this what Onii-san has won?"

"My own 《Heavenly Sword》 is plenty strong already. It will be more

useful, in various ways if Shio has it."

www.asianovel.com
367

"B-but——"

"Stop. Did you forget the condition for the bet?"

The loser is going to listen to one request of the winner——he took no

refusals.

"Rather than that, let's go to the field quickly and try it! According to
what Leon said, it's a power-up that boosts the program beyond the
level of A-rank, I look forward to seeing it."

"A-awawawa...Onii-san, I can walk on my own so don't pull me?!"

Pulled with her hand by Taiga, Shio jumped out of the waiting room.
While looking at the boy who showed her that she had her own potential,
Shio thought.

——I'm really happy to continue this journey.

Part 4
——Where there was light, there was also darkness.

As the winner bathed in the light, the loser hid himself in the darkness.

"Shitt... those damn insectss..."

In the corner of a back alley, not exposed to the light, a man walked
while cursing endlessly.

He continued to swing the black sword 《Cihuacóatl》 that was usually

attached to his waist messily, countless slashes were engraved on the
walls and the ground around him.

He should have won.

There were favourable conditions for him, who was already an A rank.
On top of that, he used 《Cihuacóatl》. There was not a single element
that would make him lose. There was an overwhelming difference
between their strength.

www.asianovel.com
368

——And yet he lost.

It was a perfect defeat where he couldn't even make an excuse. A

stigma of defeat he obtained after he sacrificed three of his clan
members. As a bonus, his opponent was an E-rank to boot.

Tokuma lost his comrades, the pride of someone strong, and his
position. The only thing left there was the hatred towards the one who
defeated him.

"I'll cut your body up. Those annoying eyes, I'll engrave the taste of
defeat inside of them!!!!"

For that purpose he needed strength. He needed to become more

powerful than he is now, so overwhelming that none can reach him.

Seeking absolute power, his heart was going mad with thirst for it.

"———Hmph. Do you want power?"

That's when. In an alley no one should be in.

"...who?"

Tokuma pulled out 《Cihuacóatl》 and pointed it in the direction he heard

the voice from.

There, was a strangely dressed woman.

She was wearing a pure white cloak that completely obscured her head,
her face aside he couldn't even discern her physique. He speculated she
was a woman based on her voice. But it might have been a man with a
woman-like voice.

"I'm not anyone suspicious. That's right, if I were to name myself it

would be——Angel, maybe?"

"...Angel you say? Ha, I've heard the rumours. A shady user that's said to

www.asianovel.com
369

fulfill wishes."

"Don't misunderstand, the correct answer is that I help people to fulfill

their desire but only when 『They are ready to sacrifice anything to have
their wish granted』. I don't grant them to just anyone...however, I think
you qualify, am I right?"

The virtual body calling itself angel spread its hands.

That figure blossomed in the dark alley like a pure white flower. But he
wondered why.

"Answer me——what do you desire?"

Rather than godly, he had an ominous spine-chilling feeling.

"...ha."

Tokuma laughed at himself for flinching for a moment. Nothing remained

for him to lose anyway. In that case——he will use anything and anyone.

"Give me power. Give me an overwhelming power strong enough beat

anyone. Absolute power that will make anyone grovel in front of me!!!"

"That's simple. Then I'll give you this program. This will allow you to
raise your performance a few times——however, you will feel pain
corresponding to it."

"...pain? But this is Elysion? There's no way——"

"There is. It's just that the virtual body is normally blocking it. This
modified virtual body is different. What, there's nothing to worry about.
It's virtual reality after all, if you have a strong heart you will withstand
it——it's fine if you try it out."

Saying that, the Angel materialized a jet black crystal on the palm of its
hand and pushed it inside of Tokuma's body.

The crystal began to destroy his body from the inside, and
electromagnetic waves ran through Tokuma's virtual body.

www.asianovel.com
370

"...nn? A, gh, gy, gGHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!"

Just when he thought that nothing has changed and wanted to question
the angel.

What hit Tokuma was severe pain as if all of the nerves in his body were
being ripped apart.

He raised a scream that seemed like it will make his throat collapse, but
his pain did not subside.

"That's a pretty nice howl. Does it hurt that much?"

"AGAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!! S-STOPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!"

Feeling unbearable pain Tokuma begged as tears flowed from his eyes.
But Angel looked down on him with cold eyes, as if he was a pebble on
the side of the road and shook its head seemingly troubled.

"That's troubling. To think that he would break this early in the

experiment. Seriously, people with weak hearts really are small fries. I
wanted him to fight that person again to gather data. It can't be helped.
Let's try the other candidate."

Once again——the Angel created a black crystal and squeezed Tokuma's

head.

"It's a program that causes excessive secretion of adrenaline. You won't

be feeling pain now, instead you will feel good. If it's simple orders then
you should understand. ...now then, I'll have you play the villain for a
while longer."

A beautiful, no, the Angel made a too beautiful of a smile.

There was no evil in it as it looked down on the broken man, its

expression wasn't malicious. If someone saw it he would have surely
thought.

——Neither frightening nor evil, it was just an empty expression.

"...well then, let's start the experiment."

www.asianovel.com
371

The Angel murmured and disappeared into darkness.

Translator's Notes and

References
1. ↑ Cihuacóatl means snake woman in Aztec and is a name of a
fertility goddess.
2. ↑ could be talent, power or money, just "something"

www.asianovel.com
372

Vol. 2 :

Chapter 4

Part 1
——Tracing back to around noon.

"Yahaha... seems like we bought a little too much."

"Where do you see 'little'! I'm clearly over-weight here!'

Around the time Taiga and Shio entered 《Babel》, Fuyuki and Rui
returned to 《Paradise》 to eat lunch.

"Little sister is super tired. Don't want to move no more."

"Well that's because we've walked around quite a lot〜, though Rui-san
could still continue."

"Hmph, that's because little sister doesn't have any stamina."

They shopped in a store that didn't have any customers despite the fact
it was a holiday (to be exact 80% of their shopping was done by Rui),
they bought things like clothes and bags.

Seeing the amount of things she bought, Master—Saionji Jyugo scowled.

"Rui. It's good that you aren't obsessed about saving money, but I won't
forgive being wasteful."

"Uu...umm that's... you know? When I was picking clothes for Fuyuki, I

www.asianovel.com
373

found a lot of things I wanted to buy, see? That's why, umm, overlook it?
Dad♪."

"No way. I'm cutting your pocket money for next month."

"Seriously?!"

It was too much of a shock to her, Rui fell down and lying her head on
the counter seat, she placed a hand on it. Fuyuki who has bought a lot of
things felt somewhat sorry, and apologized to Rui.

"Sorry, Rucchan. Because of little sister..."

"No, it's not Fuyuki's fault. Rui-san got too fired up. That aside, you're
hungry right? Hurry up and make an order."

Raising her face in a hurry Rui passed the menu. Although Fuyuki
remembered the entire menu, she still properly took it from her best
friend.

"Then, a pancake set."

"Okayy. Dad, the same thing for me."

Jyugo received the order and immediately begun cooking, while the food
was being prepared the two girls checked on their loot.

There's really a lot... the wardrobe is going to expand.

During the time when she was immersed in studies at Karasuba she
didn't have suitable clothes for going outside. The clothes she had on
herself were the only thing she brought as she ran away from Karasuba.

While Fuyuki was worried about that, Rui not only chose clothes that fit
her, but also perfectly coordinated her outfits.

At first Fuyuki was taken aback by how different the clothes were, but
when she actually wore them it turned out that they suited her
outstandingly. Like usual, Rui's sensitivity was surprising.

It's the same when it comes to cyber technology, Rucchan is amazing at

www.asianovel.com
374

things like this.

If it's just technology, Saionji Rui couldn't win against Tenryo Fuyuki. It
wasn't a problem of having or not having a talent. Fuyuki received
specialized education in one of four major cyber-related corporations
'Karasuba' while Rui received only general education, they came from
way too different environments.

However, Fuyuki could declare with all certainty that when it came to
preparing attack-configured programs, Saionji Rui was definitely better
than she was.

It wasn't like Fuyuki was bad at making those. She made quite a few of
them before, they were better than attack-configured programs that
normally circulate, and had a good performance. Still, when compared to
the ones Rui made, they were strangely bleak.

What made Fuyuki's and Rui's different, was sensibility.

The basics of programming are in the form of the imagination. Repeating

precise calculations aiming for a desired result, bringing it closer to an
ideal little by little. For that there's both a need for computing power and
imagination——and with that, sensibility is complete.

Partially because Fuyuki was a researcher before, she tends to focus on

efficiency, and cuts down on the wasteful parts as much as possible to
derive the best results under limited conditions.

That was also reflected in 《Synchro Infinity》, the program she has
written for Taiga.

But Rui was different. The most important thing for her was to make it
'fun'.

In the past, Rui asked Fuyuki "please teach me programming" and

received a detailed lecture on the topic.

The basics aside, programming was something to be done very

instinctively. When Fuyuki reached the last part and was in doubt, not

www.asianovel.com
375

knowing what she should teach her, when she finally decided to teach
her how to make a small structure Rui reacted to it——'Is that any fun?'.

Creating a structure was essential, it wasn't the case of it being fun or

unfun——thinking like that Fuyuki taught her, and in the end Rui
managed to make a structure, even if it was very small.

The thing that she created was extremely miserable, and when Fuyuki
questioned her 'How did it turn out to be something like this?' Rui simply
answered her with 'Because it's more interesting like this, right?'.

Fuyuki was surprised by the fact Rui didn't think of it as a failure. Three
days later, she created a structure incorporating a fantastic system,
moreover it was big enough for a person to move in. It was created with
only the knowledge she was taught and while it looked proper at a single
glance, it was built by mysteriously connecting various elements.

When it came to capability only, Fuyuki's was far above Rui.

However——Rui had her own distinct sense, and with it Saionji Rui
definitely reached the 'genius' realm.

"What is it, Fuyuki? Are the outfits Rui-san coordinated weird?"

Hearing a voice coming from the seat next to hers, Fuyuki's thinking
returned back to reality.

"No, all of it is really amazing. ...well, maybe some of them. I wonder

what kind of thinking circuitry do you have to come up with such a
combination, that's what I would like to know."

"Eh? Didn't you subtly make fun of me there?"

"No way. If anything, then it was praise."

Although some time ago Rui said that she and her brother were weird,
but she too could have been categorized as that. That's what Fuyuki
thought earlier that day.

"Sorry for the wait, two pancake sets. Eat before they get cold."

www.asianovel.com
376

It seemed like the food was prepared as they spoke about that, in front
of the two were soup in a cup, a pancake and salad lined up. Fuyuki and
Rui stopped rummaging in the paper bags filled with clothes, and
focused on the food.

"It's delicious as always. Master, if you changed the bar-like interior,

some customers might actually come?"

"You really do say horrible things without any hesitation."

Although Fuyuki had an intense fear of strangers, as expected she got

used to him after a week. She could speak to her best friend's father,
Saionji Jyugo while remaining relatively calm.

"Certainly today's lunch is really good. Also, Rui-san didn't need to help
to prepare it either."

"Or rather, how come this business doesn't collapse? Or are you
profitable?"

"Ahaha, you know 《Paradise》 is just Dad's obsession〜"

"Saying it's an obsession is too much. I won't deny it is my hobby

though."

"That's what you say. But all the fine details are done by Mom."

www.asianovel.com
377

"...Rui, your allowance cut is extended by a month."

"Eeee?!"

They continued to eat and chat like that for the next twenty minutes,
after the meal the two of them enjoyed a cup of Japanese tea——and
thought about what to do next——as they relaxed after a meal.

...in the end, we just ended up playing around normally.

Although she felt like she was being approached with something, but Rui
didn't say anything.

Fuyuki herself knew very well that she couldn't continue like that——but
no matter what, she didn't have the courage to face the past that was
catching up to her.

"Speaking of which, Taiga seemes to be acting alone? He's been here a

while ago to eat."

"Oh, so Taiga came. So he logged out for a while?"

The moment she heard it, Fuyuki reflexively rose up.

She didn't know for how long she's been there. But she needed to hurry
up and chase after him, they might meet again if she makes it before he
returns from Elysion——and as she attempted to run out, her arm was
grasped.

"...Rucchan?"

"You can't, Fuyuki."

I won't let you go——that's what her eyes relayed, Rui continued to hold
onto Fuyuki's arm.

For a moment Fuyuki felt like shaking off her hand, but seeing her
serious expression she sat back on the seat.

"Sorry Dad, can we occupy the seats for a while longer?"

"...as long as you get off when a customer comes."

www.asianovel.com
378

After saying that, Jyugo moved to the back of the kitchen. Rui said
'thank you' in the back of her mind and murmured at the same time
before facing Fuyuki again.

"Rucchan, why did you stop me. Little sister only wanted to——"

"Wanted to be pampered by Taiga, right?"

"...yes."

For herself who couldn't go forward, with an unchanged status quo, her
heart sought support.

It's not that Saionji Rui didn't support her. Still——she instinctively
sought her blood related brother.

"...Fuyuki doesn't know anything. Why a siscon like Taiga went as far as
to ask Rui-san to take care of Fuyuki. You really don't know the reason
for that do you."

"So Rucchan knows the reason?"

"Although the person himself didn't confirm it. But seeing Fuyuki right
now, trying to escape again, I can tell."

These words pierced Fuyuki's heart, she looked away from Rui's stare. If
she were to look her in the eyes, she would have no choice but to admit
her words.

"...Fuyuki doesn't just want to be pampered by Taiga. What you're

facing, you want Taiga to shoulder what you should be shouldering and
take care of it for you right? Taiga is kind, there's no way he will refuse
Fuyuki. His precious little sister is troubled, so he'll help."

Maybe, she somehow did it unconsciously. Even so——after being apart

for eight years Tenryo Fuyuki who suffered from unbearable loneliness
turned to rely on her brother with whom she finally reunited with.

"...you mean I shouldn't rely on Brother?"

"Relying on someone is not a bad thing. But, I think pushing someone's

www.asianovel.com
379

back and leaving everything to them is wrong. At least the first step, you
need to take that step by yourself. If you leave all of it to others, where
is your own will then?"

If Taiga were to tell Fuyuki 'Don't run away', she would face Shio even
against her own will. However, there was no worth in such resolution.

Distressed and suffering——and yet still trying to move forward, if the

resolution dwelling inside her came from desperation, she would no
longer be able to shine. There was no meaning in borrowed resolution.

"Just waiting for Taiga to step in is no good. Though I think that would
definitely work. But if you really want to overcome it, you should gather
the courage to step out. Right?"

Saying that, Rui reached out to Fuyuki.

Her irreplaceable best friend who's been with her for four years straight.

There was a dazzling confidence in her eyes, she believed in her from
the bottom of her heart, Fuyuki was envious of it——but even so, she
didn't take her hand.

"...Fuyuki."

"...I'm sorry. But I'm scared. I'm really scared of being denied again, I
can't help it..."

She should have forgotten it, it was a memory she should not see ever
again.

But the fact that she reunited with Shio reminded her of the past and
pained Fuyuki's heart. Her expression that said 'I wish I never met Hime-
chan.', her expression that implied her heart was broken, her eyes that
looked like she was weeping in despair, they wouldn't leave Fuyuki's
head.

To be denied again——thinking of that, she couldn't help but be scared.

"...I see."

www.asianovel.com
380

Rui didn't know what past the two had, she didn't know because of what
Fuyuki was suffering from. But she could tell that Fuyuki continued to
live, while continuously suffering from a burden just by looking at how
she trembled.

That's why Rui retracted her outstretched hand.

"Alright! Let's play then!"

"..................ha?"

"We have two Arclights here, it's been a while since we entered 《Aries》
with just the two of us, come on hold the luggage."

"Eh, wha.. wai... Rucchan?!

Rui grabbed Fuyuki's hand and led her up the stairs to her home.

The second floor of 《Paradise》 is Saionji's home, it was a place no

different from any other normal household. If there had to be one
difference pointed out forcefully, it would be the fact that it had no
kitchen space.

In the back of their home, was Rui's room.

"Go ahead. It's the first time you enter Rui-san's room right?"

"Yeah..."

While her thinking still couldn't keep up with the sudden turn of events,
Fuyuki stepped inside of a room that had a nameplate saying 「RUI」
hanging on it.

If one were to describe it with a single word, it would be a big room.

There were no unified electronic devices like the ones in Tenryo's

home's dive room, but the room was filled with various different items.
But since it was really tidy, it seemed very spacious despite the amount
of items inside.

A basketball, tennis and lacrosse rackets, there's also a guitar. Just how

www.asianovel.com
381

many hobbies does she have.

Probably, anyone who would see this room would think——'just what the
hell does this room's owner want to do'.

"You really tried many things. It seemed like you're good at sports but I
didn't think you even dabbled in instruments."

"Yahaha... actually I didn't use it all that much. I got bored of it."

Doing anything as long as it's fun at the moment——that's how the girl
called Saionji Rui was.

Her parents, especially her mother rooted for her and bought for her
whatever she wanted, which might have encouraged such behaviour.

While Fuyuki looked around the room examining various things, Rui
began to rummage through the closet.

"Ummm, the spare should be around here... there it is."

Rui pulled out an orthodox headgear-type Arclight from the back of the
closet. Even though it was a previous generation machine from which
the paint already came off, there was no problems with its functioning.
Together with the newest model of Arclight that was on top of the bed,
there were two machines.

"It's alright if Fuyuki uses the new one."

"All right. ...it's the first time I'm using a small-type."

At Karasuba she used a large machine, and when they moved in she
used the medium-sized machine. Although she had a small one as a
spare, she never used it. It was a simple machine that specialized in
diving into Elysion, it didn't have any other functions other than that.
What everyone was focusing on, was diffusion rate, though those
machines were expensive.

Rui installed the older machine next to the bed and hit the bed twice,
inviting Fuyuki.

www.asianovel.com
382

Since the small machines didn't have anything to support the body like
the medium-sized and large-sized machines, they needed to lie down
during immersion.

"...excuse me then."

Fuyuki got on the bed cautiously and lied down next to Rui.

Because it was the first time for her to lie down with someone of the
same sex she was a little nervous. Because it wasn't a twin bed, but a
narrow ordinary one, their hands overlapped.

"Let's go then!"

She started the Arclight at Rui's sign, and the two jumped into the
paradise of electrons together.

Part 2
〈"——Hee, you did pretty well. You have my praise."〉

"Thanks. Though, it's not me who prepared that."

Around the time when Fuyuki and Rui entered 《Aries》, Taiga and Shio
left the central city 《Central Kadora》 and entered a canyon outside of it.

Since monsters appeared, Shio continued to shoot arrows at a good

pace taking down crow-like monster with flame-imbued arrows.

After the 《UNKNOWN》 was over Taiga jumped out of the arena and
pulled Shio by her hand. But since he didn't know what to do, he
returned afterwards to ask Leon.

According to what he said, while players could travel freely, not all
places were available for them right from the beginning.

Every area had a fixed boss monster, and players were able to proceed
to the next area after defeating him. The moment they are defeated the
move point in that place is released and can be used at any time. By the
way, players A-ranked or higher who have the qualification, 'subdue

www.asianovel.com
383

viruses by moving from area to area and receive their prize in 《Babel》
afterwards' (and they do it repeatedly). And that's the general behaviour
pattern for players.

Since it also served a purpose of trying out Shio's new attack-configured

program, they chose a valley area with many flying enemies around.
Since Taiga didn't have any way to do long-ranged attacks and couldn't
fight, he called Haya instead.

He transferred over the investigation report he got from Leon, and with
this his work was over.

〈"It's the same as in other structures, 'Angel' gives away a wide variety
of programs that could destroy the game's balance. Calling himself like
that on purpose. ...just what is his aim?"〉

"Isn't he just flaunting his abilities?"

Taiga answered not bothered, but Haya wasn't that positive, she
seemed anxious.

Certainly, she thought of that possibility. But considering there were

many structures that were hit, including large-scale structures managed
by Kiritou, it would be better to take care of 'Angel' who was poking
holes in the system Kiritou made. If that's happening, the fact that
Kiritou will begin moving sooner or later could be easily predicted.

〈"...it seems like he's incredibly confident in his skill."〉

The fact that 'Angel' might really be targeting Kiritou——stimulated the

mind of Haya who was suffering from lack of sleep.

〈"——Taiga, additional orders. If you were to get in contact with 'Angel',

recover the program made by him."〉

"Haa?! Wait a second, I don't have time for——"

As expected, at this rate he would become her handyman. Just as Taiga

was going to refuse, he stumbled seeing the expression on Haya's face
that was displayed in the window.

www.asianovel.com
384

"...fufufufufufu. To come up with such a troublesome task when I'm this

busy, and to provoke me like that on top of it... even though I'm already
cutting my sleep time to do a mountain of work... I wonder what I'm
gonna do to him when I catch him... ufufufufufufufufufu♪ ."

Scary—?!

Haya flashed a dark, spine-chilling smile causing Taiga to instinctively

back away.

〈"You will do it right?"〉

"...yes."

In front of the smile that seemed to say he would be socially obliterated

if he refused, Taiga nodded repeatedly.

Contact me when you find a clue——Haya said that and cut off the
connection. Taiga looked up at the sky and murmured words of excuse.

"No—, it was impossible to refuse just now."

He continued to curse himself as he restored his line of sight and saw

Shio's appearance as she shot flaming arrows in the air.

"Bullets!"

Together with her voice the arrow divided into dozens of small flaming
arrows. The flaming arrows tracked the eagle-type monsters flying in the
sky and shot them down one after another by burning their bodies.
However, some monsters escaped from the tracking arrow and dived in
a straight line at Shio.

If it was Shio from a while ago, that attack would have made her push
the panic button.

But as expected, after going through the same thing for five times
already, she got used to it. She created an arrow of ice by imagining it
and unleashed it.

The arrow rotated in the air and rose to the sky while cutting the wind

www.asianovel.com
385

and pierced through the enemy.

"Woah, you're mastering another one. 《Cryoflare》 was it?"

"Yup. It's all thanks to Onii-san who taught me the basics of the bow."

After using the program in the form of a crystal that was the award for
winning the match, Shio's bow turned into a distinctive two-coloured
bow that could shoot arrows of fire and ice.

The flame arrows had a tracking ability and the ice arrows could
penetrate the targets, it was also possible to use both abilities
simultaneously. It was an excellent attack-configured program that had
three attack types——the 《Cryoflare》.

"At this rate it doesn't seem like my turn will come."

"So you say. Even though I've been nearly killed before."

Shio set up another arrow and continued to exterminate enemies.

...I wonder. what are the other two doing now?

Taiga looked as fire and ice intertwined, and his thoughts were directed
towards the two girls elsewhere.

Part 3
Qualification holders in 《Aries》——in other words, those of A-rank or
higher, to become one it's exceedingly difficult. Among tens of
thousands users there's only around a hundred people who hold
qualification, because they are only a few percent of the total player
base, they are incredibly rare.

Every user starts from rank E, they usually reach C rank after around
three months. But even though it proceeds smoothly until then, the road
to B rank takes around a year if a user plays every day.

Reaching there is difficult enough, but it only gets harder from then
onwards. A lot of players give up on obtaining the next rank.

www.asianovel.com
386

There's only one condition, to have the ability.

After becoming an A-rank they are allowed to subdue powerful viruses,

as such they need to be accordingly strong. In the case of a defeat, the
management would charge them a fee for regenerating their virtual
bodies, however, that way the original purpose of eliminating viruses
would not be achieved.

Therefore there's a certain level of ability required, it was a level

completely different from the one normal users could achieve. At the
very least, they needed a high level attack-configured program.

And the second was, to complete all area's of Aries.

Unlike the small fries that are controlled by the management, the
targets specified for suppression appear randomly and it's impossible to
predict it. Sometimes they appear in high difficulty areas, and
sometimes they appear near the initial point. Therefore, it's needed to
gain access to all areas——in other words, to clear the entire game.

While that condition sounds like something easy to do, that's where the
majority of users are stuck at.

The reason is the boss in the final area of 《Aries》——the so-called final
boss.

This last boss has strength equal to that of a virus specified as a target
for subjugation, and on top of it, there was a need to defeat it solo.

As a result, ever since the 《Aries》 started six years ago, there were only
around hundred people who reached A-rank. Moreover, there were only
ten people who reached S-rank.

"There there! Take that!!"

"...and what is one of those top ten doing."

Staring at this young heroine who vigorously knocked away monsters

with a great momentum, Fuyuki started to forget she was in the middle
of combat as well.

www.asianovel.com
387

Although instant death-class monsters appeared in front of them from a

trap, their teeth didn't reach her and the blades pulverized them one
after another.

Since Brother was the one in the front recently I forgot, but Rucchan's
strength is cheat-class...

In order to get accustomed to fighting in Aries, Rui only provided support

from a distance. However, her original battle style was to engage in
medium-range combat. She could probably match Taiga when fighting
one-on-one.

"Hoo, finally we cleaned it up."

The great heroine wiped three parties with ease, and then Rui waved
towards her lightly. Then the weapons dispersed around turned into
light. Although Fuyuki thought there might be a need of lending a hand,
but it seemed like it wasn't necessary.

"It's the second time I come here, but the traps here are as nasty as
usual—. The people who come here for the first time usually die right
away."

"When someone who breaks through that unscathed and shamelessly

says that, it's not convincing."

The place two of them were at, was area called 《Ancient Ruins》 located
far south of the central city. Rui who was an S rank has cleared it long
ago, but it was Fuyuki's first time there. When they were at a loss where
to go with just the two of them in 《Aries》, this was the place Rui chose.

They proceeded while taking down the monsters that appeared along
the way.

Rui acted as a vanguard and took all enemies upon herself, while Fuyuki
attacked them from a distance. This was the formation they used
continuously for four years, it made Fuyuki feel incredible nostalgia.

...it hasn't been even two weeks and yet it feels like it's been a long

www.asianovel.com
388

time.

That was all, it was more important for her to spend her time with her
Brother.

———Fuyuki just wants to be spoiled.

Suddenly, she remembered those words.

That might have been true. But, what's wrong with acting spoiled?

Her only brother in this world, her beloved that she wanted to meet, but
couldn't for eight years. If she's not allowed to act spoiled towards
someone like that, then where should she seek comfort when facing this
suffering, this pain.

When Fuyuki was younger and did not have anyone to rely on, she
couldn't withstand the pain. She had no choice but to close the wound,
she pretended to have forgotten, she had to live pretending as if nothing
happened.

And she deserted her friend who was crushed by despair, she ran away
alone.

Scary, is it. Even I think it's incredibly selfish of me to say that...

Even though she was the one who cast her into the depths of despair,
but she was still afraid of facing her. Fuyuki knows very well just how
selfish that was.

Even so, she wasn't able to gather the resolve to meet her.

"...aah."

Because she was thinking about unnecessary things, she was hit by an
attack that normally would never reach her. Probably because it was a
high level monster, her HP has decreased by nearly 20%.

"You're not focusing, Fuyuki. At this rate you'll be taken down."

After cleaning all the remaining monsters Rui warned her.

www.asianovel.com
389

It was one of the highest difficulty areas in Aries. Although Fuyuki

boasted of being as strong as an A-rank, her durability was still that of a
B rank. It wasn't a place she can let herself drop her guard at. She
herself knew that very well, but——.

"...that's impossible."

"Nn?"

"...after being told that there's no way I can focus."

The words stabbed into her mind and continued to circle around in her
head without stopping.

She felt as if she strayed into a maze and had no way out. Ever since she
reunited with Shio she felt as if her heart was wrapped in mud.

She didn't want to be alone. She wanted to be spoiled by someone. She

wanted to seek warmth, but was denied of it.

——If I am to feel like this... I wish I never met Hime-chan!——

The memory didn't fade away, and continued to torment her.

A lonely girl suffering after losing her entire family couldn't withstand it.

"What should little sister do? What should she do to free herself from the
past? Please, tell me..."

Standing there, wasn't the girl who was a programming genius.

Grief after losing her parents, the loneliness she felt, the harsh days in
Karasuba, the girl continued to deceive herself focusing on her love for
her brother. 'For the sake of Brother' she continued to protect herself
while indulging in those words, 'For the sake of Brother' she continued to
say, relying on him, a small and weak girl.

...at a time like this, if Taiga were here he would gently comfort her.

As Fuyuki continued to fall apart in front of her, Rui could not help her in
any way. That's because she knew that if she did it, everything that has

www.asianovel.com
390

been done up until then would have become meaningless.

"——Sorry, Fuyuki. I can't tell you that."

That's why she told her the cruel truth.

"...why, is that...?"

Rui sat down next to Fuyuki and looked into her clear, sky blue eyes. She
started speaking slowly.

"Once upon a time, in certain place there was a single girl."

"...what are you saying all of a sudden."

"It's something like a folk tale. Just listen till the end. ...that girl was good
at both sports and academics, she was an outstanding child."

"That's a horrible beginning."

"Fufu, so it is. ——The chosen girl was very bright and always
surrounded by a lot of people. She was always the centre of the class,
even her parents thought she led a fulfilling life. But the heart of the girl
in question was dry."

"...why?"

"The girl was too outstanding. Whether sports or musical instruments,

after doing something for a short while she reached the level where only
few could barely keep up... she tried many many things, but she found
all of it incredibly boring."

That's why no matter what she tried, she couldn't find someone she
could become friends with.

While there were people who could be called her friends, there was no
one she had a relationship good enough with to call them 'best friend'.

"She hated such a boring life. Four years ago the girl decided to try
playing on a certain structure. She thought that she might find someone
the same age as her, and might be able to do something seriously for

www.asianovel.com
391

once. And then, as she indifferently took down monsters in the beginner
area, she met a girl with beautiful eyes."

That meeting was a complete coincidence.

However——the girl who was tired of ordinary life, and the girl with an
unknown talent who was brought up in an unusual environment met. It
might have been inevitable.

"What happened from then onwards, there's no need for me to say it

right?"

"Yeah... of course not."

Fuyuki remembered it as if it was yesterday.

To take a breather from research, she entered 《Aries》 while keeping it

secret from Karasuba. There, she met a strangely over-familiar girl.
Although Fuyuki was scared of becoming friends with anyone, the girl
persistently continued to talk to her making her finally decide to go with
her on a journey together——that was how she met Saionji Rui.

"Eh—, now that I think about it, it was really too much. I was one step
away from being mistaken as a stalker."

"...I'm grateful to Rucchan."

If Rui wasn't so forceful, she would continue to be alone——that's what

Fuyuki thought. It was the first time she heard about Rui's past, but no
matter the reason, she was grateful to her for breaking her out of her
shell.

"Thanks. Umm, I want to say that... no matter what shape it takes,

Fuyuki should seriously face Shio-chan head on. Just like Rui-san."

"...but."

"You might face these bitter feelings again. Nevertheless, nothing will
change unless you make that step. If Fuyuki wants to live while being
troubled by those feelings, Rui-san won't say anything else. But if you

www.asianovel.com
392

want to start over with Shio-chan, even if you think of it just a little bit,
Rui-san will help you. Shall we do our best together?"

——This much help should fine, right? Taiga.

She said that in her mind to the boy with sky blue eyes and reached out
to Fuyuki again. Fuyuki looked up and stared at Rui's hand.

And thought about it.

She met Rui, and was saved from the darkness. She took this hand, and
was able to break out from her lonely life. In that case——after she ran
away, was there anyone who would save Shio?

...are you going to leave it to someone else again?

These were the words she aimed at herself.

Her brother declared that he will definitely stay by her side. Even though
the truth was that he was really weak, even though he wanted support,
he pretended to be strong.

If that was the case, she will change, here and now.

To become someone strong enough to support another person, just like

she was saved by Rui before, she will change into someone strong and
capable of saving another. The lie will become truth.

"Little sister is a weak person."

"That may be so."

"Just getting spoiled by both Brother and Rucchan, she never confronted
anyone seriously. If it's painful, she might run away again. At that
time——will you scold little sister?"

"Yup, of course."

Taking the outstretched hand, Fuyuki rose up. Her sky-blue azure pupils
were completely different from before, a shine of resolute will dwelled
within them.

www.asianovel.com
393

"...I keep troubling and being taken care of by Rucchan."

"Don't mind it, don't mind it. We're friends after all."

Rui laughed as she said that, Fuyuki said 'thank you' again, conveying
her heartfelt gratitude.

"Then, what do we do now? Go to where Shio-chan is immediately?"

"No... before that, there's something I need to tell to both Brother and
Rucchan. Let's change the location to somewhere we can talk in
silence."

"Oh, then won't that place be good?"

"That place?"

"Yup. We have preferential rights, it's a good opportunity to visit it isn't

it?"

Rui held out a window while saying so, on it were written coordinates of
《Oonira》 structure.

Part 4
"...nn? An e-mail?"

It was just when they left the canyon area and entered the plain.
Suddenly, a mail screen appeared in front of Taiga. The sender of the e-
mail was——Tenryo Fuyuki.

He checked it the very moment Shio wasn't looking his way, looking
through the contents of the e-mail.

These coordinates were not that of 《Aries》, they showed a different

structure. Taiga was completely out of touch with the Elysion, but he
was able to trigger a transition using the mail.

...that Rui, it seems like it went well.

There was nothing that said what happened in the mail. However, Taiga

www.asianovel.com
394

believed that his little sister definitely will move forward.

"Onii-san, did something happen?"

"Sorry Shio. Something came up. Can I log out for a while?"

"Oh, is that so. Then maybe I'll take a break as well..."

"Is that so. It should be fine to stop for today. Thanks."

"Thank you ver—"

As Shio waved modestly to him, Taiga touched the coordinates provided

in the e-mail and starting the transition process. His visibility was quickly
dyed white, Taiga closed his eyes preparing for the incoming shock of
spatial transition.

After the feeling of his entire body being twisted vanished, he was in a
completely different world.

"...this place doesn't feel like Elysion at all."

It was lacking the feel virtual reality had, it was a place that looked like a
hotel lobby. There was a receptionist in the front and dozen of doors
lined up in the back.

"Oh, he's here. Taigaa—, over here—!"

There were Fuyuki and Rui standing in the corner, they were wearing
their uniforms. They waved vigorously to him making them very
noticeable. He checked himself a bit worried, but it seemed like Taiga's
clothes also changed to a school uniform.

"Hee— it feels like it's been a while since we've been together the three
of us, doesn't it?"

"Though it hasn't been even half a day."

"Recently we've been constantly together〜. Separating for a while gives

a feeling of freshness doesn't it?"

There were roughly twenty people inside of the lobby. Most of them

www.asianovel.com
395

were dressed in plain clothes, in fact, the three in school uniforms stood
out.

"So what were you doing on your side?"

"Shopping mainly, Rucchan chose some clothes for little sister."

"Yup, I've chosen a lot of cute ones. You'll enjoy it once we're back. How
about Taiga? You were with Shio-chan all this time right?"

"...well, yeah."

He glanced at Fuyuki to see how she reacts, but she wasn't upset at all
and just stared back at him. Her eyes conveyed 'It's fine now', causing
Taiga to be secretly relieved.

"Brother. I don't think that would happen, but you didn't force the entire
story out of her right? "

"From Shio? There's no way I'd do that. I taught her how to use a bow,
gathered information about some weird guy and for some reason I
ended up fighting in Arena. I was really busy you know?"

"...it was the same with the Grim Reaper incident, Brother really does
have a terribly bad luck."

"...I think so as well."

Both the matter of Haya's orders and the case of Tokuma, he felt like a
lot happened to him.

"Hey, the two of you. Don't just stand here chatting, we should go in."

"Hm, that's right."

"By the way, what kind of structure is this? Our clothes are one thing,
but it doesn't feel like Elysion at all..."

"This is 《Oonira》, it's a small structure that's been very popular lately."

"Oh. I feel like I've heard that name before...?"

www.asianovel.com
396

"Did you forget? It's the one Taiga won preferential rights for in a game
during Shinkansai, it's that."

"...ahhh! I completely forgot."

He manipulated his terminal and pulled out the preferential rights data,
of which its existence he forgot. It allowed them to play in the super
popular 《Oonira》 structure without having to make a reservation six
months ahead, there was a time limit of one hour.

"It uses a private room system, which makes it perfect for us to talk
calmly, let's use it."

Fuyuki took the data from Taiga's hand and passed it to a woman at
reception, they heard a brief description saying how to use it (but Taiga
didn't pay attention to it), and they received a passkey from her. The trio
walked down the hall looking for the room the number on the passkey
indicated.

"This really does look like a hotel..."

"It seems like it's built like that on purpose. The rooms in here usually
are rented for days, I've heard that some people even sleep in here."

"What happens if you sleep in cyber world?"

"The brain doesn't rest completely, but it seems to have some effect?"

"——And here we are."

The colour of the door changed from red to blue after Fuyuki used the
passkey, the remaining time and amount of people using it was
displayed on the nameplate. But that was all, there was no sign of the
door opening.

"Let's not waste time and enter already."

Fuyuki said so and took a step forward——slipping through the door like
a ghost. Rui entered it as well, surprised, Taiga followed them.

"What's this? There's nothing in this white space?"

www.asianovel.com
397

On the other side of door, there was completely nothing. Furniture aside,
there wasn't even any light sources, only white walls surrounding them
from four directions.

"As expected, this is really bare. Let's do a makeover."

Fuyuki closed her eyes. The walls and floors changed shape, turning into
ones made of wood. A comfortable-looking sofa appeared from nowhere.

"...ha?"

"Since we're already here, why don't we add some more? How about
this?"

While Taiga was surprised by the fact that the room suddenly changed,
the room itself increased in size and things like tables and beds kept
appearing.

"...what's up with this room?"

"To put it simply, it's a room that changes its shape according to one's
imagination. It changes according to what the people inside envision.
How about Brother also tries it?"

While still doubtful, he solidified an image in his head. He imagined that

he held an object in his hand——the mock sword he always used during
his morning training.

"Oh...!"

It appeared just as he imagined it, Taiga was slightly impressed.

"Fufufu... it doesn't just produce objects, even something like this can be
done!"

Then, Taiga's body suddenly started floating in the air.

He looked around surprised, both Fuyuki and Rui as well as the

previously made furniture were all floating.

"A space without gravity. That's what you thought of instantly... as

www.asianovel.com
398

expected of Rucchan."

"This is certainly amazing... however, it's really annoying too."

Because there was a lot of furniture inside, the room turned into
something miserable.

The objects in the air continued to float and move around, it looked as if
a typhoon entered the room and devastated it. It was difficult to move in
there.

Rui snapped her fingers and the gravity returned to normal. The design
of the room also changed at the same time, the interior changed into
one that had a calm atmosphere and felt like a recreation room.

"Interesting isn't it?

"Indeed. It can be used really, in many ways."

The mock sword also disappeared before he noticed. It seemed like it

was possible to interfere with things other people created.

"So, we're gonna talk about...?"

"That's..."

Suddenly hesitating to speak up, Fuyuki forced herself to form the

words.

Neither Taiga nor Rui said anything, they waited patiently for her to let it
out. Fuyuki repeatedly took a deep breath to calm herself, and started to
talk slowly.

"——Little sister's and Karasuba Shio's... no, Shii-chan's past."

Their first meeting and their parting.

"Shii-chan, eh. Is that how you called her long time ago?"

"Yeah, eight years ago little sister was taken in by one of the four largest
programming companies 'Karasuba'. Theoretically, I was an adopted
child."

www.asianovel.com
399

"...theoretically?"

As Fuyuki clenched her teeth strongly, Taiga could see that she was
uncomfortable. In truth, it was different——he heard as if she said that.

"Just like Kiritou is developing human resources in their school, Karasuba

also brings up researchers in their own way. Internal educational
institution 『Bird Cage』. The little sister who was an adoptive child was
taken there, there were many children without relatives in there."

She was given the last name of Karasuba on the family register.
However, she didn't have a single memory of meeting with people who
were her adoptive parents. A family only on paper, total
strangers——that was the relationship she had with Karasuba.

"Speaking of which, you said that before. That you graduated after a
year thanks to treatment that allowed you to skip grades."

"Yes. Although, that place can't be called a school. It could be called a

factory producing researchers."

"...that's quite an unpleasant expression."

"All the teachers were AI, I was confined in a private room and unable to
leave it until I finished the daily quota. It wasn't very school-like."

People who reached a certain level were able to graduate. It was

possible for Fuyuki who was incredibly outstanding to graduate within a
year, however, normally to reach a level required to become Karasuba's
researcher, it takes more than a decade.

"For Karasuba, little sister was just a tool. A tiny gear made for moving
the Karasuba's huge system... and it didn't change even after she
graduated from the 『Bird Cage』. Every day she continued to create
programs alone, in a small laboratory. After just six months of that, little
sister couldn't stand it and started to work on escaping. That's when she
met a single girl."

"And that was Shio-chan?"

www.asianovel.com
400

"Yes. ...from now onwards, it should be easier if you saw it yourselves."

Fuyuki who stood in the centre of the room closed her eyes quietly. The
outline of the room started to distort, the data they gathered from their
five senses like sound and colours also went bad.

"《Oonira》's usage isn't limited to redecorating the room. Even memories

can be visualized as if they were a video."

Immediately after that, the space rapidly formed a shape. In front of the
three appeared a pure white room that had size of about ten tatami
mats. There were a few things that could be called furniture inside,
kitchenette, a medium-sized Arclight and a minimum of daily
necessities.

In there, was a figure of young Fuyuki. She was wearing a pompous

cloak disproportionate to her small body, she was incredibly adorable.

"Cuuute〜!!"

"It's little sister, so that's a given. ...now then I will start it, please stay
quiet."

The video started to move. Apparently young Fuyuki just came back
from theElysion, she raised her body and stretched.

"Funyaa... tired..."

The girl rubbed her eyes, then slowly removed the headgear and opened
the refrigerator. She drank a jelly-like contents all at once.

Although there were no windows, but it seemed like it was morning. On

the window that appeared beside Fuyuki was a clock which displayed
the time, it was eight o'clock.

Judging by how tired she was, it seemed like she had been working the
entire night.

"...Onii... I want to meet you..."

She was looking at a picture. It was the last photo of the siblings taken

www.asianovel.com
401

when they were parting eight years ago. Young Fuyuki gently traced
Taiga's face and tears appeared in her eyes.

She was at her limit.

While originally she was scared of strangers, Fuyuki was already more
shy than anyone. She lost her parents, separated from her brother, she
spent over a year in solitude and her heart was starving for a
connection.

But there wasn't even a single opportunity. At that day, Fuyuki decided
to run away.

Not thinking much, she unlocked the doors by hacking it and young
Fuyuki jumped out of the laboratory.

"Haa... haa..."

She continued to run while being out of breath.

Although she was originally bad with exercising, she didn't go out for
more than a year and a half, her physical strength has dropped
significantly. Fuyuki didn't know the structure of the research building,
and ran away towards the mountains to get away, her stamina was
wasted in vain.

"Auu... it's not here either..."

Young Fuyuki was very smart and knew very well that she'd be brought
back if she's found.

That's why she continued to change direction whenever she saw an

adult——that happened so many times she was soon completely
exhausted.

And, she heard adults talking in front of her, Fuyuki quickly entered the
closest room——

"...who are you?"

She met a girl with silver hair.

www.asianovel.com
402

The girl was surprised by the sudden intrusion. She was probably
working on something, a huge amount of windows was expanded. On
the other hand, it was the first time for Fuyuki to meet a girl her age,
and couldn't hide her surprise at the room's appearance.

Bright purple colour occupied her field of view. Rainy season flowers
known as hydrangea decorated the room.

It was obvious that they were artificial. But inside of the room there was
a damp smell floating around, as if it were raining. Because of this
aroma, young Fuyuki was reminded of the time she spent with her
family.

"...why are you crying?"

"Eh...?"

Only after being told that, Fuyuki noticed she was crying. As she
hurriedly wiped her tears, feelings of nostalgia filled her thoughts
immediately.

"Uu...Uuuu...UAAaaa..."

"Eh, hey?! Eh?!"

The girl panicked as Fuyuki suddenly started crying. Not knowing what

www.asianovel.com
403

to do, but still unable to leave the sobbing girl alone——

"Umm... there, there."

She put her hand on Fuyuki's head and gently stroked it.

That hand was very gentle, causing Fuyuki to cry again.

And that was Fuyuki's and Shio's——meeting of two lonely girls.

"I am Karasuba Shio. What's your name?"

"...Tenr..yo... no, Karasuba Fuyuki."

"Karasuba? ...can it be, you're from the 『Bird Cage』?"

"Yes. And you're not?"

"Yup. I'm from the head family."

Ten minutes after their sudden encounter, Fuyuki was sitting on the
coach beside Shio. It's been a while since she talked to someone her
age, so she was a bit nervous.

"...so you're a real ojou-sama?

"That's right. Although since I'm the second daughter, and I have an
older brother I'm not the successor to Karasuba."

"Ha〜...you're amazing."

Unconsciously, Fuyuki sighed in admiration.

If she was from one of the four major cyber-related corporates

『Karasuba』, that meant she was a top class ojou-sama.

However the person in question looked troubled and shook her head.

"It's not that great. Rather than that, I think you're more amazing for
being given your own laboratory at that age. Isn't that more
outstanding?"

"...after being locked in a place like this, I'm happy that I did my best."

www.asianovel.com
404

Those were the feelings from the bottom of her heart.

I want to see Brother. If I excel at studies and have achievements I'll be

able to act freely——that's what she thought in her young mind, and
Fuyuki graduated from 『Bird Cage』 after a year of desperate effort, she
devoted herself to studying to the very limit, even sacrificing sleep.

And yet, her situation didn't change at all. Rather than that, she was
entrusted with copious amount of work, and her free time rapidly
vanished. Contrary to her expectations, the reality cornered her.

"You're happy that you did your best, is it... hey, how do you write
'Fuyuki'?"

"Umm, 'fuyu' as in winter and 'hime' as in princess, read as Fuyuki."

"Fuyuki... then I'll call you Hime-chan."

"Mu... then I'll call you Shii-chan."

"Shii-chan... it's the first time I've been called that. Yup, I like it."

Contrary to her young appearance, Fuyuki had a adult-like name she

was concerned with.

That's why when she was called with a childlike name 'Hime-chan' she
retaliated... but she also unexpectedly liked it.

"Hey, Hime-chan. Why did you become a researcher?"

"...that's how it turned out. Also, I have a goal. And for that goal I need
to become even better."

"Even better... in that case, I think you need to try even harder you
know?"

"Even... harder?"

"I don't know what Hime-chan's goal is, but normally what researchers
can do is limited. You need to become a senior researcher at the very
least."

www.asianovel.com
405

"Is that so. So unless I reach even higher, it's no good."

Fuyuki calmed down, and started to think realistically again.

Even if she got out of the researcher's building, what would she do
afterwards. If they found out she tried to run away, they would become
vigilant from that moment onward——she couldn't let that happen.

Just when she thought of that. Shio clapped both of her hands and said "I
thought of something good".

"That's right. Hime-chan, why won't you help me study?"

"Study?"

"Yup. It's fine if it's only when you have free time. Hime-chan is around
my age right? I think it's better to study together with other people of
the same age."

Fuyuki was hesitant, but there was only one answer.

"..if that's what you want, then I don't mind doing it as my thanks for
earlier."

"I see, thank you! Then let's do our best starting from tomorrow."

And like that Fuyuki continued to stay at Karasuba, the two of them
continued to study together in Shio's study room.

Fuyuki who was almost crushed by loneliness made a friend who filled
the gap in her heart even if just by a bit. It wouldn't be an exaggeration
to say Shio was the reason she could stand the harsh days in laboratory.

She felt fun spending time with Shio. However, Fuyuki noticed that
occasionally Shio smiled in distress.

When she asked her why did she decorate the room with artificial
hydrangea, Shio replied.

"That's because hydrangea tries its best to shine even in rain, right?
Even when it's hard, it desperately tries and shines no matter what."

www.asianovel.com
406

When she heard that for the first time she thought 'she looks at it from a
strange perspective'.

But three months after their first study session, on a certain day. Fuyuki
overheard Shio's conversation with her father by coincidence, and found
the reason.

Ever since then, the gears slowly started to go crazy.

Why are you so incompetent——that's what her father said, scolding her.

Your older brother, your older sister... he compared her to her siblings.
He tore her report card that showed her overall quite outstanding marks
to shreds, and deleted the immature program she made.

After her father left, Shio desperately endured, trying not to cry as her
shoulders trembled.

Hidden Fuyuki heard her worried voice "I need to do my best", that's all
she said before heading towards the desk. Ever since then, she saw that
scene many times.

The reprimands from her father intensified. Shio tried her best, studying
by the desk to live up to her father's expectations. Doing that every day,
she slowly turned haggard.

And as Shio continued to look worse and worse. Wanting to cheer her up
somehow, Fuyuki talked about the results of her own research. As she
showed her the program she made, Shio's expression turned dark.

Fuyuki desperately thought how to cheer her up——and what she came
up with, was making an entertainment program that would help her get
well.

Shii-chan loves the look of hydrangea, let's add a comforting fragrance

into it as well.

For Fuyuki who only made practical programs up until then, it was a
challenge for her to make one for the first time.

www.asianovel.com
407

That was because in 『Bird Cage』 she was only taught techniques
maximizing efficiency in programs. There was no place for
entertainment elements in the basic knowledge she was taught. She had
to learn from scratch.

I've been making a program for Shii-chan, because she was too
embarrassed to say that, she lied saying that's the reason she can't
attend study sessions, and used that time to develop the entertainment
program.

She just wanted her to cheer up.

However, Fuyuki didn't notice. Who really cornered Shio, was Fuyuki
herself.

If you get better even better you'll be free. She believed the words Shio
said, and Fuyuki's talent fully bloomed.

Even if they begin at different starting lines, if you do your best you'll be
rewarded some day. My strict father will definitely recognize me——Shio
kept working hard while believing in that. However, Fuyuki's presence
showed her the cruel reality 'there's no point in struggling if you don't
have a talent'.

Negative feelings continued to undermine Shio's heart little by little, and

ironically, it was the program Fuyuki made for her that broke her heart.

"Shii-chan, Shii-chan! Please look. I'm finally done!"

That day, with a program she just completed, Fuyuki visited Shio's study
room.

The girl she didn't see for four days was waiting in the room from which
lights have disappeared. There was a deep despair engraved in her
pupils, but there was no way the excited Fuyuki could notice it.

"...done?"

"Yes!! Umm, please take this. It's a present for Shii-chan!"

www.asianovel.com
408

Fuyuki projected a pale purple crystal and held it out towards Shio.

Shio timidly took it and asked for information about the content while
looking at it.

"Since Shii-chan wasn't looking too good recently. This not only has a
visual effect and sense of smell, but also a calming auditory effect. It
was my first time making an entertainment program, but somehow I
managed to make it!"

"First time... this...?"

It was an advanced program Shio couldn't make even if she stood on her
head. In just a few days time, moreover it was her first try——intense
jealousy of her talent raged within Shio.

And all the emotions that accumulated within her until then exploded.

"Why did you make such a thing... do you want to show off your talent
that much?!"

Shio cried out and forcefully pushed Fuyuki's hand away. Because of that
hit, the memory card inserted in Fuyuki's terminal flew away, hit the wall
and broke.

"Hime-chan is always like that! Have you ever thought of how I feel
when I see a program Hime-chan made?! How it feels to realize my own
incompetence?!"

With these words, Fuyuki finally realized she has cornered Shio.

"T-thats not what I... I just wanted for Shii-chan to be more cheerful——"

"Who asked you to do that?! ...I was always jealous Hime-chan, what I
wanted the most, I couldn't help but be jealous of Hime-chan's talent
which was recognized by everyone!! Even I, even I want to be praised!
Even if just once, I want to be told that I did well!!"

No matter how hard she tried, no one acknowledged it.

Even when her results improved, she was only scolded 'why did you

www.asianovel.com
409

improve only this much'.

In that case——there was no meaning in working hard.

"Aa...uu... Shi... Shii-cha...n..."

In front of that outburst of emotions, Fuyuki could only be intimidated.

I need to say something, at this rate she'll break——even though she

knew that, it was the first time such negative emotions were directed
towards her, and she couldn't say anything.

"If I am to feel like this... I wish I never met Hime-chan!"

"———!!"

Hearing the words that denied all this time they spend together every
day up until then, Fuyuki ran away while blocking her ears with her
hands.

She continued to run like crazy and before she noticed, she collapsed on
her bed and cried.

"Help me... someone help me... Onii..."

No one responded to her heartbreaking cries. She lost her only friend.

There was no one who could be together with her no longer.

"———That's all, the entire past little sister and Shii-chan share."

The memory playback was finished, and the figure of a young girl
collapsing in tears in solitude slowly faded away in front of the three. I
must have been painful for her to recall the past as Fuyuki sat down on
the coach and deeply exhaled.

"...what happened to Fuyuki after this?"

"Nothing. I was too immersed in the study to leave the room, I did
everything to forget it. Ever since then, I haven't met Shii-chan even

www.asianovel.com
410

once."

Shio never visited Fuyuki's laboratory, in the first place a young lady of
Karasuba family had no contact with researchers from 『Bird Cage』.
There was no opportunity for them to meet in person.

"I see. You said before 『I made an entertainment program before, only
once』 so it was the gift for Shio-chan."

"Yeah. I remember it's code even now. I probably won't ever forget it."

"...do you regret it? The fact that you didn't notice how Shio felt?"

"...I wonder? Whether it's guilt, or maybe it's regret... I no longer know it
myself."

Saying so, Fuyuki made a tearful smile. I want to heal it

somehow——thought Taiga, with a fragile smile.

"Oh, that's right. Rui-san will go outside for some fresh air."

With that, Rui suddenly stood up. Taiga said "This is Elysion going
outside for fresh air..." and tilted his head. Rui moved her lips to his ears
and——

"I'll come back in ten minutes. I leave Fuyuki to you〜"

Leaving these words behind, she left the room.

"...Rucchan really is a busybody."

It seemed like Fuyuki knew what her underlying motive was. As Taiga
sat down beside her, she put down her head on his shoulder as usual.
Because of a flowery aroma coming from her black hair, he felt a bit
dreamy.

"...what should little sister do."

Her feelings spilled out. There was no need to answer——that's what he

felt. He responded while gently stroking Fuyuki's head.

"It's not something I should be telling you. It's up to what Fuyuki wants

www.asianovel.com
411

to do, that is all. ...and that answer, you already have it, don't you?"

Immersed in the pleasant feeling of being gently patted on the head,

Fuyuki closed her eyes.

What she though of, were the days she spent with Shio. The days they
had fun together, and the tears she had in her eyes when she last saw
her.

What she wants to do——she already knew what, for eight years now.

Even so, she was scared to meet her, and continued to run away.

She acknowledged her weakness. And wanted to move forward one step
at a time. Let's move forward. And for the sake of doing that——

"I want to apologize to Shi-chan. And I want to get along with her once
again."

First of all, that's where she'll start.

"The fact that little sister was always relying on Brother... I finally
realized that."

"Relying on someone is not a bad thing."

"That's true... but, relying on someone and becoming dependent is not.

Little sister wants to live with Brother as equals. That's why, give me
courage."

"...courage?"

Fuyuki placed her hands on Taiga's and intertwined her fingers with his.
She stared straight at him.

"Shii-chan comforted little sister when she was crying, it's time for little
sister to pay Shii-chan back. That's why——once again, give me courage
to stand in front of Shii-chan."

Fuyuki said that, closed her eyes and raised her chin.

Even the super dense Taiga realized what she expected of him. Or

www.asianovel.com
412

rather, there was only one thing that could be done with that posture of
hers. Taiga's vision shook as he hesitated——

"...this has to suffice."

He stopped hesitating, scooped up her hair with one hand and kissed her
bare forehead.

Fuyuki opened her eyes a bit annoyed, she had a dissatisfied expression
on her face.

"...little sister was expecting something more on the lips?"

"Don't say nonsense. As if I could do something like that so simply."

His heart was beating nervously with just kissing her forehead. Her lips
were too high of a hurdle——and if it was with Fuyuki, then all the more.

"Is this fine?"

"Yeah. ...well, little sister wonders if it's really all right for her first kiss to
be on a place like that, but will settle for on the forehead for now. But,
please don't forget this."

She slowly traced Taiga's lips with her white fingers. Stuck out her
tongue, laughed and sweetly bit his neck.

www.asianovel.com
413

"Little sister will be the one to take them... so you can't let other women
take them, okay?"

——Now. Let's go and retrieve what I left behind in the past.

Part 5
"...fuu."

After shooting about twenty arrows into a large tree that was fifty
metres away, Shio lowered her bow.

Shio parted with Taiga, and wanted to log out at first. But she thought of
practicing instead, and remained in 《Aries》.

"It's really easy to aim and hit the target with this bow after all."

《Cryoflare》 was a bow strong enough to allow her to subjugate viruses,

but its habits were very strong. Although it would be misleading to say it
picked its master, but it seemed to match Shio well.

I'll practice a little longer, and surprise Onii-san tomorrow.

It was fun to see herself grow after committing to it and putting in

effort——it was a feeling she long forgot.

Young children that don't know reality could be forgiven for it. But as a
person from Karasuba's main family, results mattered more than the
process.

But it was different in 《Aries》. Here she wasn't 'Karasuba Shio' but just
another girl, she could do whatever she wanted, no one would tell her
what to do. She would do it by her own will.

"Alright, let's try another twenty times."

Shio set up the bow to start shooting again.

She concentrated and didn't notice the gaze that was staring at her
back.

www.asianovel.com
414

About fifty metres behind Shio, on a small cliff there was a virtual body
that put on a white robe completely covering the entire body——'Angel',
and Tokuma whose pupils were completely unfocused.

"Hmm, it seems like he's not there. It seems like I can carry it out more
smoothly than expected. Looks like I am lucky after all."

Angel looked down on Shio's figure as she kept shooting arrows and
snapped its fingers. Suddenly, Tokuma who was expressionless like a
doll opened his eyes widely all at once.

"Now, Tokuma... there's the girl who was together with the boy you lost
to."

"...wom...an...."

"You fought him and lost, he's the ringleader behind all this. You hate
him right? If she's hurt, I wonder what face would that boy make?"

His thinking was cloudy as mud, that whisper turned into an absolute
'order' he had to obey. It no longer mattered who's the opponent, there
was only the grudge in his mind.

"...pull...tear..."

"That's right. You have the program made by me, 《Replicon》 that raises
your specs beyond comparison. And you don't have the reason to run
away any more——you can rampage as you please."

"Aa....gaa...AAAAHHHH!!!!"

Tokuma howled unlike any normal human ever could, and jumped off
the cliff. There were fifty metres of distance to the target in a straight
line——a distance he should never be able to close with a leap, and
jumped with abnormal leg power.

"Eh——?"

*gagon*, hearing a strange sound behind her, Shio immediately looks

behind.

www.asianovel.com
415

The man who was in her line of sight, was the same A-ranked player she
saw a few hours earlier in the arena. Tokuma pulled out the whip sword
from his waist and swung it down with brute force!

"HYARAAAAAAaaaaaaa!!"

"KyaAA?!"

It was so sudden Shio couldn't move properly. The jet black whip sword
slammed to the right beside her and tore through the earth engraving
an over twenty meter long, deep scar. Because of that huge power her
body rose up, and then Shio fell to the ground.

*crnch*... along with the sound of someone stepping on the gravel, a

shadow appeared in her field of vision. In front of Shio who looked up
tearfully, was the figure of a man brandishing a sword in silence.

"...y-you are... Tokuma-san? Why did you... suddenly——auu!!"

She asked with a trembling voice, the reply to her question was a
heartless blow. The whip sword bore through the ground forcefully once
again, Shio rolled away blown off by the impact.

N-need to run——

Attacked without reason.

But what occupied her heart wasn't the way Tokuma acted.

Shio was always living while being told off by her family, so she was very
sensitive to malice when it was directed toward her. That's why she
knew. Hating to this extent was abnormal.

That's why she threw away unnecessary thoughts and only thought
about fleeing.

But in this situation she couldn't escape that easily. Although Shio tried
to run away with her back turned to Tokuma, but again her escape route
was cut off by 《Cihuacóatl》's blow.

I can't... with an opponent who has such a long range weapon, I'll be

www.asianovel.com
416

done in for before I manage to run away...

Shio hid in the back of a tree, immediately after the sword whip
continued to randomly hit everything around. The slashes were hitting
all around, but they were not even remotely close to hit Shio.

...?

Now that she thought about it, it was strange from the first blow. She
saw his skill when he fought with Taiga.

With an opponent who couldn't move a single step, why did he

continuously swing it at random?

Maybe he can't aim properly?

With him in such an erratic state, it wasn't impossible. She could

disengage if she triggered the move command now. Thinking so, Shio
expanded the window——

〈"Error. This command is currently unavailable."〉

"Eh... why?!"

The moment she started the move process, a window appeared

displaying an error message. Her only means of escape disappeared, in
this abnormal situation Shio's head went blank, confused.

Impossible. To disable a system command, it was absolutely impossible

unless someone used their Master Code———

"———!! Kyaaaaaaaaa!!!"

She dodged the tip of the sword in the nick of time. But the big tree that
was acting like a wall was cut in two and disappeared becoming
particles of light.

She couldn't escape. The obstacle that acted as a shield was no longer
there. No matter how insane Tokuma was, his weapon had a total length
of twenty metres. Even if he waved it at random, it would hit her.

www.asianovel.com
417

There was only one option left, just one. To fight with Tokuma.

...alright, let's try it...

It's a game after all, it's fine to lose——Shio didn't think like that.

She finally found the place she can do her best at, no, found the place
she belongs to. There's no way she would give up on it so simply.

Shio stood up determined, she set up the bow aiming the arrow in front
of her.

She was too inexperienced to know any tricks, so there was no meaning
in them. Even though she couldn't afford to stand still because she
would get hit by the whip sword. Shio had no other choice but to hit him
with her strongest attack head-on.

Shio exposed her unprotected form, the sword whip slashed horizontally
and vertically, but it only hit the ground around Tokuma. During that
opening, the arrow was clad in both red and blue, and its power
increased thanks to the two conflicting attributes.

"Charging complete... gooooooo!!"

Together with Shio's yell, the arrow clad in both ice and hell fire was
launched.

The arrow flew in straight line towards its target freezing and burning
everything on its path at the same time, it grazed the 《Cihuacóatl》 and
flew past the blade before penetrating Tokuma's brain.

It exploded with a roar, both ice and flame spread widely.

Fully charged blow, and additional bonus for hitting the head. The bodily
ability didn't have much effect on the bow's ability, if succeeded, the
damage to enemy should be severe——that is if enemy was normal.

Her visibility was covered with white smoke that looked like steam, Shio
took a deep breath and lowered her bow——however, using that
opportunity, a black shadow jumped out from the white smoke.

www.asianovel.com
418

She reflexively shot an arrow at the shadow's head, but its movement
didn't stop.

"Aguu!?"

Tokuma's right hand grasped Shio's neck, and slammed her into the
ground.

And continued to strangle her like that with enough strength to break
her bones.

There was no concept of suffocation in Elysion, but people still suffered if

they couldn't breathe, that didn't change in cyber world.

"Haa...!! aaa..."

Shio was being held by the neck and couldn't get up. Tokuma raised
《Cihuacóatl》 which turned back into the shape of a sword and swung it
down at her unprotected neck——

"——That's enough, Tokuma."

Together with that voice someone snapped their fingers, the jet black
blade stopped. Tokuma's movement stopped as if he was a mechanical
doll with its power cut off, the madness and emotions that dominated his
eyes disappeared

She wondered since when it was there. A white virtual body 'appeared'
beside Tokuma——and looked down at Shio who couldn't move, it's
mouth distorted.

"Nice to meet you, I guess? Karasuba Shio."

"...who are you?"

Although it might have seemed that someone came to help her, Shio
wasn't that optimistic.

An unidentified virtual body that knew her name——although she was

still confused and didn't understand the situation, she somehow
squeezed out the words.

www.asianovel.com
419

"For the time being I call myself 'Angel', but call me however you want.
Because there's no meaning in having names after all."

"...Angel? The one that spreads those strange programs——"

"It's a bit different. I'm just giving people what they need. Like Tokuma
here———or like you."

"Me...?"

She didn't understand. Why would her name appear there.

"He, Tokuma was defeated, and to take revenge on Tenryo Taiga who
took away his position in Aries he took the power. You too have been
deprived of the place your belong to in the past. That's enough of a
reason to desire power."

"Why do you know that?!"

After these words, she remembered about the girl who was once her
friend. Why would the memory she didn't share with anyone be known
by this mysterious virtual body——

"Because I've heard it. The story about you two's past, I was together
with those three. Karasuba Fuyuki, no, now she's Tenryo Fuyuki is she.
Don't you want to take revenge on her? Didn't you suffer because of
her?"

These words stabbed deep into her, Shio looked below for a moment.
The Angel didn't miss that.

"It seems like you thought about it before."

"...it's true that I always had a grudge against her. But... when I spoke
with Onii-san I noticed. Rather than continue that, it's better to find
something more fun to do."

That's right.

If she gave into despair, there was nothing she could obtain. Even if she
didn't have a talent it was fine, she should enjoy herself as she

www.asianovel.com
420

improved.

Shio finally arrived at that conclusion,

"——What. So you're a human only worth that much."

Angel discarded it with those words.

"Eh——?"

"I thought you were the same kind of human as I am... it seems like I
was wrong. You're a human being much weaker than I am. You don't
even have courage to raise your head, a really worthless human."

"Wrong! I just——"

"To look for something fun to do? There's no meaning in these words.
You will keep your resentment, it will not disappear. That's just escaping.
Nothing can change the past you suffered. Unless you take your
revenge, you won't be able to move forward."

*pishin*, she heard a sound as if something cracked in her. A slight

opening was carved in her heart, Angel's words seeped into her heart
like poison.

"That's hateful right? She has everything you lack. Not only talent, she
even has a brother who cherishes her."

"...Onii...-san..."

A part of her heart was swayed. It felt as if there was no determination,

but Angel's words wiped out those feelings.

"You admire him, right? His appearance as he faced the adversity.

You're jealous right? Of Fuyuki who has such a wonderful family
member. If you win against Tenryo Fuyuki——you might be
acknowledged by the person you admire?"

www.asianovel.com
421

With the last words, a fire in her heart was lit and her emotions ached,
they unnaturally expanded. All of her emotions said one thing——defeat
Tenryo Fuyuki.

"That's it——the expression I waited for."

Aiming for the moment her emotions were at the peak, Angel pushed
the crystal it had on it hand into Shio. A bluish white pulse ran through
her entire body, from Shio's mouth a soundless scream rose.

"Now then, I've input it perfectly. Whether she withstands is up to her... I

have no other candidate. Don't break down immediately like he did
okay?"

Angel stared at the screaming Shio as if she was an ant, and laughed.

www.asianovel.com
422

Vol. 2 :

Chapter 5

Part 1
"Nn〜...it's strange after all..."

"Taiga, you've been glaring at the terminal for a while now, what
happened?"

The next day after they heard about Fuyuki's and Shio's past, Taiga,
wearing his school uniform was visiting 《Paradise》 to have breakfast.
Unfortunately, it was raining today; the rain that poured down quietly
caused the air to have an indescribable taste.

Like she usually did, Rui made the breakfast while wearing the maid
outfit, but she was also worried about Taiga who kept fiddling with his
terminal, she stopped her hands and inquired about that.

"Nothing, I tried to contact Shio ever since yesterday, but she didn't
answer at all. I was wondering at what time should I dive today."

Although he tried both interactive communication and e-mailing her,

there was no response at all. Shio wasn't attending school, and thinking
that she slept until this late wasn't believable. It wasn't weird for Taiga
to worry, though Rui was worried about something else.

"...just when did you get Shio-chan's contact address?"

www.asianovel.com
423

"When, you ask. Yesterday. We can't meet in the real world, it would be
inconvenient not to know it."

"...mu—"

He was right, he was right but——that wasn't interesting at all.

Rui forgot she was currently in the middle of cooking and stretched her
hand towards Taiga's cheek, she pulled it lightly.

"...ut ah oo oing?

"It's been only a day since you met right? Rui-san thinks it a bit too fast."

Rui was blatantly unhappy, she repeated the same thing three times,
and after pulling a bit harder in the end she let go. Taiga refuted while
rubbing his slightly red cheek.

"Even though you say that... I've asked for Rui's contact info on the day
we met as well right?"

"That's true, but somehow I'm not convinced..."

"What's up with that..."

Recently, Rui's mood often turned for the worse like that all of a sudden.
Although it usually had something to do with Fuyuki, it seemed like it
wasn't limited to her.

"I've already told you yesterday, a lot happened. It wasn't long but it was
pretty intense, so the distance between us shrunk naturally."

"...I know that but..."

Since Rui quickly became close to him in a similar way, she couldn't
deny it.

"...speaking of which, why is Fuyuki taking a day off? Did her physical
ability give out?"

Only Taiga and Rui were present in Paradise at the moment,the black-
haired petite girl that was usually next to them was absent.

www.asianovel.com
424

"No, that's not it. She wanted to recreate the program she gave Shio in
the past no matter what. 'This time I won't run away, in order to get my
friend back' is what she said."

Using all her abilities, I'll make an improved version——after saying so

last night, Fuyuki began to work in the dive room.

"Is that so. Is that all right? What if she passes out in the room..."

"When I went to check up on her in the morning, she was sleeping on

the floor. I carried her to bed and prepared breakfast. She should be
eating it when she wakes up."

"Eh? Taiga, you can cook?"

"Well, I just made simple rice balls with just rice and nothing else inside."

It was a great help that rice cookers were fully automated these days.

Although he wanted to take a day off together with her, Taiga was

absent from the school for 10 days already in just this semester. If he
took any more days off, it would impact both his grades and the way
teachers view him. That's why even though he was reluctant, he left for
school leaving his exhausted, sleeping little sister behind.

"...still, that Shio, what happened to her?"

"...maybe Taiga was too harsh and she decided to ignore you?"

"Uguu..."

No, the fact he couldn't rule out that possibility made him anxious.

"Is having to listen to someone's worries annoying after all..?"

'...well Rui-san was always listening to Fuyuki's chatter. I don't mind it〜"

Although it seemed like she was in a good mood yesterday... but even
trifling things could trigger a change of heart for better or worse.

...that Karasuba bunch, they really do pointless things.

www.asianovel.com
425

Shio wasn't acknowledged by her family in the past. Although she slowly
changed herself, with a single opportunity, she could step back into the
darkness again.

An indescribable unease spread inside Taiga as he started to eat the

breakfast Rui made.

Part 2
"Uunyaa... bright..."

A dazzling light entered through the gap in the window blinds, causing
Fuyuki to move slightly.

Even though she tried to escape from the day by going back to sleep,
after waking up her consciousness wouldn't fade away again. Her eyes
opened little by little, eventually she shook off the temptation to stay in
bed and rose up.

It seems like it's morning.

She opened the blinds using the room's remote control system. The sun
was nearly at the peak, it seemed like it was noon.

"Eh... umm... why am I on the bed...?"

Still half asleep, she checked on her memories from last night.

She remembered programming until dawn, and the moment she

completed it all the fatigue surged at the same time. 'Did I walk to bed
while unconscious?' is what she considered, but she found something
strange on the side deck.

"A rice ball...?"

She looked down from the king size bed, It was definitely a rice ball. It
was wrapped to prevent it from drying up, and there was a piece of
paper by its side on which was written 'Good job'.

"...Onii."

www.asianovel.com
426

That's when she noticed, her long black hair was supposed to be in a
mess because of work, but it was clean and neat instead.

"Fufu... he should have said so, I would've let him do it anytime."

Fuyuki tied her hair with a ribbon, preparing her usual twin tails and left
the room while stuffing her cheeks with the rice ball.

There wasn't enough salt in it, and too much strength was put while
shaping it, some parts of it were stiff,

"...delicious."

But when she thought her Brother prepared it for her, it was a great
treat for her.

Since she didn't eat anything since last night, Fuyuki gobbled up three
rice balls and checked the time. It was half past eleven.

Even if I went to school now, I would only make it for specialized course.

Since it was Monday, there were specialized courses in the afternoon.

Honestly speaking, the specialized course she chose with Rui was boring
and tedious. There should be no problems if she misses it once.
However.

"...since Little Sister is absent, Brother and Rucchan are eating lunch
together just the two of them..."

Also, they are eating Rui's homemade boxed lunch with their usual
atmosphere like a pair of newlyweds.

When she thought of that, Fuyuki's heart was quickly filled with jealousy.
The rice ball's taste disappeared from her mouth and frustration
occupied her mind.

"Let's go after all. Letting brother be alone with a girl other than Little
Sister is unforgivable."

Honestly, Rucchan was cute. She was incredibly cute.

www.asianovel.com
427

She has cheat-level perfect style and an innocent personality——she

seemed very attractive even from the point of view of other girls. One
week ago she announced that she likes her Brother. Although it seems
like she didn't confess yet, she continues to steadily shorten the
distance between them.

Fuyuki quickly decided, returned to her room at a brisk pace and started
to change into her school uniform.

Just when she finished changing and grabbed her bag, she received a e-
mail.

"Aah, even though I'm in a hurry here, who is that from——...eh?"

Sender of the e-mail was——Karasuba Shio.

Fuyuki read the entire message in a hurry, then read it again for a
second time.

〈"To Hime-chan. I have something I want to talk to you about. Can we

meet now? I have written the coordinates indicating where you should
come. I'll be waiting."〉

She looked through the briefly written message multiple times. The
coordinates indicated it was in 《Aries》, but she didn't know that place.
Fuyuki displayed the program she had just completed on the palm of her
hand in the form of a bright purple crystal.

The program's name was——《Hydrangea Garden》.

"...this time, I won't run away."

She resolved herself, and quietly murmured.

In her hand, Fuyuki clenched the thing she couldn't give in the past and
rushed to the dive room.

And after starting the Arclight, her consciousness dissolved in a sea of

electrons.

www.asianovel.com
428

———Her memories were confused.

In a world covered with silvery snow, Karasuba Shio was patiently

waiting for a girl who was once her friend.

The snow was slowly falling down from the grey sky and piling up on the
ground.

Blocks and pillars of ice were scattered around, although it seemed like
the entire landscape was frozen, the temperature she felt was only to an
extent of a chill despite wearing a hunter costume. That was probably
because of a setting that protected players.

...a mysterious sensation.

A delicate white girl who could be mistaken for a snow spirit looked at
the winter sky and exhaled while in a daze. Even the cold air wouldn't
cool down the black emotions swirling in her heart.

Why did hatred fill her endlessly like that. Even Shio herself didn't know
the source of these emotions. She had no memories from the time she
separated from Taiga until this morning.

She didn't know where those feelings came from, but it was all the same
to her.

Her body was engulfed with rage, she soaked in a darkness-like abyss
and her heart cried out with only a single absolute purpose.

"——You came, Hime-chan."

"...it's been a long time, Shii-chan."

When she looked down again, there, blooming like an elegant flower on
the snowy field was a single girl.

White and black——the two girls who met seven years earlier faced each
other once again.

"Long time? Didn't we meet two days ago?"

www.asianovel.com
429

"No, you got it wrong. Only now we have reunited for real."

"...fuun."

As the snow kept falling, their gazes intersected.

The eyes of the girl in a remodelled kimono were different from the
other day, a strong will shone in them. Seeing these eyes, Shio
ascertained her intent again——wanting to crush her.

"Did you resolve yourself?"

"Yeah. Little Sister won't run away again. I will properly end what started
seven years ago, and become friends with Shii-chan again."

"............"

While Fuyuki was saying she's prepared, Shio reached out to the bow on
her back and set it up. Then, after creating an arrow of ice, she
immediately released it.

Cutting through the cold air, the arrow flew past Fuyuki while grazing
her cheek and shattered upon striking the ice pillar behind her.

"Friends...? You left me to my worthless life, and you still say such a
thing? That's pretty selfish of you."

Words of a complete rejection, but Fuyuki still didn't pull out even an
inch.

"That's certainly true. But, I have decided. No matter how troublesome it

is or how I am denied, I absolutely won't give up."

Just like how she was saved in the past.

"Hime-chan's feelings don't matter here. They're not related to me."

Fuyuki had said how she felt from the bottom of her heart. However, it
didn't reach Shio who was dominated by hatred. She aimed another
arrow towards Fuyuki and released it.

"I have only one goal. To get revenge on Hime-chan, because of you I

www.asianovel.com
430

suffered."

The meaning of her actions were clear. Fight with me, here and
now——that's what Shio meant.

"...no. Little Sister didn't come here to do something so silly."

She was responded to with an arrow. Fuyuki dodged the arrow which
flew straight towards her head in the nick of time.

"Silly...? You don't know how much I suffered, how much pain I went
through, don't talk as if you know!!"

Her feelings overflowed, she released a heartbreaking cry. Seeing those

unnaturally strong emotions, Fuyuki had a bad feeling.

"Let's fight. In order to regain the value of my existence, I will surpass

Hime-chan."

Rough waves of deep, strong emotions. Hit by the negative emotions

she tasted once already, even though she was scared, Fuyuki continued
to look straight at Shio.

Fuyuki from seven years ago, escaped at this point. Unable to withstand
the negative emotions, she abandoned Shio to protect herself.

"I'm sorry."

That's why, she definitely couldn't withdraw this time.

"...that so."

Responding to Fuyuki, Shio narrowed her eyes. A cold spine chilling

glare, full of hatred and resentment concentrated on her, Fuyuki's heart
made a creaking noise.

"Then it can't be helped. ...I'll have you fight me, even if I have to use
force."

That moment, Shio moved.

She quickly created three arrows of ice and released them at the same

www.asianovel.com
431

time. Although Fuyuki dodged to the right Shio continued to shoot,

following her.

"Kuu——Shii-chan! Please stop!"

She tried to convince her somehow while dodging the arrows, but she
got no answer.

Instead, the rate of fire at which arrows were released increased, and
finally Fuyuki was caught.

"Tsu——"

With her feet targeted, Fuyuki's movement dulled immediately.

Shio didn't miss that chance, she released an arrow that pierced through
the sky blue eyes——before that happened, the arrow of ice was
shattered by a crimson fan. Seeing what Fuyuki had in her hands, Shio's
mouth distorted with satisfaction.

"You've finally drawn your weapon. Then, let's start."

"...Shii-chan."

The moment Shio aimed at her eye, Fuyuki understood. Her friend from
the past, has stepped into a region from which she can't be taken back,
she stepped into a place like that and cannot turn back.

"...so, there's no other choice but to fight?"

"That's right. Otherwise I won't be satisfied."

The words of denial she desired, discarded as if cut with a sword. Before
Shio's last word reached her, Fuyuki already resolved herself.

"I understand. In that case——I won't hold back and will take you down."

She resolved herself, to fight with her.

With a flap of her remodelled kimono, Tenryo Fuyuki faced Karasuba

Shio.

www.asianovel.com
432

I feel bad for Shii-chan, but I'm going to finish it with a single blow.

Fuyuki didn't have even a speck of doubt of her victory.

It was obvious. It's been only two days since Shio started in 《Aries》. She
was definitely a Rank D. On the other hand, she was a Rank B and had
four years of experience. It would be another story if she had specs
comparable to Taiga, but it was impossible with those thin limbs.

Fuyuki calmly started the calculations for the elemental sphere,

however, she suddenly felt an unexpected chill.

Not good——Fuyuki momentarily changed the formula, and shattered

two elemental spheres. She sidestepped with wind giving her
acceleration from the side.

"———《Replicon》 initiate."

The next moment, a flash of light ran through the edge of Fuyuki's view.

Because Fuyuki didn't have an outstanding dynamic vision like Taiga,

she couldn't see at all what was it that approached her at the speed of
sound. But the scar gouged in the earth in a straight line indicated it was
definitely an attack.

"...you... dodged it..."

Fuyuki barely avoided the silvery-white flash. When she looked behind
her, there was a spear of ice. The ice spear's that was stuck in the snowy
field was about as thick as a human body.

No way, did she just shoot that?!

And at a speed that made it indiscernible.

Fuyuki was startled, and on the other hand, despite releasing only one
shot Shio's breathing got rough and sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Next one, let's go..."

Seeing Shio prepare another arrow of ice, Fuyuki moved taking an

www.asianovel.com
433

evasive action immediately.

She didn't consider defending, in order to stop it she probably would

need a chain of three.

Fuyuki's attack-configured program 《Elemental Sphere》, it's a small

attack-configured that used her own computing power improvising its
characteristics, it took her more time to activate as the chain increased.

The difference between a chain of two and three was a second or less,
but that difference could be fatal considering that arrow's speed.

Aiming for Fuyuki who tried to escape from the line of fire, Shio readied
her arrow. She fixed her breath after her body was assaulted by pain in
reaction to 《Replicon》's usage, and shot while holding her breath.

If Taiga was there, he would have seen it. The arrow Shio released from
her hands rapidly expanded and accelerated during this process.

Even if she deliberately looked at it, it was so fast Fuyuki could only
barely see the ice spear, it's aim was a bit off and it landed at her feet.
The powdery snow the ground was covered with danced in the air
because of shock, creating a white smokescreen.

This is bad. She can hit me anywhere with this...!!

The field of view was blocked by large amounts of snow.

Taking away the enemy's vision was a basic tactic. The response to an
attack is delayed if you can't see it. And so, something flashed near the
edge of her view.

"———!! Triple Spell 《Steam Flare》!"

She immediately smacked three spheres, a red, blue and a white one. A
shining white ball appeared in front of Fuyuki, it shrunk greatly and burst
open as it was pushed away.

The shock wave and the ice spear were released at the same time and
clashed. The engulfed ice spear shattered. As expected, the shock wave

www.asianovel.com
434

blew away the snow, and the ground was exposed in a circle around the
explosion's location.

"As expected of you, I guess. I shot that with the intention of deciding
this match, but it seems like this much isn't enough to take Hime-chan
down."

"Shii-chan... just what did you do?!"

Shio set up the bow while being vigilant, and Fuyuki shouted in
confusion.

It was impossible. She could understand if it was just 'an excellent

attack-configured program'.

But after her vision was blocked, Shio moved to the edge of her view
almost instantly.

Shio's original physical ability was bad and her rank wasn't high, she
wasn't supposed to have such leg power

"There is no way to get that strong in such a short period of time in a

legitimate way. Please answer me! What did you dabble in, Shii-chan!"

The response was another arrow. It was not the ice spear she released
before, but its rate of fire was quite fast. Fuyuki took it all down with an
armour of wind.

www.asianovel.com
435

"That kind of thing doesn't matter does it? I will defeat Hime-chan, and
regain the value of my existence. That is all."

These were words that came out of her mouth, however Shio was
worried about that herself.

Something is wrong. There was something missing from the inside of her
head——however, she didn't know what it was.

No, this is alright. I'm not in the wrong.

Shio threw away her doubts, and aimed the bow towards the sky. A
crimson fiery arrow appeared in her hand.

"Let's go, Hime-chan!!"

Along with the yell, an arrow of flame headed towards the sky like a
dragon.

The flame intensified as it increased its altitude, before long it looked

like it stopped at a certain height.

"——— 《Meteor Rain》!!!!"

And it split in the air into dozens of flame bullets which poured down on
Fuyuki!

www.asianovel.com
436

It's different from the ice arrows from before... they're guided missiles!

Although Fuyuki started running, the flame bullets freely changed their
course and chased her.

She destroyed two white spheres and created a large number of wind
blades, the fire bullets detected the blades and swiftly avoided them.

"Heey, that's troublesome..."

While running, she prepared an image to counter the fire arrow. Then
she converted it into an improvised program, she fixed the data as three
blue spheres and shattered them.

What manifested was a raging vortex. The wall of water surrounded

Fuyuki from all directions and the flame bullets drowned in the water
one after another.

"A return gift!!"

Fuyuki moved her fan, the water stream changed into the shape of a
dozen water serpents and approached Shio with their pointed fangs.

There was no way to dodge, it was a simultaneous attack from all sides.

However, Shio moved like a real hunter, and rapidly dodged the water
serpent and attacked while continuing to move. As expected she didn't
have room to make a bold move, Fuyuki moved one of the water snakes
to protect herself and took down the arrows flying towards her. Shio also
looked for a chance to land an arrow on her, but couldn't find any.

Really persistent...

She didn't know why, but Shio's stats were equivalent to that of a rank A
player's. And on top of that, her attack-configured program was pretty
strong, an average player wouldn't be able to stand up to her.

Fuyuki's fighting style could be described as an artillery-type. She was a

typical rear-guard.

Since she had poor specs even despite the rank correction, there was no

www.asianovel.com
437

way for her to get behind Shio as she couldn't move in explosive bursts
of speed. No other choice, she had to use elemental spheres both
offensively, and defensively and rely on her firepower. That was the best
tactic in the current situation.

And in contrast, Shio was a guerilla-type.

She was a long-range type who took advantage of her mobility to disrupt
the enemy attacks, a style of looking for opportunities to attack.
Although it was a standard tactic to fight that enemy type, in Shio's
case, she released powerful and bold blows instead.

They were both in a stalemate and none of them used any

tricks——however, the equilibrium collapsed surprisingly soon.

It was sudden. Shio suddenly held her chest in severe pain..

"Ha——aa...ku——!!"

*guwan*, Shio's vision shook all at once. She screamed as her entire
body was engulfed in pain, and her consciousness drifted away.

"Shii-chan?!"

Agitated by the fact Shio suddenly collapsed, Fuyuki reflexively run

towards her.

But because of that, she didn't revoke the command given to the water
snake, which attacked Shio according to the last instruction it was given.

"Dam——avoid it!"

Immediately after Fuyuki cried out, the water snake swallowed Shio and
exploded.

A large amount of water splashed out and soared into the air, before
pouring down in the form of rain.

Each of the rain droplets didn't have much power, but if all of them
overlapped, they caused an enormous amount of damage.

www.asianovel.com
438

It was definitely fatal. Fuyuki showed a pain expression as she worried

about Shio, and headed towards her in a hurry. However——

"...not yet, the match... is still on!!"

On the other side of the curtain made of water, there was Shio who had
a smile despite the fact there was an expression of anguish on her face.
The stamina gauge that appeared above her head——it had barely
decreased at all.

"Wha...!!"

A normal player, no, even an A-Ranked player would have his HP

reduced to half by that attack.

No matter how you looked at it, her durability was too high.

"——— 《Partisan》!"

The next moment, a spear of ice accelerated and penetrated through

Fuyuki's small body.

Part 3
———*kin-kon-kan-kon*

Fourth period, the class for the subject he was worst at, modern
Japanese ended. Taiga turned off the electronic textbook and collapsed
on the desk, exhausted.

"Ahh〜I'm exhausted〜"

"Taiga is really bad at modern Japanese. Midterm tests are coming soon,
is it all right?"

"...honestly. It's not all right at all."

The results for the small test came back today, and he was almost in
red. That was the result of his poor performance on top of being absent
from school. By the way, since they are siblings, he received Fuyuki's
test results as well, she had full marks even though she was absent for

www.asianovel.com
439

as long as Taiga. He wondered where did this difference come from.

"Come on, how am I supposed to understand the feelings of the

characters. Go ask the author himself for that."

"Ahaha..."

They were demanding too much.

Taiga was good at memorization, but he was bad at other fundamentals.

He didn't have many opportunities to come in contact with books when
he was a child, he couldn't think of something like that. Before, he lived
while mainly relying on his intuition.

"Well, let's leave it for now. Rather than that, let's go eat lunch."

"Ah, yup. But since it's raining we can't use the rooftop? Shall we eat in
the classroom we are in now?"

"That's right... uh, wait a moment."

There was a call incoming to his terminal. Taiga left Rui in the classroom
and moved to another place indifferently, and frowned after seeing the
caller's name.

"...what is it Haya?"

〈"You seem like your in a bad mood. Do you hate speaking with me
face-to-face that much?"〉

"That's because whenever you call me, it never turns out to be anything
good."

〈"I won't deny that."〉

Haya whom he saw on the screen wore a suit she didn't look good in,
he's seen her in that ouftit once before. The scenery behind her was not
the classroom's, it seems like she didn't come to school.

"Student council president playing hooky?"

〈"It's called sick leave. If I seriously do this on regular basis, I can avoid

www.asianovel.com
440

having people pry in my matters at times like these."〉

It's not being serious, its pretend. Is what he thought but didn't say.

"So, did something happen?"

〈"Oh, right. About Angel, because there was something that worried me
I performed a scan on all virtual bodies in 《Aries》 when I had some
spare time from research and I located two strange reactions."〉

"Strange reactions?"

〈"Yeah. On top of that, they didn't log out ever since last night. Well,
that in itself isn't so rare, but with this timing it got me worried. One of
them ceased to exist in the morning so I recovered its distributed data.
And then, well, it seems like the structure of the virtual body itself
changed."〉

"...make it a bit easier to understand."

He wanted her to finally take into consideration who it is she's talking

with.

〈"In a nutshell, the virtual body was remodelled. No, to be exact it's
more like it was compressed rather than remodeled. The density of the
data making up the virtual body was abnormally high."〉

The virtual body was also made of data. Of course it was possible to
interfere with it.

However, since virtual bodies could affect the human body in reality, the
security was top class. It shouldn't be that easy to interfere with it.

"And what does higher density mean?"

〈"They get incredibly strong. The virtual body itself is enhanced, and not
only the athletic abilities but also reflexes improve. In exchange for
hellish pain."〉

"Pain? Doesn't Elysion block the pain?"

www.asianovel.com
441

〈"There's a rule that says it only applies to normal virtual bodies. It's
different when it's modified. There's no need to protect a guy who's
using an illegal one. And so, that compression process, it should feel like
your body was being crushed into one thousandth of its size."〉

"That... sounds painful."

Just by imagining Haya's example covered him with goosebumps, Taiga

pulled his cheek to feel the pain.

From what I've heard, it seems like an atrocious program similar to

《Synchro Infinity》

Although both hacked into the virtual body, that program was messing
with the virtual body's configuration itself. In contrast to it, the program
Fuyuki made for Taiga, 《Synchro Infinity》 simply disabled all the extra
features.

In the first place the 'structural ability compensation' was unnecessary

for Taiga and instead became an obstacle when it came to tuning his
virtual body, of course they were different.

〈"I'm telling that to you because it seems related to Angel. Well then,
continue the investigation."〉

"Hey hey..."

She ended the call before Taiga could reply properly. It's not time to do
that now, is what he wanted to say to her.

"...I want to become a person who can say 'no."

"I think that's impossible."

The words he said without thinking were denied from behind him.
Behind him was Rui who couldn't stand waiting, and came closer to him
with a smile.

"That's because Taiga is too kind, and one way or another he ends up
getting pulled in."

www.asianovel.com
442

"I'm aware of that so you don't have to tell me... nn? Was that an e-
mail?"

He opened the window thinking it's Haya again. But, instead 《Unknown》
was written on the field of the sender's name.

At first Taiga put on a puzzled expression.

First of all, he could count out all the people who knew his contact
information on the fingers of both hands, he didn't remember
advertising his mail address anywhere. This kind of mail shouldn't have
arrived.

"《Unknown》? It looks like it contains a video file."

Rui was looking into it from the side, she tilted her head after seeing the
mail.

Hesitatingly, Taiga started the video from the file by touching it. After it
started he saw something like white powder flying around, the video
quality was far from perfect.

———And there, Fuyuki fought with Shio, the entire thing was captured
with details.

"...what's...this?"

Fuyuki wearing a remodelled kimono manipulated a water snake, Shio

who was wearing a hunter costume released arrows of fire and ice while
moving around——it was a sight completely different from what he
envisioned, Taiga was dumbfounded.

"It was taken... twenty seconds ago?! This is pretty much real time!"

The video cut off as the spear of ice Shio released pierced through
Fuyuki.

"———!!"

As soon as the playback ended, Taiga started to run. Rui also followed
him in a hurry.

www.asianovel.com
443

"Taiga, where are you going?!'

"That's obvious! I'm going home right now, and go to that place——!!"

"Then you won't make it. It might be all over before you arrive there!"

Hearing these calm words, Taiga stopped his legs just as he was about
to jump from the window.

Certainly, going home from this place would take time even if he
hurried. Since it was noon, there weren't many linears running, in fact it
would delay him even more.

"It would be faster to use one of the Arclights in here. There's the
information room that's open during the lunch break, let's hide there."

"...no, there's a better place."

"Eh?"

A place where no one enters and there's no time restrictions, the best
place there is.

He took a deep breath calming down his frustration. It was not the time
to take extra detours. He had to calmly arrive at his destination in the
shortest time possible.

"Rui, do you know where's the location we've seen on the video?"

"It's probably the deepest part of the snowy field near the central city.
We can go there directly since there's a move point.

"All right... let's go!"

"Ey eyy——um, where?"

Taiga started to run at a reduced speed, allowing Rui to catch up and

contacted Haya through the terminal.

〈"What is it, Taiga? Maybe you got anything on——"〉

"We'll talk about that later! If I remember well you had an Arclight in

www.asianovel.com
444

your classroom right!"

〈"What's up all of a sudden? ...I have two in there. They're my personal

belongings."〉

"I'm borrowing them for a moment!"

"Ha?! Wait a moment, that's my important collection——"

Although it seemed like she was saying something, Taiga ended the call
already. They entered the unused school building and ran to the unused
classroom in its very back.

"It should be somewhere here... there they are!"

"Woaa〜 This is Namisagi's unique model!! It's an incredibly rare Arclight!

Why is there such a thing here?"

"As long as we can hide, anything is fine!"

Taiga linked his terminal with the headgear that had a characteristic
shape and leaned his back deeply on the sofa. Rui sat down next to
Taiga, and after setting the coordinates the two of them closed their
eyes at the same time.

""——Dive Start!""

They felt dizzy for a moment. Their mind and body structure turned into
data, and faded as it was being incorporated into a virtual body.

After they opened their eyes again, they were outside, on a silvery white
field with snow falling down. In the centre, they could see a black and a
white girl.

"Fuyuki!!"

Taiga started running towards where Fuyuki was kneeling with an ice
spear piercing through her. But suddenly he heard the sound of
someone snapping his fingers and smashed his head into a space that
should have nothing in it.

www.asianovel.com
445

"Ouchh... what's this?!"

When he reached out, he felt his fingers touch something hard. Some
kind of invisible wall was spread around, it didn't budge at all when he
pressed on it.

"Taiga, what is it?"

"I can't go any further! What's up with this?!"

An invisible wall seemed to be stretched and the two couldn't get any
closer to Fuyuki. Taiga pulled out the nodachi, attempting to break
through by force.

"——That won't work. There is no way you guys could break this wall."

They heard a voice from above.

Taiga directed the tip of his sword towards where the voice came from.

About ten metres away there were huge icicles, on top of them was a
virtual body that wore a white cloak which covered it completely from
head to toes.

"...who are you bastard?"

"Oh right. If I said I'm the existence you are looking for, would you
understand?"

Thinking his roundabout words were just evading, Taiga's frowned. He

lowered his body and put a hand on the nodachi's hilt.

"...hurry up and answer. If not, I'll cut your head off."

"Scary scary. What, having to introduce myself the same way three
times in such a short period of time is troublesome. I already did it in a
roundabout manner. ——Please call me 'Angel' for the time being. If it's
you, you should know me right? Tenryo Taiga."

Taiga was surprised that he smoothly accepted the fact his name was
known. He probably instinctively knew it already.

www.asianovel.com
446

———That this guy, was Tenryo Taiga's enemy.

"Is this wall your doing?"

"That's right. I would be troubled if you interfered with this fight. You
should remain as bystanders at least until this fight is settled."

As Angel and Taiga glared at each other, explosions resounded

throughout the field of snow.

The flame bullet divided in the sky and poured down on the ground like
a meteor shower. Fuyuki whose HP was already down to half intercepted
them with a variety of elemental spheres.

"Taiga, I think this wall was made with use of 《Master Code》. It can't be
destroyed from the outside."

"...is that so."

Rui whispered that to him after examining the wall. It seemed like
communication was cut off as well, there was no response when he
called Fuyuki's terminal.

"You get it now, right? The fact you can't do anything."

Reluctantly Taiga took his hand off the nodachi's hilt and glared at Angel
whose mouth distorted. There was no way he heard that.

"Let me ask you one thing. You, what did you do to Shio?"

"By what, you mean?"

"Don't play dumb. Shio's movement is not normal. I can tell, you
modified her virtual body... that's what I want to hear about. Why is Shio
fighting Fuyuki? There were better ways to resolve this."

"I wonder. Your words are irresponsible and don't have any value. She
changed her feelings on her own. No, she was hiding her real feelings.
That's why——I just pushed her back a little."

"...pushed her back?"

www.asianovel.com
447

"I didn't do much. I just erased some of the emotions that disturbed her,
like kindness, or compassion."

"Wha...?!!"

Erased her emotions——hearing Angel say it so simply, Taiga and Rui

were at a loss for words. Anger immediately welled up in them.

"You bastard, do you even understand what you did?!"

"I just pulled out the true feelings that were inside of her. Karasuba Shio
definitely held a grudge against Tenryo Fuyuki, her feelings of wanting
to be acknowledged by someone. I just lent her a hand."

"You're wrong! Certainly they may be her true feelings. But that's not
all! She definitely had feelings of wanting to be friends with Fuyuki too!
That's also a part Karasuba Shio consists of! What you bastard did, is
just brainwashing!"

"That's just a different point of view."

The Angel looked down on him, and Taiga who looked up at Angel.

Neither of them would back down on their thoughts, they realized that
immediately from the look in the other's eyes.

"I have no intention of arguing with you in the first place. Anyway, you
can only watch until it's settled between those two——right?"

He didn't like it, but it was just as Angel said.

Regardless of what form it takes, these two decided to face each other
again. That means the rest is a problem of Tenryo Fuyuki and Karasuba
Shio. It wasn't something Taiga should step into.

"...Taiga."

"...I know. Let's leave Shio to Fuyuki. She resolved herself to stand in
front of Shio."

He slowly told that to himself. He suppressed the frustration coming

www.asianovel.com
448

from the fact that he couldn't do anything, and glared at Angel again.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"Yeah... just so you know. If you dare to interfere with these two
again——I'll cut off your arms, legs and your head, I'll cut you all apart."

What Angel felt, was intimidation that felt like it crushed its body.

It was a thirst for blood any human with decent sensitivity could feel,
Angel unconsciously stepped back.

Taiga returned his gaze to the girls who continued to fight.

"...do your best, Fuyuki."

He murmured the words that couldn't reach, as his sky blue eyes
watched over the battlefield.

Part 4
"——— 《Steam Flare》!"

Numerous flaming bullets poured down like meteorites, Fuyuki blew all
of them away with a steam explosion.

She invoked another image from her head immediately, and right after
she destroyed a single sphere with a dance-like motion.

A lump of earth emerged from the ground in the shape of a hand and
received the rotating spear.

Although the arrow was strong enough to penetrate through the mass of
soil, it lost its momentum before it hit Fuyuki and faded away together
with the lump of earth.

"Haa... haa..."

After continuously using elemental sphere, Fuyuki started to breathe

roughly.

The amount of elemental spheres she generated was already beyond

www.asianovel.com
449

fifty. Although Fuyuki had an enormous computing power far beyond

normal people, she was starting to see her limits.

"Haa... aa...guu..."

However, her opponent, Shio was pushed even further.

During the intense battle her body was hit by the pain from 《Replicon》
and she used bold moves like 《Meteor Rain》 or 《Partisan》——Shio was
already at her limit.

She's already been hit by elemental sphere many times, and now just
fought by relying on her exceptional durability. The fight was leaning in
favor of Fuyuki.

"Let's stop this already, Shii-chan... if you continue at this rate you
will..."

"Not...yet... the match isn't over yet...."

It was clear as a day who will be the one to use up all their energy first.
Even Shio herself knew that.

Even so, Shio set up the bow.

I... why am I so desperate?

As the battle continued, Shio questioned herself.

The burning hatred that occupied her mind was already receding. Her
heart and mind regained enough composure to wonder what was that
fiery passion that occupied her body.

Nevertheless, she didn't stop fighting.

Yeah, I see now. I——

Any chance was good. Any reason was good.

She just wanted someone she could push her feelings on, she wanted
someone to be with her.

www.asianovel.com
450

Just——to have someone praise her, she would be happy with that.

"———Cryoflare!!!!!"

"Square Spell———《Lævateinn》!!!!!!"

An arrow clad in both ice and flame clashed with a gigantic flaming
sword, the swirling heat and cold gouged the earth all around.

They struggled for a moment, there was just a slight difference in power,
but the flame sword broke through the arrow of ice and flame.

The raging crimson flame swallowed Shio and started running amok. At
that moment the pain from 《Replicon》 engulfed her entire body, and
Shio fell to the ground.

I can't... win...

What she saw as her field of view flashed, was the appearance of Fuyuki
standing gracefully among the fire and ice.

She's so cool...

What she always longed for. What she's been always jealous of.

She was jealous of the girl who easily stepped into an area she couldn't
reach, she was always proud of having her as a friend——she always
wanted to go over there, even dreamt of it.

Just one thing, she just wanted to have her friend by her side forever,
she wanted to be acknowledged, and in the end she ended up frustrated
and alone.

She shook off the pain and stood up and she chanted once again.

"... 《Replicon》 Initiate."

The forbidden spell.

Next moment, Shio was hit by a severe pain incomparable to the one
she felt at first. Her vision lost colours, her sense of touch went wrong.
Although she screamed loud enough to tear her eardrums, her hearing

www.asianovel.com
451

didn't recognize it.

Cells throughout her entire body creaked. Not allowing her

consciousness to fade, pain crawled through her entire body.

Despite that, Shio readied her bow.

"Why... is it... why does Shii-chan go this far...?"

Despite everything being covered with noise, for some reason Shio
heard it clearly, and relied on her voice to aim. She could barely see
anything with her eyes already.

She was about to pass out because of the severe pain anytime now but
she endured it, and slowly pulled an arrow with a shaking hand.

A pale fire and cold air continued to converge rapidly, and the bow
began to crackle.

"Why is it... I have always admired Hime-chan. I kept chasing after Hime-
chan's back... but, I didn't have talent."

That's why she rejected it. One day she will look down on her——when
she thought of that, she couldn't stop any longer. She wouldn't be
acknowledged by her only friend, and would really become a worthless
existence.

———With that she turned into a coward, she couldn't accept her weak
self.

"I decided to change myself. I decided to change my life of falling deeper

down and rotting away! It doesn't matter whether I win or lose. I need to
settle Hime-chan's and my past. I need to do it, otherwise I won't be able
to move forward even a single step!!!"

That's why Karasuba Shio fought.

It didn't matter how hard and painful it was.

In order to break with her past, in order to start living again——Karasuba

Shio bet everything she had, and fought against Tenryo Fuyuki.

www.asianovel.com
452

"...Shii-chan."

As Shio shouted, Fuyuki finally saw the real 'Karasuba Shio'.

She didn't change at all. Shio pretended to have forgotten about the
bitter past. The one who was supposed to have moved forward before
Tenryo Fuyuki, Karasuba Shio has been struggling for seven years and
didn't change in the least.

...it looks like Little Sister doesn't have enough resolve yet.

Fuyuki started the terminal and extracted a single program from it. A
crystal glowed with seven constantly changing colours——the program
that she created, which broke the wall between fiction and reality,
《Synchro Infinity》.

Shio challenged her while betting all she had.

In order to reward her for that, in order to change herself, Fuyuki

responded by betting everything as well.

"In order to move forward——let's put an end to the past here."

The seven-coloured crystal shattered.

There were slight differences between the virtual and the real body. The
last shackle binding the computing power that was called exceptional by
one of four major corporates 'Karasuba' was destroyed.

"...dance."

Fuyuki held out the fan towards the sky, and tens of white elemental
spheres appeared and danced in the sky looking like a blizzard.

Surrounding them were red, blue, yellow, green and other countless
elemental spheres orbited around like a satellite.

Her thinking circuits screamed as she used parallel processing beyond

the limit. Even so, Fuyuki continued to increase the amount of elemental
spheres——and eventually completed a celestial chart decorated with
countless stars.

www.asianovel.com
453

There was no way to dodge, they had no strength to spare to do that

after preparing the blow.

They put everything they had into this single strike——and both of them
unleashed it at the same time!

"Unlimited Spell———"

"———CRYOFLAREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee!!!!"

"——— 《Stellar Wiper》!!!!"

The arrow clad in absolute zero temperature and an extreme inferno

clashed with massive energy amassed by the stars——and the arrow
was crushed in a blink of an eye.

...finally——"

Shio's field of view was gradually covered with pure white light.

I can finally move forward...

A giant shining star swallowed Shio, and an explosion roared upon the
impact. A tremendous shock wave began to destroy the earth.

The tremors subsided, and snow began to fall again from the winter sky
after the everything went silent again.

"Haa...! Haa...!!"

It looked like a miserable wilderness with no sign of the snowy field

anywhere, Fuyuki proceeded with a wobbly gait. Pain rampaged inside of
her head, even walking was hard for her.

She used a rock that was averted by Stellar Wiper as a handrail, and she
walked step after step towards where Shio has collapsed.

www.asianovel.com
454

"I can't... fall over... yet..."

Fuyuki spat out those words, ordering her own body.

And——she reached.

"Shii—...chan..."

"...it's my utter defeat, Hime-chan."

Shio collapsed with her back towards the ground, as if what possessed
left her, she was looking at the sky with a refreshing expression. The
attack-configured program 《Cryoflare》 shattered, it turned into light and
faded away.

"With this, it's all over... I wonder, where did we go wrong?"

"Our relationship was irregular to begin with. Both Little Sister and Shii-
chan were lonely, and we overlapped each other. So when it was
betrayed, it felt like all of it was denied. Even if it didn't happen at that
time, some day it would have collapsed anyway."

Fuyuki who lost her family and Shio who wasn't acknowledged by her
family. They only looked for a substitute. A convenient fantastical
presence they could push it all on.

"Is that so... we were destined to end up like this..."

"——That's wrong."

Fuyuki denied outright Shio's words of realization.

"I won't acknowledge such destiny. Indeed, we have ended everything

just now. However, I have no intention of saying goodbye like this."

Fuyuki manifested a purple-coloured crystal from her terminal, and held

it out towards Shio.

"What's...this...?"

"Although I had to wait for seven years, I can finally pass it to you——
《Activate》."

www.asianovel.com
455

In response to her instruction, the crystal's body floated in the air and
gave off a dazzling shine.

Shio closed her eyes because of the glitter.

What tickled her nostrils in the darkness, was the familiar smell that was
always drifting in her room at all times.

A rain-like damp smell, a delicate fragrance of flowers putting her heart

at ease.

"Ah———"

What entered her eyes, was the sight of Hydrangea spreading in every
direction.

A vast amount of purple flowers bloomed on the desolate land forming a

circle around them. There were more than a hundred or two hundreds
Hydrangeas, and they covered the snowy land, producing a rich flower
garden.

That was the sight she was supposed to see seven years ago. It was
what the young Fuyuki had created for her friend, something she left
behind in the past.

It was what was supposed to connect the two girls, the 《Hydrangea

www.asianovel.com
456

Garden》.

"...I've always wanted to apologize to Shii-chan."

Fuyuki crouched beside Shio and matched her line of sight with hers.
The sky-blue eyes were filled with tears, the transparent droplets fell
down and hit the Hydrangea one after another.

"Little Sister didn't realize that she increased Shii-chan's suffering. She
hurt Shii-chan. If she faced Shii-chan instead of running away to protect
herself, Shii-chan wouldn't have to suffer for so long... I'm really sorry."

"Hime-chan always encouraged me right... it was me who got jealous

and turned myself into a mess. Hime-chan didn't do anything bad."

At first it was just a small rip.

But it gradually expanded as a variety of factors overlapped, and before

she noticed it was too late. When it was disconnected once already, she
could no longer do anything.

"The one who really should apologize is me. I couldn't act honestly, and
could only display my feelings and ended this in a form like this... looks
like, our relationship was a mistake——"

"——In that case, let's start again."

"...eh?"

However, that's not an 'end'.

"So what if we made a mistake once. Let's start over again. This time
let's support each other, and become real friends. That's why——Shii-
chan, please be Little Sister's friend."

These entire seven years, she was always lonely.

She gave up on herself, and holed up in a shell.

That's why——as she stretched out her hand, what could be seen in
Karasuba Shio's eyes, were tears of happiness.

www.asianovel.com
457

"...are you fine... with me?"

"No one but Shii-chan will do."

Slowly, the two girls' hands overlapped.

I won't let go off you again——Fuyuki prayed in her mind and hugged

Shio.

Feeling the warmth of human skin she has forgotten, the presence of a
person who requires her, large tears overflowed from Shio's eyes.

"Uuu...Uaaa...UWAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...!!"

The matter that's been ongoing for seven years, was finally solved.

"———Sorry to intrude on your friendship-play, but it's about time I

fulfilled my goal."

At that time, a voice resounded.

"Who——uaa!?"

It was already too late when she noticed, suddenly a white shadow
appeared in front of her eyes, and Fuyuki was literally kicked away
before rolling on the ground.

"Hime-chan!!"

"Seriously, could you not show me these kinds of pointless things? My

mood's gotten worse because of that. Things like friendship or
compassion, I hate them the most."

While spitting out selfish words, Angel put its hand on Shio's head who
couldn't move.

"W-who are you?! Why did you kick Hime-chan——?!"

"It seems like your memory was erased properly... don't worry. I have no

www.asianovel.com
458

use for Tenryo Fuyuki. Her role was only to help this one grow——
『Wake up』."

The moment she heard those words, Shio's body started to tremble
violently. Her eyes lost their light and strength left her limbs, she
collapsed to the ground.

"Shii-chan! Shii-chan!"

"Now everything is ready... before we begin, let's get rid of the obsolete
tool."

Fuyuki called out desperately, but Shio didn't move even an inch.

After looking down on Shio contently, Angel approached Fuyuki.

Because of 《Synchro Infinity》's recoil Fuyuki couldn't move and only

glared as Angel's right hand outstretched towards her head——and that
arm was cut off by a flash of steel.

"...oh?"

"I've told you... that if you try to interfere I'm going to cut off your
limbs!!"

Angel looked at his severed right arm in amazement, momentarily Taiga

broke between the two and rotated his whole body and slashed with his
nodachi at Angel's neck.

That blow should have easily cut his neck. But the forceful slash from
nodachi didn't hit anything, and only cut air. He instantly looked back,
and saw Angel's figure appear behind Fuyuki.

"As if I'd let you!!"

Angel aimed for Fuyuki again, but Rui who was slightly late, hurled a
blade towards him.

It was a perfect attack from a blind spot——but Angel's figure

disappeared again, and the blade exploded after striking stone and
Hydrangeas.

www.asianovel.com
459

"Shit, he disappeared again!"

"That's 《Quick Move》. A Master Code command."

"Brother, Rucchan... why are you here?"

Fuyuki was surprised by this sudden development, they should have

been at school at the moment. And she wondered how did they know
about this place however, the two couldn't afford to answer.

"We'll talk later. Rather than that, this guy——"

"So what will you do about me?"

He looked towards where the voice came from, Angel was standing on
top of an ice pillar. Even though he lost one of his arms, he was smiling
without care.

"However, you really are fast, Tenryo Taiga. I didn't think you would
travel that distance in a matter of seconds. I'm glad I made the
preparations."

Angel had a really surprised tone of voice. His unscathed left hand
touched the place where he was cut, and the arm that should have been
cut off was restored.

"...a teleport ability. You sure got some pain in the ass abilities."

"On the other hand I knew you are the opponent. And I have taken
measures accordingly. And yet I lost an arm because I was careless for a
moment, even though I knew just how fast you are."

Again. He talked as if he knew about Taiga beforehand.

"...what's your goal?"

Taiga said those words while releasing a killing intent, but it didn't
disturb Angel's antics.

"Whaat, it's just a little experiment. There's quite a few conditions. And
you guys were considered optimal."

www.asianovel.com
460

"Even if we don't want to take part in the experiment?"

"We won't let you get any closer to Fuyuki or Shio-chan."

Both Taiga and Rui prepared themselves to take their prey. If he moves
even a single step they will immediately attack him, but Angel had an
undisturbed smile on its face.

It was obvious.

"——Unfortunately, it's already too late."

Because he had already did what he had to.

He snapped his fingers. The sound was transferred through the air and
eventually entered Shio's trembling eardrums, activating what was
waiting within her.

"Shii-chan?!!"

The two looked back after hearing an extraordinary cry, something that
looked like a black liquid oozed out from Shio's body. The moment it
came in contact with that cloudy and muddy liquid which looked like tar,
Hydrangeas withered one after another.

"Wh-what's that?!"

The liquid that oozed out of Shio started bubbling and foaming,
eventually it converged into a single fixed form.

Two meters tall, clad in a jet black armour that looked like darkness
incarnated. It held a huge hatchet that required two hands to use, and
which specialized in cutting enemies apart.

A creepy black miasma was emitted from its black body as the black
knight stood in front of the three.

"Well then, experiment start——eat your fill 《Zygote》. There's food in

front of you."

In response to Angel's voice, the jet black armour rumbled.

www.asianovel.com
461

"——!! Rui, I leave Shio to you!"

"Okayy!!"

At the same time as the black knight, both Taiga and Rui jumped.

Taiga pulled away from the darkness-like substance the black knight
emitted, and picked up Fuyuki who couldn't move even a single step.

"Brother, behind!!"

"I know!"

Taiga felt the presence of the black knight approaching him from behind
and jumped to the side with all his might while holding Fuyuki.

He barely made it. The hatchet slammed into where Fuyuki was lying a
moment before, and the bedrock below cracked.

He did that with just one arm...

Taiga looked at the crudely cut location with a pained expression on his
face.

Originally, a hatchet was made for cutting apart weeds and branches.
Although this one's size was far from ordinary, it was unheard of to have
something like that break the ground.

The black knight's movement didn't stop. He rotated his large body
rapidly and tried to cleave Taiga.

"Tch!!"

Although Taiga defended with the nodachi, he could only use one hand
because he held Fuyuki in the other.

Even though he managed to parry the incoming blade somehow,

because of the superhuman strength behind the blow he was flung
about ten metres away.

The black knight didn't miss that opportunity and followed up, but that's
when a dozen of blades pierced through him and exploded with a flash.

www.asianovel.com
462

"Over here!"

Rui called from a blind spot that was located behind a rock. They used
the chance as the black knight hesitated, and headed to where Shio lied
who was breathing heavily.

"Shii-chan is?!"

"She's barely conscious, but she can't move. She should have been
logged out immediately... but it's been sealed."

Rui activated the log out process from the terminal, but the window
disappeared after displaying an error. It seemed like they aren't allowed
to escape.

"Damn, it seems like we need to fight that black guy. Fuyuki, hide
together with Shio over here. I'll beat this guy together with Rui."

"Please wait, Little Sister will too——"

"Fuyuki can't move yet right? Also, someone has to look after Shio-
chan."

"Don't worry, there's no way we'll lose."

He poked her head lightly, then jumped out together with Rui from
behind the rock.

Even though he was directly hit by a dozen of blades, the black knight
was almost uninjured. The two rushed at 《Zygote》 from the front.

"Let's end this quickly! Rui, create a diversion, I'll peel off that armour of
his!"

"Got it!!"

The black knight released a creepy roar, and Rui hurled the creation
stones. Eight creative stones transformed into blades in mid-air and half
of them hit the jet black armour, the other half landed under the knight's
feet. As a result, the enemy's posture broke down.

www.asianovel.com
463

Using that opportunity, Taiga closed the distance. He barely made it and
crawled under the black knight before raising his body and cutting
upwards with his nodachi!

"Renjou Sword Technique, seventh form——— 《Senran》!"

The attack-configured program 《Heavenly Sword》 was clad in a

windstorm, cutting the armour of darkness as if it was made of paper,
cutting off the knight's right arm . Black miasma flowed from the cut's
surface, and part of its armour was shattered.

That's when the creative stones under knight's feet jumped up, and Rui
hurled another six at him.

"Unison Creation——— 《Brionac》!"

The creative stones released light as they connected and formed a circle
from which countless light bullets were released, and it shot the
collapsing armour like a machine gun. The black knight was partially
destroyed, but the attack wasn't over yet.

"Flash, fourth form 《Raijin》!!"

Using the momentum left behind by the seventh form where he raised
his sword, Taiga twisted his whole body.

And then he swung down with his blade wearing a purple lightning, and
then after changing the direction he delivered a final blow to the enemy
whose armour was destroyed by 《Raijyuji》exploded and cut the black
knight's body.

On top of having its entire body shot with a machine gun, a lightning fast
two strikes cut 《Zygote》 into four pieces, and it rolled on the ground.

"Despite all that effort, it seems like a pretty fragile doll. Angel."

Taiga made sure the black knight wasn't moving before sheathing his
nodachi and glared at Angel who was watching over the fight from a
high place. However, after seeing his pawn being destroyed, Angel
started to clap giving them an applause.

www.asianovel.com
464

"...what's up with your reaction."

"It's all right if I give you a honest round of applause right? I already
knew you were strong, but to think Saionji Rui was that strong as well. I
was right to choose you guys."

"We already destroyed that knight of yours right? How do you intend to
continue your experiment?"

"Destroyed, huh. ———If you think you won after dismantling it into four
pieces, then you are too naive."

"What?"

The Angel said so, and then it happened.

"———AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!!!"

A scream sounded.

Taiga and Rui looked back, and they saw Shio suffering and wriggling on
the ground. And her right arm seemed to be eroded starting from her
fingertips, becoming black smoke.

"Shii-chan, Shii-chan!! Please get a hold of yourself!"

Fuyuki was calling out to her desperately, however Shio was in severe
pain as her body was falling apart, and couldn't articulate anything.

In a blink of an eye, the miasma ate her arm up to the elbow and after
leaving her body it was sucked into the black knight. It covered the
wounds and soon after it took the form of an armoured knight again, it
was restored in just a few seconds. No, he stood up looking even more
terrifying.

"Bastard, what did you do?!"

"It's not that complicated. I decomposed Karasuba Shio's virtual body

and repaired 《Zygote》's damaged portion, also I just strengthened its
armour to accommodate your attacks. Well, she's feeling pain equal to if
her arm was ripped off, I guess?"

www.asianovel.com
465

"Just how long do you intend to use Shio!!"

"Though it's unfortunate, it doesn't matter even if her heart is broken

and she becomes a cripple. As long as my goal is achieved."

"That's... horrible..."

Hearing how Angel uses people as tools anger boiled inside of him, Taiga
unsheathed the nodachi and jumped. However, the black knight stood in
his way.

"Out of my——"

"Hee, is that really fine? If it's destroyed, I will use Karasuba Shio's
virtual body to make it recover you know? Maybe next time her main
body disappears?"

"Guh...!"

Shio's suffering and her screams passed through his thoughts and Taiga
stopped the nodachi which was heading towards its neck. That moment
the black knight swung its hatchet downwards and blew Taiga away in a
fancy manner.

"Taiga!!"

Rui cried out and ran up to him. Taiga instantly stood up and took a
defensive posture, but his health was cut down to nearly 30%.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah——he's coming!"

The massive armour plunged straight towards them, the two held up
their weapons in response.

"But what do we do?! If we attack it, Shio-chan will...!!"

"Let's keep avoiding it for the time being! We absolutely can't

counterattack!!"

"Ahahahahaha!! I think you know it already, but if Karasuba Shio loses

www.asianovel.com
466

her entire virtual body, she will definitely break! Come on, dance until
you hit your limit!"

Taiga and Rui freely ran around the Hydrangea Garden while avoiding
the roaring hatcher that cleaved at them.

Even though they knew that eventually they'll be caught, there was no
other choice than that.

They had no choice but to plunge into this hopeless struggle.

"Brother, Rucchan...!"

She couldn't just continue to look at the two avoiding the hatchet, Fuyuki
bit her lips. From Shio's body which lied next to her an arm and a leg
were already gone.

"!!———again...!!"

Miasma crawled through Shio's body again. This time it swallowed her
ankle and assimilated into 《Zygote》, the armour changed into an even
more atrocious form, and the black knight's speed also increased.

The black knight seemed to be set up so that he's getting reinforced

automatically, he's already been enhanced several times. Even though
the two didn't attack, Shio's virtual body was being eaten away
at——and destroyed.

Because of the repeated 'exploitation' Shio was breathing with a hoarse

voice as she was attacked by severe pain.

"I need to do something, anything...!!"

It was the worst situation.

They couldn't escape, and they couldn't even buy time. She needed to
do something about that 'exploitation'——

...wait a second. How does it absorb Shii-chan virtual body in the first

www.asianovel.com
467

place...?

When her thinking circuits finally calmed down, that one question
appeared in her head.

Repairing other programs with data taken from virtual bodies' structure
was possible.

However, on top of remotely interfering with Shio's virtual body, there

was some kind of trick allowing to manipulate it from a distance. It was
far beyond the area of autonomously activated program.

Is there some kind of circuit that links him and Shii-chan...? But, there's
nothing like that here...

If there is a circuit, it should have taken a shape inElysion. But no matter

how she strained her eyes, she couldn't find the circuit connecting her
with the black knight.

In that case, there was only one possibility.

If there's no circuit then they are connected directly...!!

Fuyuki immediately hacked into Shio's terminal, and reflected her virtual
body's structure in a window. If she was right, then it should be there.

"...got it!"

She found something that shouldn't be in Shio's virtual body, a very,

very small virus.

"He was definitely on the mark by calling it Zygote..."

In other words, it was a colony-type program.

It was incorporated into the virtual body data and then fused itself with
it, infesting it with a virus. The virus continued to grow little by little
inside of Shio's body, and then escaped from the host when ordered by
Angel. Some of them were left behind in her body.

The leftover infection activated when its body took damage, it uses the

www.asianovel.com
468

virtual body's structure to rewrite its data and uses it to repair its
missing parts.

If she knows its mechanic, she can create a remedy for it.

"I need to eliminate all of the Zygotes in Shii-chan's body...!"

If she does that, it won't be able to recover any more and Shio's virtual
body will no longer be erased. Fuyuki immediately hacked into Shio's
virtual body to eliminate the foreign matter———and froze.

〈"Search results——400 matches found."〉

"..................four...hundred...?"

No matter how she looked at it, there was too much. No, there problem
didn't lie there.

〈"Matches, 457, 471, 484......"〉

In just a second, the number of Zygotes increased more and more.

There was no point erasing them one after another like this. She won't
return to normal unless she erases all the Zygotes at once. But hacking
into a virtual body was incredibly difficult. Moreover, processing five
hundred of them at once was an area beyond what human could do.

"Uuu...uuu...such...such a thing..."

Tears poured down her cheeks.

Even though she knew the method to save her, she could only look at
her miserably and powerless. She couldn't save the girl she just became
friends with, it was incredibly frustrating.

The droplet spilled and fell on Shio. Causing her to open her eyes
slightly.

"Hime...chan...? Why...... are you... crying......?"

"———Shii-chan?!"

www.asianovel.com
469

"Are you... crying again... because you're lonely...? Yesterday... when we

first met... you cried as well..."

Shio slowly woven the words, but her consciousness was hollow and hey
eyes unfocused. Her memories seemed confused and she messed up the
sequence of the events.

"It's all right. Hime-chan is... amazing, that's why... everything will be...
definitely fine... don't cry..."

Shio wiped Fuyuki's tears with a trembling hand, and closed her eyes
again.

She was supposed to be in severe pain. The fact that she regained
consciousness even if for a moment could be called a miracle.

"...I've been... comforted by you again."

It was the same when they first met.

She saved her from breaking because of loneliness, and became her first
friend.

This time it's my turn——that's what she decided when she came here.

"Though it might be unreasonable and reckless."

www.asianovel.com
470

Even though she was so small and weak, she's been called a genius.

Then, it didn't matter how difficult it was. Fearless like usual, she told
herself there's nothing she can't do and puffed her chest.

Think. You can only keep thinking, it's your only weapon.

All the knowledge she absorbed so far, all the experience she has
amassed, she used all the information her 'eye' has captured before and
derived a reasonable and optimal solution.

If parallel removal of all the viruses via hacking the virtual body was
impossible, she had to detach the process itself.

It was something she couldn't achieve alone. But she wasn't alone now.
Fuyuki opened the window and appealed to the two people displayed on
it.

"...Brother, Rucchan. Please, lend me your strength. Please save my

friend, save Shii-chan."

Part 5
Because of a crushing blow from the hatchet, both Taiga and Rui were
blown away.

The black knight's specs exceeded that of Taiga's already five or more
enhancements ago, after receiving an arm-breaking powerful blow the
two rolled on the ground before standing up again.

"Ahahahaha!! You've been focusing on defence for a while now. If you

don't resist just a little bit the experiment won't be able to proceed!"

They didn't have time to listen to Angel's loud laughter.

A single blow followed by a storm of violence eliminated all their mental

strength, they were barely able to endure it. Both of them were nearly at
the limit.

"As expected, this is hard..."

www.asianovel.com
471

"It's getting stronger and stronger... at this rate it will———Taiga, behind

you!!"

Rui saw the hatchet above his head and tossed six creative stones.

The creative stones connected and transformed into a brilliant silver

shield which continued to absorb a jet black wave that was emitted from
the black knight.

"Shit, that attack too... it's getting pretty bad."

It was a fight they had no chance of winning, it was just when the two
were about to give up. Unexpectedly, a window appeared in front of the
two and Fuyuki was projected on the screen.

〈"...Brother, Rucchan."〉

"Fuyuki? What is it?"

〈"Please, lend me your strength. Please save my friend, save Shii-chan."〉

There was a bright light in the sky blue eyes that stare straight at them,
Taiga and Rui glanced at each other.

What are you saying now. Isn't the answer already decided.

""——Of course!""

Willpower roused their entire bodies. It didn't matter how exhausted

they were. If she tells them to save her friend, their hearts will flare up
again and again.

"What should we do?"

〈"...please dismantle that black knight. Into as many small parts as

possible and in the blink of an eye."〉

"Leave it to us."

There was no need to hear any more. Taiga closed the window and then
he closed his eyes.

www.asianovel.com
472

"...I'll cut him into pieces. Rui, grind him to dust."

"I got it. Parallel Creation———"

The moment Rui started preparing, Taiga opened his eyes wide and
jumped using his full strength and unsheathed the nodachi from its
sheath.

He didn't think anything, he wasn't bothered with anything. He

optimized himself for the sake of cutting the enemy in front of him.

〈"Activate———Synchro Infinity!!〉

For a limited amount of time he freed himself from all shackles.

It was something only Tenryo Taiga could do, he melded reality and
fiction, becoming the fastest and the strongest in the area.

"„Supersonic” third form———"

He put a hand on the hilt, the 《Zygote》 swung the hatchet at him
randomly, but Taiga saw through all its movements and it didn't even
graze him.

And then aiming at the moment it's body is exposed, Taiga jumped
below it and pulled out the nodachi!

"———《Amakiri!!!!》

www.asianovel.com
473

The blade could be seen only for a moment.

*kachin*, the moment the cool sound of the sword's collar resounded,
the body of black knight gradually broke into a dozen of iron lumps.

„Supersonic” third form 《Amakiri》 ———It's a sword skill specializing in

chopping enemies to pieces. Aside from drawing the sword so fast it
becomes invisible, it allows you to slash dozens of times in an instant.

The black knight was chopped into pieces before it could regenerate and
the pieces rolled on the ground.

Taiga retreated from the spot immediately and two large rotating
creative stones were thrown in.

The huge creative stones spread out and rotated changing into a
hundred smaller ones. And when Rui gave a signal, they all exploded!

"——— 《Explosion》!!"

The blasts overlapped each other and its power increased in a chain
reaction.

Exposed to a hundred or more simultaneous explosions, the body of

black knight turned into small, barely visible fragments.

www.asianovel.com
474

"Thank you. Brother, Rucchan."

Fuyuki said her thanks to the two who perfectly executed her reckless
request and focused on the window.

《Zygote》 turned into dust.

With the majority of its body destroyed, the reproduction function fully
activated, the factors in Shio's body who was a host activated——just as
Fuyuki wished.

The process for recreating the black knight's body started, at that
moment.

Only in that moment, the virus factor hidden deep inside the virtual body
had to come out to the surface.

"———Data elimination process start."

Fuyuki activated 《Synchro Infinity》 again and dived into the sea of data

Like this she reduced the amount of hacking she had to do on the virtual
body. However, her work in this area still wasn't over.

It has no meaning if she doesn't eliminate all of the virus at once. She
couldn't erase it one by one, she had to hit all five hundred of them at
once, it had to be processed in parallel.

"Haa——— Agu———!!"

She was incredibly overloaded. Her brain nerves burned with pain, an
alarm bell sounded in Fuyuki's head——saying 'stop it already'.

"With this, its hundred——four hundred more left..."

In front of her passed huge waves of information. Finding single threads

among them was extremely difficult as hundred, then two hundreds
appeared at once.

"Two hundred... three hundred... dzzuu——...three hundred and

www.asianovel.com
475

fifty——..."

Her thinking circuits screamed.

Enough, I can't do it any more. If you do any more than this your brain
won't hold out. Her weakness assaulted her from inside.

———Shut up. Don't interfere.

Are you fine with becoming a cripple? For just one of your friends, are
you going to throw everything away?

———Not just a friend. For an important friend.

What about your Brother and your other friend? If you break they'll be
sad.

———That might be. But...

"———If I run away here, I won't be able to stand together with those
two!!!"

Her thoughts burst.

Computing power, her speed of thought went beyond limit and all
information poured into her head through the sky-blue eyes. An
enormous amount of data that would have made an ordinary person
pass out in an instant was forcefully covered by Fuyuki.

She continued to analyse the torrent of data at an overwhelming speed

with her incredible processing power. Not missing a single piece of
foreign matter she continued to save them all in parallel.

"Five hundred... fifty seven... all factors locked on... complete."

The moment she forcefully subjected all of the virus factors lurking in
Shio's body, an incredibly severe pain hit her consciousness. It felt as if
giant insects were rioting in her head.

www.asianovel.com
476

"With this———it's all over!!!"

She used the last command with a trembling hand——and after

triggering the removal, Fuyuki's vision was dyed black.

The change was dramatic.

The black knight that was lying in countless of pieces started shining
with a sky-blue colour one after another and faded away not leaving a
single piece.

Seeing hundreds of thousands light pillars rise, Angel had a shocked

expression on hit face.

"It can't be, my 《Zygote》 was———?!!"

It didn't start the program that would allow him to escape, it thoughts
didn't accept this defeat.

Why did I lose?

Its regenerating capability, its strengthening capability, and the

condition that didn't allow the enemy to fight back——there was not a
single factor that would imply it would lose. Then why was it——?

"Why don't I tell you why you lost?"

"Haa." Angel responded to the voice that was directed towards it, and
wondered who was it all of a sudden. There, at a distance where he
could be reached with a sword, stood Tenryo Taiga.

A strong will dwelled in his sky-blue eyes, Angel responded with words of
a loser.

"...if there is such a thing, I want to know what it is for future reference."

"It's simple——it's because you made enemies out of us. The cause of
your defeat, is us. That's all."

Taiga declared with a fearless smile on his face.

www.asianovel.com
477

Although Angel was taken aback for a moment, it found it amusing and
it mouth distorted in a smile.

"I see, I'll keep it mind——I'll be more vigilant next time."

In the end, Angel's body distorted and faded away as if melting into the
atmosphere.

With this, the chain of events that begun with reunion of Tenryo Fuyuki
and Karasuba Shio had ended.

www.asianovel.com
478

Vol. 2 :

Chapter Epilogue

"Uu〜...Uuu〜..."

*sharasharashara*, the glossy black hair shook restlessly.

Seeing his little sister go back and forth nearby Taiga sighed and said for
the fifth time that day.

"...Fuyuki, calm down a little."

She took note of what he said and stopped her feet, Fuyuki was wearing
a specific remodelled kimono from Aries. However, a moment later she
started to do the same thing again, causing Taiga to sigh once again.

"Haa... there's still twenty minutes until we're supposed to meet. Are
you going to continue doing that until then?"

"B-but it's been a week! You know just how long Little Sister waited for
this!"

"Well I know but——"

"Ahaha... it's pointless to say anything to Fuyuki when she's like that.
She's been waiting for her contact all this time."

Hearing Rui's words he thought 'I guess so', and was reminded of how
Fuyuki acted over the past few days. Whenever she had free time she
checked on her terminal, he remembered about her appearance as she
confirmed if there was any contact from 'that girl'.

www.asianovel.com
479

———It's been ten days since they defeated 《Zygote》.

When Angel disappeared the blockade was released and the four were
able to log out somehow. ——However, neither Fuyuki nor Shio came out
of it unscathed.

What Taiga found when he rushed home, was the appearance of his little
sister who was lying on the floor.

Although he immediately carried her to hospital, because she overused

her brain she had to spend three whole days in bed. Fortunately there
was no permanent damage or disorders, and now she was as good as
new.

The problem was the other person——Shio.

Honestly, even though Taiga logged her out, he was still a bit lost.

That's because her real body was far away, in the Karasuba's place. He
didn't know whether she suffered serious consequences or not.

Even so, there was nothing they could do for her. That's why, after
logging out he asked Haya to collect information through her
acquaintances.

It seems like when he rushed to the hospital——Haya was already on the

move.

The damage caused to her to her virtual body converted into pain and
also damaged her spirit. Especially her limbs which were lost to 《Zygote》
seemed like they didn't work.

I'm going to go through rehabilitation and I'll be able to move again, it's
all right——after they listened to the message from Shio through Haya,
the trio was relieved.

Since then, they had waited for six days. In other words, Shio contacted
them yesterday. Because she recovered to some extent she was given a

www.asianovel.com
480

permission to log in, and told them that they'll meet in 《Aries》.

And thus, the three stood at Aries' initial point——and waited for Shio at
this golden meadow.

"Uuu... Brother, how many minutes left?!"

"Five minutes. If it's the earnest Shio, she should be arriving about
now———oh?"

Immediately after, a light appeared nearby them.

The pillar of light faded away slowly, and behind it appeared a girl's
figure.

Silver hair that glittered lightly, thin limbs covered with pure white skin
and a hunter costume with a strange amount of exposure. Shio opened
her eyes slowly and smiled from ear to ear after finding the trio.

"Can it be, that I made you wait?"

"We just came here way too early. Don't worry about it. ...come on,
Fuyuki, go on."

Even though she's been eagerly waiting for this, he had to press her
back because she was so nervous.

Although she looked back anxiously for a moment, after seeing Taiga
and Rui smile, she went to pick Shio up.

"Eh, umm... it's been ten days, Shii-chan."

"So it was... I've heard from Onii-san. To save me Hime-chan overdid it

and passed out. Thank you very much."

"That's... it's Little Sister's fault that you became like that... rather than
that, how's the condition of your body? I've heard there was an influence
on your limbs."

"Their movement is still a bit dull, but there's no problem as far as

normal life goes. The doctor said that if I continue the rehabilitation it

www.asianovel.com
481

will be restored completely, there's no need to worry."

"Is that so, I'm happy to hear that."

Fuyuki sighed with relief. Although she already heard it was all right
through Haya, it seems like she was still anxious.

"Yup. I'm already free from Karasuba as well. With this I can finally start
my own life."

"...free from Karasuba? What do you mean——it can't be, were you told
something by your family?!"

"Well I was an unneeded child in the first place. My only remaining value
lied in the fact I could be married off somewhere. But no one will buy
defective goods right? They said, and after that I was told I can live how
I want."

"That's... what are they thinking Shii-chan is!"

Anger boiled within Fuyuki as she heard those selfish words. After
restraining her for so long, they throw her away now that she's no longer
needed as if she was a disposable object.

"It might sound awful... but I'm happy with this, that's what I thought."

She was always living according to her family's wishes. She has always
desperately tried to live up to their expectations.

And in it, there was no will of her own.

"It's the result of the first choice of my own in my life. I don't regret
becoming friends with Hime-chan again."

"...Shii-chan."

The fact that it was a lie, was found out immediately.

Fuyuki knew just how much Shio wanted to be acknowledged by her

family since she watched her from up close. There is no way a long
period of ten years can be abandoned that easily.

www.asianovel.com
482

"...what do you intend to do from now on?"

"For the time being I want to challenge many things, and find something
I can enjoy. And... umm... for the time being I thought about continuing
in 《Aries》, umm..."

They could easily tell the words that would come next.

That's why, Fuyuki said with a big smile.

"——Yes. Let's do our best from now on, Shii-chan."

A gentle and warm feeling filled her chest.

"So with this everything is settled, right?"

"Indeed. It seems like it was worth meddling in."

Seeing the two girls finally get along, Taiga immersed himself in an
indescribable sense of accomplishment.

These two should be all right now. No matter what will come next, they
won't be cut apart again——that's how strong the bond they created
was.

"...ah! Speaking of which, Rui-san still didn't introduce herself to Shio-

chan!"

"Nnn? Ahh... I guess you're right."

Taiga had traveled together with Shio, but since Rui had been in charge
of Fuyuki she hadn't had a chance to talk with her. And after that they
hadn't had time for that.

"Mumumu... Fuyuki's friend is also Rui-san's friend. That's why, I'm going
to get along with her too."

"Ohh. Do your best—"

He sent off Rui who started to run towards the two, Taiga was left alone

www.asianovel.com
483

and he looked up at the sky.

The case was settled——although he decided to summarize like that, he

didn't really think that way.

That was because there were too many unknowns in this incident. And
all of them, were leading towards that mysterious virtual body called
Angel.

I'll be more wary next time——that's what it said. Without a doubt, it

wasn't done yet.

"Fine. Come if you want. Next time I'll cut you up."

He had to settle it with Angel sooner or later. Feeling conviction in his

chest, Taiga started to walk slowly.

Until this matter starts to move again, probably until the not so distant
future. He decided to enjoy his normal life in full.

———Under the distant blue sky, he headed towards a garden of girls

with smiles blooming on their faces.

www.asianovel.com
484

Vol. 3 :

Chapter 0: Prologue

That meeting was a miracle.

It was as if the cold night was biting into her body.

A girl from a cyber-related company who was participating in a party

held in a certain remote city——Kiritou Haya looked up at the night sky
and spat out a sigh.

"...it really is cold."

Snow slowly fell from the sky and scattered on the ground, lit up by the
pale moonlight, the scenery's beauty was fantastic. ...but it was a cold,
winter night. Although she had a cape on top of her thin party dress the
wind has robbed her body of heat in no time.

I need to hurry and go back... well, it's not like there's any difference
whether I'm there or not.

Although it was a meeting of the Kiritou Group, she was only twelve
years old and served as an 'accessory of the Kiritou Group leader'. There
was no value in her being there. In fact, no one noticed that she left the
site.

Even so, unmanned security shouldn't be careless, should it. Although I

can understand wanting to boast about their products to others.

The organizers of the night's party was a famous company involved in

manufacturing drones. That was why the most advanced drones were

www.asianovel.com
485

deployed around the venue on which the party was held. They must
have had a lot of confidence to do such a flashy début right before the
party.

She went past the main entrance hall and entered a slightly open area.

As snow lightly poured down, she cleared her thinking by taking a deep
breath several times.

The mask she hid behind——'a young lady' and 'the real Kiritou Haya'.
Although she tried to find the boundary between them, it wasn't
working.

"............haa."

Sometimes she didn't know.

A lifestyle that didn't allow her to reveal to anyone what she really
felt——just which one was 'her true self'. Was that mask made from
scratch, or maybe it was born from something already existing.

As she sought to perfectly play her role, the boundary between her
'selves' started to fade.

"...what can I say."

Although she was mocking herself, she knew very well in what state she
was in. Even though it was obvious no one was nearby, her tone of voice
didn't go back to normal. She could no longer crudely retort to her own
thoughts unless she put her mind to it.

It felt as if her body and mind were going to separate. She ignored her
own will, Kiritou Haya's personality switches, attracted by the image
spreading around her.

——Even if I think about it, it can't be helped.

In order to leave the cold scenery she turned on her heel, leaving her
white breath behind. And then, she heard a sound from the building in
the back.

www.asianovel.com
486

"...just now."

She stopped moving and listened. It wasn't clear since snow absorbed
the sound, but she definitely heard it. It sounded as if someone has
dropped something. Haya recalled the map of the party site in her head.

In the back of the kitchen?

There was a light meal given at the party site. It wasn't weird to have
people in kitchen... but that sound was too rough, a bit unnatural.

...let's take a look.

Driven by curiosity, Haya went towards where she heard the sound
come from.

A light crispy sound could be heard as she walked through the snow, she
quietly peeked from behind a corner. Then from the kitchen's widely
opened back door, a little shadow came out from inside.

For a moment she thought Is that a cat? but soon she rejected the idea
after she saw the size of the shadow.

Judging from the height, it seemed like a child? Although she couldn't
see well because it was dark, but it had something stuffed in its bag.

Could it be a thief? ...I need to report to the security drones.

Haya opened a window to notify the security. However, her movement

was restricted by the pair of eyes of the shadow.

"———!"

At that moment, the shadow poised like a wild beast and

dashed——straight into Haya.

"Eh, w-wait——kyaa?!!"

It was too sudden for her to do anything, blown away by the shadow
Haya rolled over in the snow. Using that as an opportunity, the shadow
ran beside her and disappeared in the darkness.

www.asianovel.com
487

"T-tthat hurt... w-what was that? ——Eh?"

As she stood up, she felt her right hand feeling uncomfortable. She
checked it fearfully... not there.

A bracelet she always wears during parties. It was an accessory

decorated with small gems, it was gone from her right wrist. She
checked around to make sure if it didn't drop on the ground, but it was
nowhere to be found.

"........................stolen?"

She muttered that stunned, and immediately started running. Her

favourite bracelet was stolen, and it was infuriating. But that wasn't why
she was ran.

This is bad! How am I going to tell Father I lost it...!

The one who gave it to her was her father——Kiritou Kouya.

For a daughter of Kiritou, an existence that had been educated to act

like a proper lady, losing such a thing would be a huge scandal. The
misconduct couldn't be recovered no matter the price paid.

Fortunately, she saw the shadow's back soon after.

"Found you...! Stop right now!"

The thief was quite slow. It was at a speed even Haya could catch up to,
even though she was wearing a party dress that forbid her to sprint.
Moreover, she was heading towards the main gate around where
security drones were deployed at.

"Great, now... hey, no wayy?!"

Even if she runs she'll get caught——just when Haya thought so, what
entered her vision was an unbelievable scene. She crudely protested
against it while changing the way she spoke.

As the drones detected a suspicious person approaching, the shadow

manipulated a window with a practiced hand. Then, as if losing all their

www.asianovel.com
488

power the drones suddenly stopped. Passing by the drones which have
turned into immobile figurines, the shadow escaped from the premises.

*clink*, Haya, who was startled by the metallic sound, panicked and
followed her in a hurry.

She's hacking in while running?! Is that a joke? There's no way that's

possible...?!!"

That was beyond the common sense she knew.

The newest model of drones should've been a difficult target to hack.

Moreover, to do it with just the computing power of a terminal and while
on the move, it was beyond the region of what a human could do. With
that said, that couldn't be a normal human being.

In any case, the top priority was to regain the present. After drawing
that simple conclusion Haya chased the shadow which fled to the nearby
park.

"Please wait! Give back what you stole!"

"———!"

As she continued to chase the person running away, irritation continued

to build up. It wasn't the time to do this, she had to hurry and go back to
the party site...!

"Wait... hey——"

Haya didn't even notice her tone of voice turned back to original
(normal) as she picked a fist-sized stone in anger. And with a beautiful
form she threw it——

"I SAID WAIT YOU DAMN FIILTHhhhhhhhhh!!!!"

Along with an insult befitting a young lady, she threw the stone with her
full strength.

The stone flew in the straight line and... *gosun!*. With a direct hit to the
thief's' head, a nasty sound rang out. The shadow lost its balance and

www.asianovel.com
489

fell to the ground.

"Geez, don't make me overexert myself. I'm taking this back."

She picked up the accessory which fell to the ground. However, the
shadow suddenly raised its body and threw a punch towards Haya.

"That's cute."

But, Haya lightly caught it with the palm of her hand. She grabbed the
shadow's arm and caught it in a hold on the ground. The joints creaked
as Haya put some strength into it, the thief cried out.

"L-let go!"

"No way I'll do that. I'll say it now, I practice aikido. Don't think you'll get
out of it that easily〜."

"It hurtsss, ouchouch oucchhh——?!!"

For about a minute Haya held the thief's arm with a sadistic smile on her
face.

When signs of resistance were gone, she let go of the arm. In order to
see the face of the thief she flipped the hood——and froze.

Judging from her physique, it was a child the same age as she was.

But her face lit up by the moonlight was beautiful beyond Haya's
imagination——the term 'outstanding beauty' appeared in her head.

Refined and clean features. Her long black-bluish hair tied in a careless
manner scattered on top of pure white snow.

Although it was somewhat wild, no matter who was it, they would
describe her as 'a beautiful girl who exudes a fantasy atmosphere'.

Haya stared at her in daze——

*GYURURURU...*

www.asianovel.com
490

"———!!!!!!"

A sound came from the girl's thin body——to be more specific from her
stomach——together with that shameful sound, the girl's face was dyed
red.

Inside of Haya's mind who was taken aback, the previous image of a
'fantasy girl' crumbled audibly.

That was Kiritou Haya's and Asumi Aoko's, the two girls' worst possible
first meeting.

www.asianovel.com
491

Vol. 3 :

Chapter 1

Part 1
It was in the middle of May, a warm day that was a sign of the coming
summer. Seeing this refreshing weather, he could understand the
opinion of people who said Spring and Autumn are the most pleasant
times of the year.

"That's perfect, this is the 'troisième plus' [1] busiest time of Student
Council; you're entering aren't you. You know why?"

The warmth and cheerful weather from outside didn't reach the place he
was in, an abandoned school building. After school was over, in the
school building's furthest classroom a dignified voice echoed.

"The busiest time is of course the time around the school festival. Of
course there's the cultural festival committee, but they're too busy to
help either the student council or the teachers. The second busiest time
is Shinkansai which is similar to the school festival. Because there are
many reckless guys trying to acquire club members for themselves,
there are a lot of problems happening. Because of a certain trio that
stood out in both cultural-based clubs as well as sport-based clubs,
everyone rushed over to inquire about them which resulted in us getting
flooded."

With a tone of voice that revealed that its owner was considerably

www.asianovel.com
492

annoyed, it continued over and over again.

...'certain trio' was accented strongly, there was no way he misheard it.

"And so, the third time is now. A month after the new term begins, each
and every student seems to be in a festive mood, especially the
freshmen. I don't know whether it's the recoil after the examination war,
but there are a lot of people fooling around. Thanks to that, the amount
of work we have to do increases."

The girl stopped moving and brushed away her long black hair behind
her ears. Her usually hidden self peeked out, normally it would have
caught his line of sight and wouldn't let it go.

"Hey, where are you looking. You, don't you know what's your standing
is now?"

However, it would not be good to look at the girl at the moment. She
nudged the boy's head with her index finger. Dignity was exuded with
every gesture the girl made, he felt a terrible disparity between that and
her harsh tone of voice.

"...just what about this girl is ladylike."

"Ta〜i〜ga〜. Did you say anything?"

www.asianovel.com
493

She picked up his quiet complaint, The fake yamato nadeshiko Kiritou
Haya was all smiles. But those smiles of her weren't reflected in her
eyes, making it scary.

The boy who was sitting on the floor in seiza——Tenryo Taiga let out a
small sigh.

It was Friday's afternoon, and it was currently the time that Kiritou
Academy switched into specialized course lectures.

To explain why was he sitting in seiza at such a time, we have to go

back two weeks into the past.

Taiga's little sister, Tenryo Fuyuki and her best friend from the past
Karasuba Shio.

The two girls were reunited and became friends once again two weeks
ago. Although there was an unnecessary obstacle that caused
complications, they were able to safely repair their past relationship.
Because of that case, there was an unexpected lasting effect——which
had nothing to do with the case itself.

"Not only did you used my Arclight without permission, you also broke
it... you're going to accept this punishment aren't you?"

What became a huge problem, was him borrowing (practically without

permission) two Arclights in order to head to where Fuyuki and Shio
were. After defeating 《Zygote》 and logging out he carelessly dropped it
on the floor.

The Arclights were machines that allowed the human spirit enter the
virtual world. Although they were quite durable, they aren't supposed to
be handled so roughly.

Moreover, the worst thing was the fact that the Arclight Taiga dropped
was one of the rare custom-made models prepared by one of the four
cyber-related companies, 'Namisagi'.

www.asianovel.com
494

On top of being ignorant when it comes to machines, all he had in his

head at the time was Fuyuki so he forgot to adjust his strength, which
resulted in the Arclight being damaged. And now, after everything was
calm down he was being scolded. By the way, the one who told him to
sit in seiza was Haya.

"...I'm sorry for breaking it. I'll do anything to compensate you."

"What compensation, come on. Do you know how valuable this Arclight
was?"

"Was it that expensive?"

"It's a special made-to-order good. If I were to auction it... well, about a

million yen I guess?"

"Milionn?! Wait, wait a moment. Why did you bring something like that
to school!!"

That number of digits normally doesn't appear in daily life.

The Arclight was held in a case before, there was no need to use any key
to open it. Anyone could take it and leave with it were they to feel like it.
It was too careless.

"It couldn't be helped. Were I to keep it in the house it might have been
disposed of without my permission."

"Who would dispose of such a valuable thing?"

"Kiritou Group leader, Kiritou Kouya."

"...your Father?"

"Yes, blood related."

Haya didn't even try to hide her look of displeasure, she sat on the
couch with a strong momentum and crossed her legs.

Various things became visible to Taiga who was sitting in seiza, he

wondered if she was aware of it. For the time being he averted his gaze.

www.asianovel.com
495

"Why would your father throw away your personal belongings? Is it

because it's a product of another of the four major companies?"

"There's that but... I've told you before didn't I, about Asumi Aoko."

"Ahh, you said she was your friend who died last year, right?"

"It's Aoko's memento, this Arclight."

"...seriously?"

He was told something so amazing in a frank tone.

"Two years ago, I was sent two of them as a present celebrating

entering this school. Since there were two of them, I gave one to Aoko.
Although Aoko was a researcher, she wasn't getting along with the
leaders. After she died, most of her personal belongings were disposed
of."

"That seems... like she was really hated."

"I guess. The only memento I managed to recover before it was disposed
of is this Arclight."

"So it was that important... I'm sorry."

Taiga felt really apologetic and bowed deeply. He knew that the problem
won't be resolved by him apologizing, but that's the only thing he could
do.

After seeing him make a concerned expression as he looked down, Haya

put a finger on her lips pondering.

Of course she didn't think of whether to forgive him or not——rather, she

thought of how to take advantage of this situation.

Honestly speaking, she wasn't all that fond of that Arclight. It was true
that it was a keepsake, but the reason she clung to it wasn't its
properties but more like 'because it's rare'.

Then what should she have Taiga who was sitting in seiza do... because

www.asianovel.com
496

she was irritated by the amount of work to do, she told him to help with
that in an outburst of anger.

The work in Kiritou is all right, student council's is—...geez, I have no

idea about the school events.

In her mind, she spat out words unbefitting the Student Council
President.

Shinkansai was over, and the club activities began in earnest. The
student Council was pretty busy.

Although she didn't want to do it, Haya as the student council president
was required to make the final decision and look through almost all of
the projects. There were a ton of them.

If there were at least one more person in charge of filling the

documents——

"...ah, there is."

Of course there is one. Someone whom she could use as she pleases (in
a psychological sense), moreover this someone who feels like he owes
her a lot was right in front of her.

"Hey Taiga, you know about the work you were helping out with until the
last week right?"

"The one you made me do in exchange for helping us contact Shio..."

"Then that's perfect. Starting from next Thursday help me out again. If
you do that, I'll forget about the matter of the Arclight."

"...it's all right with just that?"

It was an unexpectedly good turn of events for him. As he asked about

it, Haya shook her hands while saying "I don't mind.". Well, if she says so
then he won't complain about it.

"Even so, what's happening next week... ah, the midterms are over
aren't they."

www.asianovel.com
497

"That's right."

It was nearly halfway through the semester. No different from all other
educational institutions, Kiritou Academy had the first hurdle for the
students, three days of mid-term exam. Knowing about routine testing
ever since admission, Taiga continued to study diligently every day.

"Speaking of the tests, are you all right? It would be a troublesome

matter for me were you to be in the red."

"Troublesome?"

Even if he was to be in the red, that was Taiga's own problem. It should
have nothing to do with Haya. When he thought like that...

"If a student of the cyber department is in the red, all teachers in charge
of specialized courses are contacted. The teacher in charge is called and
said to come directly."

"That means, if I fail..."

"The fact that 《Configuration of virtual personality》 is a fictional lecture

will be revealed."

The specialized course called 《Configuration of virtual personality》 they

were officially registered with didn't really exist. The teacher in charge
'Takiha Yori' was just an anagram of 'Kirito Haya', it was a fictional
lecture Haya prepared.

"Means we'll get punished if it's found out."

"Of course. ——Iora, come out."

As Haya called out, a fairy-like small girl in a blue outfit appeared in mid-
air——AI・Iolite. It was a personality made by Haya's program.

〈"Called me, damn it?"〉

"If I'm not wrong, the first years were supposed to have a small test
yesterday. How were Taiga's results?"

www.asianovel.com
498

〈"Yesterday...? Was there supposed to be a small test yesterday?"〉

As Haya questioned her, Iora tilted her neck cutely. She closed her eyes
to explore her memory, she didn't seem to find it.

"There was one, hey... I told you that yesterday. How can you forget it
despite being an AI?"

〈"Grr... O-oh, I've entered the damn database."〉

...?

Haya frowned wondering.

Iora had no functions that would allow her to forget any data. That's why
'forget' was used as a joke... she wondered if some kind of bug had
occur.

Need to take note of it.

She moved the doubt to the corner of her mind leaving it for later and
asked again.

〈"Want me to be honest?"〉

"...considering your figure of speech, it must be terrible."

〈"The bad parts are really horrible, the good parts are really amazing.
It's an unusually extreme academic ability. The memorization-based
subjects are perfect, in exchange both classical and modern language
are fucking below the red line."〉

"What's that. Does someone like that really exist?"

〈"Honestly I'm lost, I don't know whether I should call him an idiot or
moron."〉

"Aren't both of them the same? Hey, so you thought of me like that
Iora!?"

〈"Ops. Slip of the tongue."〉

www.asianovel.com
499

Iora revealed an evil smile just like that of her Master (just a little bit less
sharp). Why does she have to resemble her in this kind of manner.

"Well, let's leave how Taiga's head works aside... how are the midterms
going to look at this rate."

〈"It's almost certain he's going to fail."〉

"Not good... there's only three days left until the test. He won't make it."

"No, I've been studying lately instead of entering Elysion."

"Someone like you who has no foundation whatsoever can't study alone.
And Iora who took upon herself the role of your teacher is quite ignorant
of feelings, unable to do neither classic nor modern language... can't be
helped."

Haya let out a small sigh as if giving up. And——

"This Sunday, I'll be coming to your house to help you study. Prepare
yourself."

"...ha?"

To this sudden declaration, Taiga responded with a dumb expression.

Part 2
"...then Onii-san won't be coming on for a while?"

"That's right. Geez, what is he gonna do about the school exams."

A girl's voice resounded in a blue glittering cave that couldn't exist in

reality.

The voice echoed again and again as it hit the walls made out of crystal
clear ore and was twisted so much that it came back as if it was a wild
animal's voice.

www.asianovel.com
500

After a chorus of ten or twenty voices calmed down, a girl with chestnut
brown hair took a step forward.

"Hey, it's about time to stop talking! Prepare yourself, you two!"

Between her five fingers she held characteristic pebbles, 《Creative

Stones》. A girl in white coat, Saionji Rui dropped her waist lower in
preparation for the swarm of enemies incoming. Ready anytime, that's
what the posture seemed to relay.

"They finally come out. They had us walking for quite a while."

"...we were walking for only about five minutes, Hime-chan."

Seeing Rui's movement in front of them, the two also prepared their
weapons.

With long and glossy black hair reaching her waist, a girl in a remodelled
kimono decorated with black and red colours——Tenryo Fuyuki.

And with faintly shining silver hair, a girl in a hunter costume in the
image of elves——Karasuba Shio.

They were armed with a red folding fan and a bow, they deployed them
in order to cover Rui and looked ahead towards the back of the cave.

"Umm, while Rui-chan is attracting enemies, Hime-chan and I are

supposed to attack right?"

"Yep yep. Fuyuki will attack from range, and Shio-chan will aim her
tracking bullets just like a sniper. ——Let's go!"

Eventually about a pack of wolves numbering over thirty appeared from

the darkness, they all had transparent bodies.

"Crystal wolves. They are the weakest among the monsters in here, but
since the two of you have a weak defence, don't go in front. Especially
Shio-chan!"

"I know, Little Sister's defence is very low."

www.asianovel.com
501

Rui jumped in front with a strong momentum, the wolves raised a howl.

As the pack of wolves spread to the full width of the cave, the thrown
Creative Stones changed into blades, and just a moment after that
arrows of flame were released.

The blades which landed under the wolves exploded with a flash blowing
them into pieces.

And the flame arrow divided into an infinite number of smaller ones
while in the air, and after homing in on the quickly-moving wolves shot
them down one after another.

"YAAAAAAAAAaaaa!"

After they were herded together, Rui threw blades in there. Threatening
the enemy with a medium-ranged attack to bring them in to close
range——that was Rui's basic tactic.

The enemy ranks were destroyed completely, however half of them that
stayed in the back and were unaffected by Rui's attack, bared their
fangs and attacked with vigour. The completely neglected other half
turned their sharp fangs towards Fuyuki and Shio who were staying in
the back.

They completely ignored Rui's movements, Fuyuki sighed lightly.

"Seriously... first you tell us not to get in front, and then you go leaving
the half to us. Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

"That's quite responsible of Rui-chan, isn't it... what do we do?"

"Little Sister will stop them from moving, Shii-chan will deal the finishing
blow."

"Yup, got it."

Neither Fuyuki nor Shio were panicking, they calmly prepared to

intercept the wolves.

Right before they could be devoured by the wolves, Fuyuki destroyed

www.asianovel.com
502

four Elemental Spheres. Two blue and two white ones right after they
appeared.

"Square Spell——《Cocytus》"

In response to her voice command, countless amounts of icicles

appeared from the walls, the floor and the ceiling. The scattered pack of
wolves were hit by the icicles and frozen in the mid-air.

"I leave the rest to you."

"Yup. ——《Partizan》!"

A huge rotating spear of ice was released in a straight line, or rather it

was released piercing through the crystal wolves that were lined up.

The thick ice spear pierced through the wolves with as much ease as it
would have piercing a human body and disappeared in the depths of the
cave.

A secondary world made up of data——Elysion

A world similar to a mythological utopia, created and maintained with

various electronics. It became a necessity people cannot live without
these days.

There was a countless number of structures making up this world, one of

them was 《Aries》. A virtual space based on a fantasy world. In here
Taiga and Fuyuki——the Tenryo siblings had their part-time job. Their
work was akin to playing a game, they subdued monsters. It was quite
good in its own way.

In the southern part of it, there was an A-ranked difficulty dungeon

named 'Crystal Cave'. Inside of it, there were Fuyuki, Rui and Shio.

"Oh—ho—, it seems you cleared them up over here as well."

"...why are you going 'Oh—ho—' now."

www.asianovel.com
503

Fuyuki was clearly annoyed and hit her best friend who laughed
optimistically.

"Brother isn't here, Rucchan's the only vanguard you know? It'll be
troubling if you don't do it more seriously."

"I know that. Isn't our current goal a rank up & special training for Shio-
chan? That's why it would be troubling unless she fought as well. Am I
wrong?"

"...you're not. But please say a few words in advance next time."

Certainly, they were hunting in order to earn Shio a rank-up, if it's a

group with both Fuyuki and Rui it could be done. However, if it's the
player's skill then the player herself has to take part as well.

"I'm sorry you two. Helping me to rank-up..."

"It's fine it's fine. Since Taiga isn't here any way, we can't hunt anything
down, so we have nothing to do!"

"You're really honest. But you're right."

"...but the two of you are in the same school as Onii-san aren't you? Is it
fine for you not to study for the test?"

Both Fuyuki and Rui were also first years in Kiritou Academy Cyber
Department. Of course, they had the same test in three days.

Although Shio never attended school, she knew that tests were an
important event in school life.

"Little Sister and Rucchan study regularly. We won't do something as

pathetic as studying right before the test."

"It seemed like there were thorns in the way you said that?"

"Of course. Just when Shii-chan came back safely and we should be able
to play together, the four of us, that brother..."

"Well well, it's going to be his first periodic exam so let him do his best.

www.asianovel.com
504

Wasn't he studying in his room every day after school?"

"Because of that, the amount of time we can flirt together was reduced!"

"Ah, so that's the reason for your grumpy mood?"

Learning about her super selfish reason, both Rui and Shio were
unconsciously astounded. Well, they knew that Fuyuki was a bro-con for
years, so it wasn't all that surprising.

"...but wouldn't he be happy if Hime-chan helps him study?"

"I think Shii-chan is aware of that, but Little Sister is poor at teaching
people..."

"Ah—...that's right."

Shio was being taught by Fuyuki before, it couldn't be called good even
as a compliment. Fuyuki was a genius whose thinking circuitry was
different from other people. She wasn't suited to teaching others.

"Moreover, Brother doesn't want to rely on his little sister. He's been
working hard until a late hour at night."

"Lately, he hasn't been coming to 《Paradise》 either. Are his meals all
right?"

"For the time being, he's living on the retort pouch type of food."

Rui's parents were running a café named 《Paradise》, ever since the
siblings moved in a month ago they were eating their meals over there.
Every day they ate a meal there in the morning, and went out to eat
there every second evening.

Over the past few days, the siblings didn't show their faces together in
there. It was natural that Rui would be interested.

"I see—... I'm a bit worried—..."

"Is studying that difficult?"

"Only a few people have trouble with it. Certainly, Kiritou Academy's

www.asianovel.com
505

level and especially the Cyber Department's level is high, but usually
people don't have any problems with it."

Although Fuyuki said that, actually about half of the students who start
in Cyber Department are busy cramming. If they are in the red, the
person in charge of their specialized lecture is called, in the worst case
they might get held back immediately.

However, Fuyuki (top student in her year) and Rui (the runner-up) didn't
have to worry about such things.

"The test period ends in the second half of the second week, at this rate
you should be able to rank-up before then. For now it's just the three of
us."

"I wanted to show the results of the special training to Onii-san as soon
as possible... it can't be helped."

"Special training?"

Hearing the unfamiliar phrase, both Fuyuki and Rui stared at her head
questioningly.

"Ah, yes. Recently I've asked Onii-san about how to train my body. I just
started but it seems like I've become more able at handling the bow."

"When did that happen? Little Sister hasn't heard a word about that?"

"About five o'clock in the morning? I wake up at that hour every day."

"Grrrrr, so early."

If it's five o'clock in the morning, then Taiga would normally be training
while Fuyuki of course was still sleeping.

"Damn Brother, having trysts with Shii-chan behind Little Sister's back...
unforgivable."

"T-trysts?!"

If a pair consisting of a man and a woman meet up in secret, that's

www.asianovel.com
506

certainly a tryst. In this case 'secretly' was a wrong assumption of

Fuyuki's. Shio was impatient to correct these words.

"U-umm, Hime-chan! It's nothing like a tryst! I'm just being taught some
tips by Onii-san, nothing else!"

She hoped it would be passed off as a joke, since their words were

dripping with jealousy.

However, because Shio's panic button was pushed and she was
completely flustered——it seemed to them as if she really was guilty of
something.

"............"

With that suspicious reaction, Fuyuki stared daggers into her. Rui threw
a warm glance at Fuyuki which said, 'ahh—it's like that after all' and
ganged up with Fuyuki against Shio.

"...um, Hime-chan? Your face's scary?"

"I've wanted to ask about it for a while already, Shii-chan is older than
Brother, so why are you calling him 'Onii-san'? Is there any special
reason?"

"A reason..."

www.asianovel.com
507

There was none——that was the truth. Not knowing that they are twins,
she started calling him that knowing that he's Fuyuki's older brother.

But if she said 'there's nothing' that would be a lie as well——

"...why did you start blushing."

"Fuee?!"

As she recalled his sweaty appearance as he was changing and got

intoxicated by the heat coming from her heart, her cheeks were grabbed
by Fuyuki and pulled.

"Eres' othig Hwime-hyan."

"Listen up. Brother belongs to Little Sister, and Little Sister is Brother's. I
won't hand him over even to Shii-chan!"

"...you're sleeping together every night, isn't this much fine?"

In Rui's murmur there was jealousy mixed in.

Although Fuyuki was jealous over every little thing, the one who would
be spending the most time with Taiga would be her. That would be
normal for twin siblings, but they go to the extent of sleeping together.

In that case, (important point) the one who spends the least time with
him would be Rui. Since she also liked Taiga wanting to complain about
it was granted.

"But a special training〜. Certainly, Shio-chan's gotten really good. You

don't miss with the piercing bullets any more. How is it, the new model
of 《Cryoflare》 made by Rui-san?"

"It's much easier to use than before. Also, you have added a new type of
arrow, I have more ways to fight like this."

"Well it is an attack-configured program made by Rucchan. The old one

might have been a prize for winning a championship in the arena, but
this one is a few stages above that."

www.asianovel.com
508

The viruses and bugs that appear in this world——in order to defeat
them after they take a form of a monster in 《Aries》, an attack-
configured program is needed.

Taiga's 《Heavenly Sword》 and Fuyuki's 《Elemental Sphere》—— were

attack-configured programs made by Rui, their performance was much
higher than the ones that were commercially available.

And now also Shio's attack-configured program, a bow that could

manipulate two opposite attributes of ice and fire 《Cryoflare》.

Although it was originally a prize for winning the 《UNKNOWN》

tournament, it was broken the other day.

That's why Rui remade the program from scratch and also improved it.

As a result, despite having a week long history of gameplay in 《Aries》,

Shio's attack power has already reached a level close to that of an A-
rank.

After collecting spoils from the defeated crystal wolves, Rui called out to
the two.

"Come on, it's about time to go. Let's do another circle over the field,
hurry."

"Fighting against small fries is tedious. How about we ignore them and
run through?"

"Ehh, isn't it impossible with Fuyuki's and Shio-chan's legs?"

"Rucchan can carry both of us. We're light so the brute strength of an S-
rank will manage somehow."

"Whether I can do it or not is not the problem, that's..."

The three girls moved towards the back of the cave while chatting. This
was their current daily life.

Ever since Karasuba Shio joined them, the daily life the girls lived has
become more fun.

www.asianovel.com
509

"Ah, Fuyuki. There's something I want to talk about with you concerning
the specialized course, do you have time this evening?"

"Sure. Through the phone?"

"Nnn, if possible I want to meet face-to-face... oh right. I thought of

something nicee〜."

"Something nice?"

"Nfufu♪ it's a secret〜."

As Rui started skipping in good humour, Fuyuki stared at her in wonder.

Part 3
"Aahhh, so tired—..."

After he finished studying in his room, Taiga lightly rotated his arms to
stretch.

He checked the terminal and found that it was already seven o'clock.
Since he came back home at four o'clock, that meant he was glued to
the desk for about three hours.

That's quite long even if I say so myself... even so, my performance isn't
improving despite spending more time on it.

Although he didn't miss morning training, he hasn't logged into 《Aries》

for a week already. And that meant the amount of opportunities to wield
a sword has decreased.

For Taiga, 《Aries》 was a valuable place he could unload his stress in.

Although they obtained a new life a month ago and lived it leisurely, but
'experiencing combat' was also valuable in modern society. Deprived of
an opportunity to dump his accumulated frustration that way, had an
adverse effect and his academic ability worsened——but he wasn't
aware of that.

"...I need to switch myself to studying completely."

www.asianovel.com
510

Let's prepare some rice in the cooker... and just when he was thinking
about the menu, the interphone's bell sounded informing him about a
visitor, Fuyuki's voice could be heard from another room.

"Oh, you're here. Door's open so please come in!"

"Heyaa, I'm a bit late. Can you carry this in?"

"What are you saying to the powerless Little Sister... Brother, please
come for a moment——"

"Sure."

After responding lightly, he headed towards the front door.

He knew whose voice that was——or rather, there was only one person
whom Fuyuki would call over——Saionji Rui was standing there in plain
clothes. She was holding a shopping bag in her hand.

"So it's Rui after all. What happened for you to come this late?"

"There's something I need to do together with Fuyuki. Ah, please hold

this."

In the shopping bag he was passed were vegetables and meat.

"What's up with these ingredients?"

"Fufu〜 《Paradise》 is on a business trip to the Tenryo house."

She loudly declared that while spreading an apron she took out from a
handbag.

*ton* *ton* *ton*——a light sound echoed throughout the house.

Although Tenryo had a high performance kitchen, it was being wasted

since no one used it. This evening however was different from others.

"Fu〜nfu〜nfufu〜n〜"

Rui was humming happily as she rhythmically cut the vegetables.

www.asianovel.com
511

She had a yellow apron on top of her usual skimpy outfit and her
chestnut hair tied in a ponytail swayed lightly.[2]

"............"

"Brother, you're ogling her too much."

Taiga admired the sight of Rui working in the kitchen to the point he
didn't realize Fuyuki was talking to him.

It wasn't a seductive charm. Certainly the sight of a girl in an apron was

something that couldn't be seen every day and had a considerable sex
appeal. But more than that, there was something that put his mind at
ease as he saw her cooking from behind.

"Hmph!!"

"Guohaa?!"

Suddenly an enormous shock hit the back of his head.

He looked up after his face fell and hit the table to see where that hit
came from, he saw Fuyuki standing there making an intimidating pose,
acting trigger happy with a clunky machine she was holding and looking
down on him.

"I won't forgive being charmed by any other girl than Little Sister, shitty
Brother. Shall I physically erase your memory?"

"I-Imouto-sama... just now that was dangerous... my head made a weird

'ding' sound..."

Before she erases his memory, his skull will be already cracked.

Fortunately, it didn't seem like he was bleeding (he was quite sturdy but
he checked it just in case), then he recovered and started daydreaming
while staring at Rui in her apron again.

"Want another one?"

"Sorry I'll stop right now... no, this somehow gives me a nostalgic

www.asianovel.com
512

feeling."

"Nostalgic, is it?"

"Yeah... a family, that kind of feeling."

Family, when that word came out Fuyuki downcast her eyes.

Eight years ago, the young siblings had lost their parents in a blink of an
eye. That was probably why the siblings were so intimate with each
other——as if to cover up that loss.

"Kept you waiting, it's done... hey, what's up with you two?"

"...nothing. Come on Fuyuki, sit down."

Seeing Taiga act as if he tried to cover something up, Rui was puzzled.

"Then, it's about time for Rui-san to go home."

It was past eight o'clock in the evening, After cleaning up and finishing
consultation on a problem which was the main purpose of her coming
over, Rui stood up from her seat and headed towards the entrance with
Taiga.

"I'll escort you home."

"It's still early isn't it? I'll be fine alone."

"I just feel like taking a walk, so might as well. Fuyuki, go ahead and
take a bath."

"Understood. Don't come back too late."

Taiga and Rui walked under the night sky and the street lights.

The café Rui's parents were running was a short distance of 3 minutes
by foot away. The shop's exterior looked like a bar located in the corner
of an alley that stretched from the main street——they arrived at café
《Paradise》 almost immediately.

It seemed like it was thriving in its own way, many voices could be heard

www.asianovel.com
513

from inside of the store.

"Well then, see you tomorrow."

"Ah, wait a moment. Won't you come upstairs with me for a moment?"

As Taiga was about to turn away and head back, he was held back by
Rui.

"At this late hour?"

"There's nothing in particular that I want to do... but I thought 'it's been
a while since we've talked with just the two of us—'."

She was embarrassed by her own words and her cheeks faintly blushed.

It's a chance——that's what she thought when Taiga said he'll take her
home.

Whether it's school or 《Aries》 they were always accompanied by Fuyuki

and haven't had a chance to be alone together. She was really frustrated
about that.

"——Is that... no good?"

So this was her small selfishness.

It was impossible for Taiga to refuse her invitation as she peeked at him
from under him. He shook his head lightly and followed her as she
happily entered the shop.

They went up to the second floor from the stairs in the back of the store
and entered Rui's room which was the furthest in the back.

"As usual, your room is full of stuff."

"Muu, it's not like there's a mess in here so that's fine. I'll bring you a
coffee."

As Rui stood up, Taiga took a breather and looked around the room.

He has been in her room for like ten times before, but its interior hasn't

www.asianovel.com
514

changed at all. Since it was too silent, he picked up a Rubik's Cube that
lay nearby and started to fiddle with it.

Since he was bored and wanted to kill time, he solved it

immediately——or was supposed to.

"What?"

The movement of his fingers was somewhat dull, it wasn't working out
well. Rui who came back stared at him as he struggled and started to
think about something, she looked at Taiga's face from up close.

"...Taiga, can it be that you're tired?"

"Eh?

He was confused by her words. It didn't feel like it. But Rui was confident
about the cause of his malfunction.

"Yup. Your eyes are more blurred than usual, so I can tell. Did you sleep
properly yesterday?"

"Yesterday... about two hours."

"Why just two hours?"

"It's like that every day. I begin morning practice before four o'clock in
the morning, I completely recover from two hours of sleep."

Rui was shocked, but for Taiga that was normal.

Certainly, his amount of sleep didn't change. But Taiga accumulated

mental fatigue by studying daily while not noticing it himself, moreover
frustration accumulated because he was unable to exercise himself
physically. All of these have accumulated and turned into fatigue.

"Muu—..."

She made a displeased expression.

It's been a while since they were alone together. She didn't know when
the next time would come were she to miss this opportunity. That's why,

www.asianovel.com
515

the fact that she thought 'I want him to rest' surprised her.

...it can't be helped.

"Dat's no good. Come on, over here."

"H-hey..."

Rui sat down on the bed and lightly patted her lap.

Even Taiga knew what that gesture meant.

"...you don't mean you want me to sleep there?"

"YES."

It was the so-called lap pillow.

"I feel like saying lots of things... but for now, tell me why."

"To help you relax? Come on, hurry hurry. Don't waste time."

He hurried towards Rui and reluctantly lay down. He swallowed saliva

involuntarily as he slowly lied his head down on the voluptuous things
exposed by her hot pants——

"Oh...?"

"How is it? Does it feel good?"

The moment he entrusted his head to it, her thighs sank in slightly and
accepted his head gently.

A neither too firm nor too soft comfort continued to spread through his
whole body and power left his limbs bit by bit.

"This is... nice."

"Right? Fuyuki said before that Rui-san's lap rivals the most comfortable
pillows."

"How did such a conversation come to be...?"

It couldn't be something just friends talk about.

www.asianovel.com
516

With that said though, he could understand why Fuyuki said that. It
certainly felt good.

Since she was trained by working in the café, her leg muscles
moderately accepted the weight of his head. He could stay like that for
hours.

"...does Rui-san resemble Taiga's Mother?"

Rui asked an unexpected question. He was reminded of the conversation

back at home and answered quietly.

"Did you hear that?"

"No, I asked Fuyuki about it afterwards since you two looked strange."

"I see... if you ask about resemblance, then you aren't alike. She was
very different from you and couldn't do any housework at all. But..."

"But?"

"...the bright atmosphere around you is similar to hers."

She was an incredibly cheerful person.

She played with her children as if she was the same age as them, when
she was doing her job she looked like she was enjoying herself, a human
rich with emotions and facial expressions.

Those aspects of hers were similar to Rui's.

"...there, there."

Before he noticed, Rui started to gently stroke his head.

Taiga involuntarily narrowed his eyes feeling comfortable and warm, but
what left his mouth seemed to say something different.

"I'm not a child..."

"I know. But look, isn't it fine to be the one that's spoiled once in a
while?"

www.asianovel.com
517

And so, she continued to stroke his head. And as if to finish him off, she
spun the words.

"It might be because of Fuyuki, but Taiga's always on the spoiling side.
You're taking care of Shio-chan as well don't you?"

"Well... I guess."

"That'll surely tire you out. Come on, Rui-san will spoil you so relax."

"No, that's——"

It happened when he was about to respond.

...eh...?

His vision distorted.

It was dizziness beyond what happened when he logged in, darkness

clouded his thoughts and his eyelids closed by themselves.

Drowsi...ness?

www.asianovel.com
518

Impossible.

Certainly he felt like falling asleep. But this was different. He should be
able to limit it. During sleep, people are completely defenceless.

Taiga who was always wary of night assaults was ready to jump up at
any sign of life. The only exception to that was Fuyuki who was his
family.

That's why, being vulnerable in front of someone like this was——

"It's fine to sleep. Rui-san will wake you up later."

"No... but..."

"It's fine. Close your eyes."

Hearing her gentle voice and being patted on the head, his thinking
gradually melted.

It was impossible for him to resist his eyelids dropping, Taiga slowly
closed them shut.

"Sorry...I'll sleep...a bit..."

"Yup. Good night."

Seen off by Rui, Taiga sank into the world of dreams.

"Ha〜... how cute〜."

Rui stared at his face as he slept on her lap.

He rubbed his cheeks against her slightly and whenever she stopped
stroking his head he frowned as if saying 'don't stop'. Every each of his
reactions were unbearable and lovely.

"...Taiga's amazing. Not only Fuyuki and Rui-san, he even had Shio-chan
fall for him. The amount of rivals increased by one again."

Although Shio's feelings still felt like an extension of admiration, but

www.asianovel.com
519

without a doubt she liked him.

While she was quite displeased by that, but at the same time she was
proud of him.

Proud of the fact that the boy she fell in love with was so charming, that
he made other people fall for him, proving his charm even further.

"...rest well."

She murmured lightly and contacted Fuyuki.

"Ah, Fuyuki? It's about Taiga, is it fine to borrow him for a bit? ...no. The
shop's a little busy, so I want him to help out. Yup, about two hours. I'll
send him home after the peak hours pass. Also one more thing, about
tomorrow——I'm thinking of using the ticket from before. Can you call
Shio-chan?"

On the second floor of Saionji family house, in Rui's room the two
leisurely spent their time together.

Part 4
"...I'm back."

Her quiet murmur dispersed away in the empty room.

The Kiritou Group's headquarters that was located in New City——a tall
building with thirty-five floors, on the thirty-third floor there was Haya's
private room.

It was different from her dedicated laboratory on another floor, it was

her own perfectly private room.

There was a Kiritou household's mansion built in a prime location of the

New City, but she hasn't gone back there for years. For her, this was her
'home'.

She opened the blinds through the room's management system,

vermilion sunset light entered the room.

www.asianovel.com
520

As expected of a view from over hundred and ten metres above the
ground. The view over the city was perfect. Haya took off her uniform's
jacket and took out water from refrigerator, she sat down on a massage
chair that has been taking care of her lately.

There's no work to do, so let's take it slow for now.

The company has been frequently dealing with large-scale structure

problems recently, Haya already completed the tasks given to her.

At this time, she was able to enjoy a little bit of free time. Of course,
unless she's entrusted with new work.

〈"Master. Do you mind if I materialized?"〉

"Go on."

From the projector the bracelet-type terminal attached to Haya's wrist

was equipped with, the AI・Iolite's figure was projected. The figure
projected was not the usual fairy-scale, but life-size comparable to that
of Haya's.

"It's unusual for you to appear in this size. What made you change your
mind?"

〈"I just feel like it, there's nothing in particular."〉

"...is that so."

Iora could freely change the size she appeared in. That's because other
than 'navigation' purpose, she was intended to be 'the owner's friend'...

"This appearance, it's just like her..."

Asumi Aoko. A researcher affiliated with Kiritou and the co-developer of

Iolite. Also, the one and only friend of Haya's.

A girl who was forced into researching things she didn't want to because
of her talent, used and broken.

〈"Master, look at this dammit."〉

www.asianovel.com
521

As Haya immersed herself in the sentiment while remembering the past,

Iora held out a window towards her. On it 'Periodic test's expected
problems 's exercise book' was written.

"What happened, this is?"

〈"You're going to tutor Taiga in his home tomorrow right? I've

summarized the trends over the past few years, use it."〉

"...you made it by yourself?"

〈"Of course."〉

As Iora revealed a proud smile, Haya couldn't hide her surprise.

One month ago she noticed that Iora's emotions were developing, but
for her to evolve to the point of 'doing something for someone else's
sake'.

I allowed her to roam freely a while ago... it seems like it was a good
stimulus.

Since she was busy and couldn't take care of her, there was no choice
but to do so.

〈"It's your memorable first date. Failure is unforgivable."〉

"Ha?"

...weird. A strange term appeared.

"Wait a little. First what?"

〈"Ain't that a damn date?"〉

"What did you misunderstand to come up with such an answer..."

〈"But Master's goin' to a man's home, that kind of crap never happened
before has it?"〉

After being told that, she realized that was certainly true. As far as her
memory went back, she didn't remember going over to a friend's place

www.asianovel.com
522

to play, even Aoko who was her best friend lived in the same
headquarters building. ...though, that didn't make Taiga special in any
way.

It's been a while since she was able to rest.

But with just a single call, her leisure time has been crushed. As she
lowered her eyelids dozing off, a window opened on the corner of her
field of vision and she jumped up seeing the caller's name.

〈"Master?"〉

She silenced Iora with a gesture and cooled her mind off by taking a
breath few times.

Deeper and deeper, she buried her own self in the darkness. The one
who was in here was the daughter of Kiritou Group's president, a
researcher——she used her routine self-suggestion like that.

"——Hello."

〈"It's me, head to the third conference room immediately."〉

An overbearing voice shook her eardrum without any greeting. She was
instructed without being given any reason and thought of a possibility
that caught her heart.

〈"I sent you a written notice. Carry it out as soon as possible."〉

"Understood."

The call ended with a minimal exchange of words.

Talking back to even the most unreasonable of instructions was

unforgivable. Haya's father——Kiritou Kouya's words were an absolute
chain in that it tied her mind.

〈"Is it work?"〉

"Yeah... I need to stay up all night, it can't be helped."

She checked the written directive sent by e-mail and let out a small sigh.

www.asianovel.com
523

It was possible that it would take until noon tomorrow——until the

appointed time. Guessing that, Iora's expression clouded over slightly.

〈"Will you cancel tomorrow's study session?"〉

"...no, it's fine."

Haya shook her head lightly.

Honestly, that was a quite tough schedule but... she didn't want the
exercise book Iora went through so much trouble making to go to waste.

"I'll finish on time somehow. Will you help me?"

〈"Understood, Master."〉

With Iora on her shoulder, Haya went down the headquarters building by
elevator.

Part 5
*slooshhh*, a cool sound of waves rang out.

The upcoming waves wet Taiga's feet and bounced off after finding
resistance.

"............"

It was the sea.

Waves appeared on the crystal clear greenish water moved by the wind,
it shone brilliantly reflecting the light of sun it was showered with. Pure
white sand spread far and wide, it was white like chalk and hot, raising
the body temperature through the soles of his feet.

By the way, it was still May. Too fast for the beach to be open for use.

"...well, it's the virtual world. I guess there are things like these as well."

Taiga looked up at the sun that radiated heat without any mercy and
squinted.

www.asianovel.com
524

What he was wearing wasn't his usual long coat, instead he was wearing
black trunks.

Why was he in a place like this——he recalled what happened a few

minutes earlier.

After finishing his morning practice he went straight to 《Aries》 after

being invited over by Rui.

And the place she told him to come through 〈Transition〉 push was
here——a new area 《Emerald Sea》 that was supposed to be
implemented next week. Only ten people in all of Aries, namely people
with an S-rank, were able to experience the area before it came out.

And thus, four people used that right together with her, coming to play
in the sea.

However, there was only Taiga in this place at the moment. The other
three told him to wait and left after passing him data for the trunks.

I can imagine what they are doing but... did they really have to move
away for that?

He had first hand experience, unlike in reality changing clothes took only
a moment. It didn't expose anything.

Even so, they moved all the way to disappear from his sight despite not
needing to do so...

...I can't calm down.

It felt as if a heavy blow dealt to him was postponed.

And then, the terminal's window opened as he received a call. He was

suspicious after seeing the caller's name, but he immediately answered.

"What is it Leon?"

〈"Heya. Got a moment?"〉

The person displayed on the screen was an older man——Leon.

www.asianovel.com
525

A player he got acquainted with when he toured Aries together with Shio
two weeks earlier, leader of a clan named 《Lion Alliance》. He was one of
few acquaintances of the same gender he had, so he stayed in touch
with him occasionally ever since the incident happened.

〈"There's something I'm worried about. You were investigating the

《Angel》 weren't you?"〉

"Yeah. You got something?"

《Angel》——the unidentified virtual body that was the culprit during the
incident with Shio.

Its purpose was unknown. Nevertheless, Taiga instinctively recognized it

as 'enemy'. Although he asked Leon to continue gathering information
about it, there wasn't any movements.

〈"It seems like it's on the move big time. Various programs made by
《Angel》 appear not only in 《Aries》 but also other multiple large-scale
structures. This time it's attack-configured programs, and the rate at
which it spreading is far beyond how it was last time."〉

"Attack-configured programs?"

〈"Yeah, their performance is pretty good and I've seen an abundance of

types out there when I recently looked around the city centre. For the
time being I thought I'd tell you information on 《Angel》. "〉

After receiving Leon's report, Taiga started wondering.

Attack-configured programs were something essential to a large-scale

structure. Although the most basic ones were given to people from the
management, after getting used to those, people look for ones that have
a better performance. That's why 《Angel》's actions would be considered
'a godsend' by players.

But simply because Taiga knew Shio's case, he felt anxious over what
《Angel》's real purpose was.

"...can you obtain one of these attack-configured programs? As soon as

www.asianovel.com
526

possible."

As Taiga requested that, Leon put a hand on his chin and thought.

〈"...even if I hurry, it might take a while."〉

"Got it. Then how about three times?"

〈"Okay. Deal."〉

He'll help them out in combat three times——he agreed on helping 《Lion
Alliance》 when they were short of battle potential, that was the deal he
made. When asking Leon for a favour, that's the method Taiga used. He
already familiarized himself with it and he already got acquainted with
all the members of 《Lion Alliance》.

〈"Now then, I'll send you a mail if I manage to get one safely."〉

"Thanks."

And after that concise exchange of words, he cut the call.

If 《Angel》 was on the move, that wasn't a good thing. That's the feeling
he had. He had to stay vigilant.

"Sorry for the wait〜."

And then, he was called from behind. He turned to look behind——and

was at a loss for words. I'm glad to be here. He thought that from the
bottom of his heart.

"Sorry, there were some formalities so it took longer."

"Nn... ah, no. You didn't make me wait."

"Really? That's good then."

It was just like her, Rui was wearing a bright yellow swimsuit and had a
lovely smile on her face as she said that.

There wasn't much difference in the amount of exposure between this

and her usual clothes when it came to the bottom of the swimsuit, as it

www.asianovel.com
527

was almost the same as the hot pants she usually wears. However, the
upper body was a big problem. An unrivaled among the same age group
of people abundant bulge was enclosed by a triangular bikini that
obviously had not enough cloth on it, soft flesh was protruding from its
sides.

"Muu... Brother, how's Little Sister's swimsuit? Is it charming?"

Fuyuki had notice where Taiga's line of sight was stuck, and said with a
threatening tone. She urged Rui to step aside and moved in front
instead. Incomparable with that of Rui's, his little sister's limbs were
underdeveloped. She wore a black bikini.

Both the upper and lower parts were similar, there was an awkwardly
small amount of cloth, at first glance it seemed like it didn't suit Fuyuki.
However, that imbalance showcased her bewitching qualities that were
hidden before.

As the girls showed off their dazzling figures, Taiga obviously averted his
eyes.

However, the two of them weren't pleased with such an attitude and
closed the distance on him. He took a step back reflexively.

"Brother, I won't tell you to stare a hole in us, but not looking at all is
rude."

"That's right〜. Feedback please!"

"Y-you two look great."

"We're not looking for such a bland answer. What you think about Shii-
chan——hey, Shii-chan?"

Prompted by Fuyuki, Taiga looked at Shio who was a bit further away.

Shio hasn't heard the trio's conversation and was still staring at the sea.

She wore a one-piece swimsuit, it had blue and white horizontal stripes,
it fit not only her personality but also her maturity. Shio called out with a

www.asianovel.com
528

lovely voice.

"Waa〜! So this is the sea...!"

Seeing an emerald sea spreading as far as she could see, she was filled
with curiosity like a child.

"...your eyes are sparkling."

"Speaking of which, this is the first time for you to visit a beach. Last
time Little Sister was on one was eight years ago. How about Brother?"

"It's my first time on a beautiful one like this."

That was the concept, 《Emerald Sea》 had an atmosphere like a resort.

Tropical trees, dazzling sun. The temperature was adjusted to be warm

but not too hot, the perfect environment for spending time was
maintained.

"Hey hey, can I go in already?"

"Ah, yes. Sure you can."

www.asianovel.com
529

Without even waiting for an answer, Shio rushed into the sea
impatiently.

At first she was fearful of it, but soon enough she proceeded into water
until her legs were completely covered with water and she released the
strength in her limbs, allowing herself to float on water..

Her face melted and changed into a relaxed one.

"Somewhat, she seems really refreshed."

"Oh, Shii-chan... let's surprise her a bit."

Fuyuki submerged slightly and approached Shio while making sure she
isn't noticed, it was a pitiful sight as Shio's face floating on seawater was
relaxed and she was enjoying herself. Shio's balance immediately broke
and she sank into the sea hitting the seafloor with her bottom.

"Come on, let's join them Taiga."

"Ah, hey!"

"Haaa! Let's play around todaaay!"

Rui pulled Taiga by his hand and they went into the sea together.

He didn't know how long it's been since then.

"Fuu..."

Taiga went back to the beach alone and sat down under a palm tree on
which he rested his back, he absent-mindedly watched the girls play in
water.

...they're having lots of fun.

At the moment they were using rented water guns (they looked very
similar to real ones) and were shooting at each other.

As far he could see, Fuyuki was losing. Rui was good at sports and Shio

www.asianovel.com
530

could be considered as someone who's familiar with shooting.

By the way, Taiga didn't join the battle, if he did it would no longer be a
fair match.

Even if moving in water was harder than on the land, there was no
reason to get hit by a mass of water that moved slower than live
ammunition. Even if he held himself back, he would instinctively switch
into combat mode were a muzzle to be aimed at him because of the way
the water guns looked.

I can't even play around... what am I doing.

He stared at his own hands, to be exact he looked towards lower part of

his wrist. A gunshot wound on his real flesh——although it was a very
small wound that didn't stand out——but there was an old wound there.

A scar of the past.

As he was casually enjoying his everyday life, a heavy thought weighed

on his mind.

You don't belong to this place——he heard a whisper like that.

"............"

Tenryo Taiga wasn't a good person who should spend his days in such a
warm and clean place like this. He knew very well that he wasn't
qualified to do that.

Even so, he hoped that he's able to stay in this place, he blamed his
weak heart for that.

"Thinking about something? Your face is really dark?"

As he raised his face, he saw Fuyuki who must have left the sea before
he noticed it and stood next to him. Water droplets were dripping down
from her glossy black hair and fell on the pure white sandy beach.

"Where's Rui and Shio?"

www.asianovel.com
531

"They're doing swimming training. Shii-chan doesn't know how to swim,

so Rucchan is teaching her."

In the direction Fuyuki glanced to, Shio who was being pulled by Rui
desperately repeated flutter kicks. Her movements were still stiff and
weren't good enough to be complimented.

He watched that for a while.

When her practice time with Rui finished and Shio began to swim
without aid, Fuyuki grasped his arm all of a sudden.

"...Brother, accompany me for a while."

She said that and began walking without waiting for his answer.
Moreover, they went in a direction opposite from the sea.

"Hey, where are we going?"

"Further away... somewhere where we won't be disturbed."

The second part of the sentence was too quiet, so Taiga didn't hear it.

Fuyuki continued to walk to a distant part of the beach and finally

stopped when both Rui and Shio were no longer visible.

"It should be all right over here. Yup."

She manipulated a window and extracted a light blue sheet and laid it
down on the ground. After that she manipulated the window again
taking out a small green bottle.

After it was passed to Taiga, he opened it and a flowery aroma tickled

his nostrils.

"What's this?"

"Aroma oil. It's a program given to us together with the water guns, it
seems like one of the items to enjoy in this area."

www.asianovel.com
532

"Hee... hey, Fuyuki! What are you doing?!"

As Taiga looked up after looking at the vial, he saw Fuyuki turned with
her back to him and removed the top of her swimsuit. There was nothing
covering her small and white back.

Taiga looked away in a hurry, Fuyuki lay face down on the sheet and
murmured seductively to him.

"Please rub the aroma oil on my body. Of course, with your bare hands."

"Haa?!"

Suddenly his thoughts were thrown into confusion.

Seeing him like that Fuyuki repeated.

"This is something that has to be applied by hand. There are places Little
Sister can't reach, can you do me this favour?"

"Ask Rui or Shio to do it!"

"Oh dear, you won't understand unless I explain it to you, will you."

Fuyuki puckered her lips dissatisfied and shook her hair off her back as
she admonished him.

www.asianovel.com
533

"I want Brother to rub it on me."

"A...u...wh..."

He started stammering as she looked at him.

Taiga had no willpower to resist her seduction.

"Come, hurry up."

Invited by her, he knelt beside her.

He swallowed his saliva as he closed on to her pure white back and tilted
the vial, golden liquid poured onto palm of his hand. It was more viscous
than expected and it was sticking to his fingers.

"Nn..."

After splashing some of the sticky liquid on her back, he touched it. It
must've been cold since Fuyuki leaked out a small voice.

While being flustered as her soft skin sucked his fingers in, he spread
the oil while stroking her back.

"Brother, rub it on more firmly."

"G-got it..."

When he pressed the palms of his hands against her skin more boldly,
the viscous liquid spread between his hand and her soft skin. The sweet
flowery aroma drifted towards him and his thinking had been clouded
over.

"Do it on the sides too, please apply it so that there's no places

uncovered by it."

Her whisper penetrated his hazy consciousness, he slid his fingertips

towards her sides.

Taiga's breath has already been turbulent and rough. It was the same
for Fuyuki, whenever he touched a sensitive place, she raised a lovely
moan, but since he didn't pay attention, he continued to slowly move his

www.asianovel.com
534

fingers.

——*funyari*

"Fuaa...!!"

The moment he slid his finger further to the side, his fingers sank in
softly. An exceptionally sweet voice leaked out from Fuyuki's mouth.

Uwaa... this is——!!

His consciousness returned and he realized where he was touching, he

moved his fingers away in a hurry.

The place mentioned earlier where he rubbed the oil on was Fuyuki's
humble chest, it was shiny and the way it looked could be called
obscene.

"...any more... is impossible..."

Then, Fuyuki suddenly hugged onto him.

"Woaah!"

He was caught off guard completely and unable to resist, she pushed

him down on the sheet.

Fuyuki's hands wound around Taiga's neck and her bare breasts pressed
onto his chest. He realized the identity of two hard spots in the centre of
her breast and the inside of his head turned white.

"Onii... Little Sister can't hold back any longer..."

Her whisper seeped into his thoughts like poison.

His heart was pounding fast and hard as if it wanted to tear out from his
chest, all the senses in his body were roused as he touched her body.
His blood was boiling and his brain was dizzy so he couldn't think of
anything.

Not good. This situation is... the worst.

www.asianovel.com
535

He needs to hurry and pull away, if he's too late——

"...let's entangle together until we're all sticky and mushy...?"

The sweet voice melted away his reason with ease.

"——Fuyuki!!"

Motivated by urge that rose within him, he hugged her thin body
strongly. Fuyuki in his arms let out a happy voice and sweetly rubbed
her body on his.

He could no longer stop.

With lust burning in his heart, he wanted to devour this lovely girl until
she's exhausted——

"...eh? Where did they go? Heeey, Fuyuki! Taiga〜!"

They couldn't afford to be seen like this——he thought that and regained
composure all at once. He released Fuyuki and turned away quickly as
not to look at her skin colour.

"H-hurry up and put the top on. They're coming."

Silence, no response. Fuyuki's frustrated gaze pierced his back, but he

couldn't afford to let himself be shaken.

"...Onii's reasoning is weird. You went back to normal too fast."

Fuyuki opened a window and put the top on with it, she stored both the
sheet and aroma oil as well. She went back towards Rui who was looking
for them.

"...reasoning? Don't be stupid."

As he sent her back off, he grumbled softly.

"I'm completely done in right now."

www.asianovel.com
536

He took a deep breath, and even as he released it the heat in his body
wouldn't cool down. With nowhere to escape, feelings inside Taiga ran
amok.

He couldn't cover it up any longer.

Tenryo Taiga was seeking Tenryo Fuyuki as someone of opposite sex.

If that happens again, he will be unable to restrain himself——he

continued to breathe again and again, desperately trying to calm himself
down.

Part 6
——*guchyari*.

Wrapped in the pitch black darkness, in an unknown location. In the

empty world light didn't enter, an unpleasant sound that seemed like a
swirling mood echoed.

The source of the sound, was a water inlet.

The scene of the cloudy liquids that filled it rubbing against each other
would disgust anyone with a decent amount of sensibility and morals.

"...hmm. Looks like it's going well."

Next to it stood a virtual body covered by a white robe.

The pure white outfit was shining conspicuously in the darkness of the
abyss. Originally that colour should blow away the darkness, but
something like a black pollution was sticking to it. It was reminiscent to
how moths flock to light.

"——Generate."

It murmured a short command.

All the liquid collected at one point, and started to move eerily as if it
had its own will. Spiraling, the pollution became more viscous and slowly
hardened, shaping an armour of darkness soon enough.

www.asianovel.com
537

Jet black knight 《Zygote》.

It made Taiga and Rui suffer in the past, a virus program with high
combat capability. Even one of them would be powerful enough, but
soon after two, three of them were produced.

The pure white virtual body gloated over it as 《Zygote》s appeared.

"It'll take few days until I have enough fighting force, will it. And then I'll
break through security... fufu, it won't be easy."

Preparations were progressing steadily. If there was to be one thing that

could stop it, it was——

"...Tenryo Taiga, eh."

That boy crossed its mind.

There was no reason for it, but it was instinctively convinced of it——that
he will stand in its way.

To be honest, Tenryo Taiga alone wasn't that much of a threat. But his
little sister Tenryo Fuyuki was different.

It was reminded of her abilities she displayed the other day. She could
be the one who could stop its plan.

"Let's prepare some countermeasures."

Even if it was the slightest possibility, it had to be crushed.

《Angel》 formed another black knight, which disappeared soon after, as

if melting into the darkness.

Notes and References

1. ↑ Means third most in french.
2. ↑ I feel like I'll hold a grudge over illustrator not illustrating Rui
with ponytail. Nghhhh.

www.asianovel.com
538

www.asianovel.com
539

Vol. 3 :

Chapter 2

Part 1
The next day, Sunday noon, by the front door of the Tenryo family's
home.

The interphone sounded on time, and Taiga opened the door.

"Good day to you, Taiga-kun."

With a modest red cardigan on top, Haya wore a neat long skirt that
covered her up to her ankles. She bowed with a meek smile.

"Although we don't have much time today, I'll do my best to raise Taiga-
kun's performance... hey, what's up with that expression of yours."

"Sorry. Hearing your polite tone puts me in a bad mood..."

"You looking for a fight?"

After Taiga's extremely rude words, her mask of 'well-brought up lady'

immediately disappeared, her true domineering young lady's expression
appeared instead. Her personality switch's speed was as terrifyingly fast
as ever.

"It's been a while since I met you in that mode. I thought my hearing had
gone wrong."

www.asianovel.com
540

"You really are a rude guy... I did it just in case because you have a little
sister. The more people know about it, the harder it is to silence them in
case of an emergency."

Well it's been already half-noticed... but he preferred not to say it. He
heard no hesitation in her voice as she said these dangerous words.
Taiga invited Haya inside.

"If it's Fuyuki then she's in her room. Well, she probably won't come out
so you don't have to worry."

He told her the day before about the study session and she's been
acting sullen since then.

After what happened by the beach, he couldn't face her squarely or try
to calm her down; he stalled it for too long and the actual day of the
study session came.

"Fine then. There's no time, let's start at once. Your room should be
fine."

"Nn? Isn't living room with a lot of space better?"

"Don't be stupid. It'll be no good if your little sister comes in the

meantime."

"That's only for you..."

Since there was nothing in particular he wanted to hide, Taiga took her
to his room obediently.

As they walked down the corridor, Haya looked around as if she's seen
something unusual.

"Hmm, that's a pretty nice house. Must have been just as expensive."

"Enough to blow away our savings. And here we are, my room."

"...quite bland."

Just as Haya said, the room was too neat for something people lived in.

www.asianovel.com
541

What caught her eye was the table in the middle and the Japanese
sword that was hung on the wall.

Not only weren't there many things there. Everything seem neatly
prepared, and the sword seemed ready to be drawn at anytime——that's
the impression she had. She wondered just what kind of life the boy has
been living up until this moment.

"I don't bring in many things, and I have no hobbies."

"And that sword? Isn't collecting fake swords also a hobby?"

"Ah—... that's the only thing I enjoy, something like that."

Were he to say that it's the real thing, she might have been excited
about it. Although he wanted to see the look on her face as he told her
that, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Come out Iora."

〈"Understood."〉

The terminal lit up and Iora was projected into the air. She's been
wearing glasses with black rims she once had on before and hit one of
her hands with the pointing stick she held in the other.

〈"Today's strict teaching session. Prepare yourself dammit."〉

"Iora's also in the teacher role today?"

"She's strangely motivated today. It's not really a problem either. So...
ah——?"

It happened when she tried to sit down on the floor.

He saw her stagger and as she started falling down, Taiga immediately
reacted and caught her.

"Hey, you all right?"

"I'm just a little dizzy. No need to worry... geez, for me to fall down after
just one all-nighter..."

www.asianovel.com
542

〈"Master, so you were tired because of yesterday after all...?"〉

"I'm okay so don't make that face. Come on Taiga, how long are you
going to support me."

"Ah, sorry."

"Brother—, I brought something to drink. I'm ente..ri...ng..."

As Taiga tried to move away from Haya, at that very moment the door
has been opened wide with a lot of force.

Fuyuki appeared with cups on top of a tray, she slowly lowered her gaze.
There, Taiga was gently (from Fuyuki's perspective) embracing Haya.

"F-Fuyuki... t-this is, um.. an accident."

Taiga broke into cold sweat as he made an excuse, Fuyuki looked down
with a lovely and yet spine-chilling smile. Then she put the cups aside
from the tray and——

"Wwwhhhhaaaaaaatttttt are you doooooooooooingggg you idioot

Brotherrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!"

"Ogouhh?!!"

With a loud *dang* sound the tray has been smashed into his head.

By the way, Haya has fled into the corner of the room when the tray was
swung up. She suddenly collapsed before, but her escape was quick.

"Seriously... I decided to check on you after all. Even though there's

Little Sister nearby, you bring another woman to your room, moreover
you're all over each other you shitty Brother...!"

She continued to hit Taiga with the tray time after time even after he fell
on the floor. It was just a tray so it didn't hurt that much, but a loud
sound rang out in his head every time he was hit. After she satisfied her
urge to beat him up, Fuyuki corrected her posture and turned around to
Haya. She made an obvious fake smile.

www.asianovel.com
543

"It's been a while, Kiritou Haya-san. We haven't met since the Reaper
incident have we?"

"Yes indeed. I have been in your care back then."

Haya instantly put on her façade and smiled softly. They both smiled but
it didn't reach their eyes... that probably wasn't just his imagination.

"President must be too busy to teach Brother today, are you not
preparing for exams as well? You can go back if you like? Little Sister will
be the one teaching instead."

"Thank you for your consideration. But he's my junior who is in the same
specialized subject course, also... it might sound rude, but Imouto-san
seems somewhat unreliable."

"...hee."

Although she was told 'go home' by Fuyuki in a roundabout way, Haya's
eyebrows didn't even twitch and the graceful mask remained on her
face. Even so, it seemed like she was waging her a war, maybe she
decided to take her on.

"...they are too alike."

He murmured it absent-mindedly, causing the line of sight of the two to

pierce through him.

"Can you not say something that rude? Don't compare me with someone
so intimidating and black hearted, it's vexing."

"You are being rude as well miss... but I agree with some content of
what you said. I don't like people who cling to their family members like
this."

"Is that so. What a coincidence."

"Indeed."

The girls showed each other a radiant smile, but Taiga who was
watching from the side broke into a cold sweat.

www.asianovel.com
544

It was rare for Fuyuki to show hostility openly (the case from day before
must have fueled it), but for the façade-mode Haya it was also very rare.
Normally she would have laughed it off to deceive the other party.

Just as he thought about that, he saw Iora beckoning him from the edge
of his field of view. Taiga focused on listening to her while trying not to
catch the other two's attention.

〈"Are these two on bad terms dammit? I have no memory of them being
acquainted at all."〉

"They must be incompatible. Look, they're somewhat alike."

〈"I see, so this is what they call an aversion to their own damn kind."〉

Their appearance was alike as well (the long Japanese-style black hair). I
wonder why does that atmosphere feel similar——Taiga thought.

"Taiga-kun, since there is no time to waste let's start immediately. Ah,

Imouto-san please return to your room, you will interfere with studying."

"Is that so. Then I shall go back when I finish drinking this coffee, it
would be a waste to let it cool down after taking an effort to bring it
here."

For some reason Fuyuki brought three cups of coffee, she said that and
took one cup of coffee in her hands and sat down next to Taiga,.

The way Haya looked at Fuyuki as if seeming to relay that she was being
a nuisance, she sighed and turned towards Taiga once again.

"Let's focus on avoiding failing and focus on the weak subjects. First is
modern languages."

〈"Let's go super strict today."〉

And like this with one person getting in the way which wasn't in the plan,
the 'anti-failure study session of Tenryo Taiga's' began.

〈"...getting fucking wasted on the very first problem. That's surprising."〉

www.asianovel.com
545

"Shouldn't you start over from elementary school?"

He started to feel insecure at the very beginning.

Part 2
The faint sound of a mechanical pencil moving filled the quiet room.

"............"

Although he hesitated sometimes, Taiga somehow managed to fill the

answer sheet. Just when he managed to fill the blanks, Iora let out a
voice.

〈"Pinponpanpoon. Time's up dammit."〉

"...haa, that was close〜. I managed to solve it all somehow."

"You barely made it. That was a simulated test, you won't have time to
double-check your answers like this, it's no good."

"Don't say nonsense, there's just not enough time."

Although Fuyuki who was sitting by his side admonished him, even
though he did his best to answer it all. Before he noticed she went back
to her normal way of speaking. The fact he was able to complete it was
all thanks to Haya who proposed a study session.

Iora scanned the answer sheet and converted it into electronic data,
then she called out towards Haya who was breathing quietly in her sleep
as she leaned against the wall.

〈"Master, it's finished. Master!"〉

"...nn? Ahh..."

Haya opened her eyes in languid manner.

The book she was reading fell to the floor, its pages bent, she didn't
realize it. Her tone went back to her usual one, but she must have been
half asleep.

www.asianovel.com
546

"Haya?"

"...I'll go wash my face. Iora stay here and score it."

She stood up while saying that and left the room with a wobbly gait.

〈"Is she in a state horrible enough to make her forget Fuyuki is here
damn it? She went back to her original self."〉

"You and your tone of voice is turning weirder and weirder."

Taiga stood up and stretched his stiff body.

As he looked outside, it seemed like the sky was covered with thick grey
clouds and light rain started to fall.

"The weather has collapsed..."

"According to the forecast it's supposed to rain intensely in the evening."

The modern weather forecast system is supposed to have an accuracy

rate of 99%. The deviation from that number is close to zero.

"...speaking of which, it's the first time that AI over there has showed
itself to me isn't it?"

〈"Yes. AI・Iolite, please call me Iora."〉

"Iora, is it. Hmm, you've wonderful emotional expressions. They don't

seem to be fake. Is it fine to tinker with your mental structure a little?"

〈"Don't you dare."〉

As the two who met for the first time chatted, Taiga drank his coffee and
rested his head.

Suddenly Fuyuki joined them to teach him as well, and he was tired by
her and Haya continuously intimidating each other.

But it was worth it. I managed to answer the test somehow.

He wouldn't get too high a score, but it should be enough to avoid

failing. At this rate the exams that start tomorrow won't be a problem to

www.asianovel.com
547

him.

The scoring was over, and they were reviewing it for about thirty
minutes.

However, Haya who should have gone just to wash her face hasn't come
back yet. She was way late.

"...I'll go take a look."

Following Taiga, Fuyuki and Iora left the room as well.

"That person was being unsteady for a while not. Maybe she fell down
somewhere."

"Don't say such things."

His feet stopped when he was in front of washroom.

In the living room that has come into their field of vision, there was a
sofa and the person they were looking for was on top of it.

"Suu... suu..."

She must have lost to sleepiness in the middle of her trip to washroom,
she was sleeping while using a cushion as replacement for a pillow.

Not caring about her appearances, her clothes were all wrinkled and her
hair curled up weirdly.

"Why is this person proudly indulging in her sleep while in someone

else's home. Doesn't she know how to restrain herself?"

Fuyuki raised an appalled voice.

Certainly, that would be okay if it were her lover's home, but since it was
a home into which she stormed in forcibly to teach him, he could not
help but let out a tired sigh.

"Ah——w-well I guess. Look, she must be really tired."

"Why are you saying acting so gentle towards her. This is Little Sisters

www.asianovel.com
548

and Brother's house isn't it? Let's slap her awake immediately... no, let's
throw her outside in this state. The cleaning drones will take her for
garbage and throw her away."

"Stop that!"

It didn't sound like a joke at all and it was scary. Just how much did she
hate Haya.

However, despite the fact that Fuyuki's proposal was rejected, they
couldn't leave her as she was at the moment. Taiga tried to wake her
up, but Iora went in between them.

〈"Please wait a moment. Can you allow her to sleep like this for a
while?"〉

"...Iora?"

〈"Master's been busy with work until right before she came here and
didn't sleep a wink. If she goes back to Kiritou, no one knows what kind
of damn work she will be given. I want her to rest properly."〉

As she said that, Iora stared at Haya with a caring expression.

That look of hers, worrying about someone important to her, didn't look
like something artificial, but like one of a real 'human'.

"Even if you say that, we have no obligation to let her sleep... Brother?
What are you doing?"

"It's better if she sleeps on the bed rather than the sofa. Fuyuki, open
the bedroom's door."

"Are you serious?"

"I've been in her care for many things, also having Kiritou's princess owe
us is not bad."

He made up a decent reason.

But the truth was that he didn't want her to leave tired like that. Just like

www.asianovel.com
549

he was comforted by Rui, he wanted to let Haya rest as well.

...so light.

Taiga was surprised by how light Haya was as he raised her up and
carefully carried her to the bedroom, while making sure he doesn't drop
her. Fortunately, she was sleeping like a log and didn't wake up.

〈"That's helluva large bed. You two must be enjoying yourself on it

every day?"〉

"Your evolution is really turning way too weird."

He was amazed by Iora who said a joke with a straight face, he laid Haya
down on the bed and left the room. Right before leaving the room Iora
turned around——

〈"...good night Master. I wish you good dreams."〉

She murmured with a voice harbouring emotions unlike a virtual

personality.

...ah, this is a dream.

A lucid dream——a dream in which she was aware that she was
watching a dream.

Although they said one could change the contents of the dream
according to one's will, this was a memory of the past. A sight she was
unable to reproduce, something that was lost.

In the middle of the illusion stood a single girl.

She had bluish-black hair carelessly tied in the back, she wore a white
coat on top of a black jersey. Although she had refined features her
clothes were a mess.

............Aoko.

"———, ——, ————."

www.asianovel.com
550

She was saying something in her memory, but it was barely audible
through static. Aoko's mouth distorted proudly as she placed a pure
white mannequin beside her.

...yeah. That's when the virtual body had been completed.

A memory of Iora's development's early days.

First of all they prepared a virtual body to place a virtual personality in,
it was the scene during which Aoko enthusiastically showed it to her.
She could remember her boastful look and her proud laughter.

Now that I think of it, she prepared a pointlessly high performance

body...

It had high virtual durability and modification capacity as well as

enormous calculation capacity, even if one looked around the entire
world they wouldn't find such a high-performance virtual body——that's
what she declared.

Speaking of which, it was at that time. The appearance of the virtual

body was decided single-handedly by Aoko who used her own physical
information.

She wanted to use my face didn't she.

She was saying things like 'Haya's face looks popular sort' or 'my own
eyes look too sharp' and so on, she was just too ashamed to use her own
face.

That's why she put on a lock on the body modifications to prevent Aoko
from changing it.

Although Aoko could've hacked it easily if she wanted to.

Since she didn't do it, she wasn't all that much against it——that's what
Haya thought. Although it was impossible to ascertain it now that she
has died cause of illness.

——Ah, I'm waking up.

www.asianovel.com
551

Her consciousness was rapidly returning.

I want it to continue——but her wishes weren't fulfilled, the dream

continued to lose its colours and become monochromatic.

...I want to see more.

Until the moment she completely woke up, she thought of the friend she
will never meet again.

"Hmmhmm... I see. I-chan's interpretation is really unique. It helps a lot

since it's different from Little Sister's idea."

〈"Ehhen, there's more to come."〉

After Taiga came back to living room, he saw Fuyuki and Iora talk
happily.

Putting Iora's lack of hesitation aside, it was surprising for Fuyuki who
has an intense fear of strangers to become friends with someone in such
a short period of time. Well, Iora was not a human though.

It was around seven o'clock in the evening, large raindrops were falling
from the sky as a storm was raging in the pitch-black sky. It was easy to
tell how intense it was just by looking as the rain hitting the windows.

According to the forecast it's supposed to cease tomorrow morning but...

looks like morning practice will be impossible.

Just as he thought that, the bedroom's door behind him opened loudly.

With hair so black it seemed like they were painted with a lacquer and
dressed like a young lady heading to a resort. Haya emerged while
looking like that——or should have, however...

"...um〜m..."

"Uaaa〜...my head's so heavy..."

Her voice sounded nothing like one of a young lady.

www.asianovel.com
552

Although he wanted to ask her why did she act so wildly, but the look in
her eyes told him she was really drowsy.

"...living dead?"

The figure which trailed unsteadily and looked ready to fall down at any
moment wasn't Fuyuki's, but without doubt one of Kiritou Haya's.

So to say, it was beyond the level of someone suffering from a hangover.

"H-Haya? What's with you?"

"Shadap, movway... gonna was my face..."

While moving in front of the shocked siblings, Haya continued to move

while bumping into the walls and furniture. When her figure was no
longer visible from behind, Fuyuki murmured.

"...who's the idiot who called that thing 'ladylike yamato nadeshiko'."

〈"Master is always like that after waking up you know?"〉

"Seriously?!"

To think she could change into a proper and lovely yamato nadeshiko
from that. They could only admire her in earnest.

〈"That's the face she only shows after having proper sleep. It seems like
she was able to rest dammit."〉

"It's unthinkable for someone to get proper sleep in someone else's

house."

While Iora had a faint smile on her face, Fuyuki responded strictly.

A few minutes later Haya came back refreshed and neat. With that said
though, it was just to an extent where her pupils no longer looked like
that of a dead fish, she couldn't be called a yamato nadeshiko as she
was.

"...I'm thirsty."

www.asianovel.com
553

"Wait, that's my water——she's not listening."

Haya opened the refrigerator without any hesitation and all at once she
drank the mineral water that was inside. After that she threw away the
emptied bottle and spoke with half-opened eyes.

"Want more."
[1]
""It's not all you can drink!!""

She was acting too arrogantly, she heard the siblings retorted
unconsciously. But Haya gestured at them not to mind it, or rather she
proudly puffed her chest saying 'you guys are weird'.

"What, it's nothing expensive. You should be honoured that it was used
for my sake."

She said something despicable and irrational. Both Taiga and Fuyuki
were stunned.

〈"Her thinking being very simple and her having a foul mouth are
another characteristic she has after waking up. ...Master. Master. Get a
hold of yourself."〉

"Ah? What is it Iora?"

〈"Fuyuki is looking. Is it fine not to put on your façade?"〉

"It's a pain in the ass so I'll pass."

Ignoring what she's been doing up until that moment Haya shed off her
mask. The fact that her thinking process was simple after waking up
must have been true.

"It seems like I've slept for a while. Taiga's results should be fine at this
rate... I should have some time to spare for myself now."

She glanced at the results of simulated test and fixed her hair and
clothes with her hand. Then she made an elegant bow that made them
fascinated involuntarily and flashed a refined smile.

www.asianovel.com
554

"Now then you two, thank you very much for today. If you leak anything
you've seen or heard today, I'll use both physical and psychological
means to shut you up, thank you very much?"

""Go home already!"

What was refined was only her appearance.

"I'll do so even if you don't tell me that. Let's go Iora."

〈"Yes sir. Now then Taiga, Fuyuki, until the next opportunity comes——"〉

Just when one person and one identity were about to go home.

All the lights disappeared without warning and the room was shrouded
in the darkness.

〈"Uh-huh?"〉

A power outage——all lights were lost, and the only thing that could be
seen was Iora who shone with phosphorescent light. As they looked
outside, it was not only their room but the whole city that was covered in
darkness.

"It seems like not only this place lost power. The power plant must have
been hit by heavy rain."

"It's not something that can be taken down so easily. This must
happened from the management——from our side. The power control
system must've went down in the headquarters."

New City's electricity management was done by a large-scale structure.

It seemed like a problem has appeared in there.

"...it must be part of the problem from before. Geez, what is Kiritou
doing. How can they allow such a massive power outage."

"Can you not say that while facing me? I'm not involved in this matter at
all... but this is really bad. There's nothing we can do without electricity
when it's this late."

www.asianovel.com
555

In the meantime the emergency power supply was activated, but the
lights that were lit were fairly dim.

"...well, that's how it turned out."

〈"This room is consuming too much power. Fuyuki, you over-customized

it."〉

"Uh... it can't be helped. I didn't think it would turn out like this."

In modern times everything was controlled by a network, the power

consumption of every household was enormous. The emergency power
supply wasn't enough to supply an entire apartment with electricity.
Moreover, Tenryo household was consuming more than a normal
household, together with the power it's security has fallen as well.

The situation outside was similar, the street lights and signal machines
weren't working.

They were probably working while using redundant power that was left
over from the supplying management's structure. Moreover there was
heavy rain.

The natural light source namely moonlight was blocked by clouds, the
visibility outside was the worst.

〈"Master, can we go back like this?"〉

"...I'd prefer not to if it's possible. Both public transport and taxis won't
be coursing like this, and I would get completely soaked if I walked."

From the Tenryo family's house to the Kiritou group's headquarters there
was about fifteen minutes walk. It wasn't a long distance to walk but the
wind was quite strong. She didn't want to do it if possible.

Then, Iora came up with something and clapped her hands.

〈"Then how about we stay here today?"〉

"Ha?"

www.asianovel.com
556

She said something strange.

〈"If you go back you will be asked to deal with the damn power outage
anyway. Instead you can spend the night in this house and concentrate
on tomorrow's test."〉

"Wait I-chan, what kind of selfish thing are your spouting. I won't allow
such a thing."

"............"

Fuyuki drew closer to Iora in a hurry. Seeing the two like that Haya
started thinking in silence.

〈"Is there a problem?"〉

"A huge one! Not even a friend, just an acquaintance suddenly staying
over is no good!"

〈"But you've already lent us your bed? It's no different than that?"〉

"Unfortunately there is a huge difference! Listen, to begin with this

house is a place for Brother and Little Sister to love each other without
restraints——"

〈"...ah, I apologize Fuyuki. I finished my business, I'll disconnect for a

while."〉

"Haa?! Wait, I-chan?!"

Iora melted into the nothingness in order to escape from Fuyuki's

persistence.

On the other hand, Haya lowered her face and grumbled.

"...indeed, there's that way as well. Even if I manage to go back while

dripping wet, they'll work me to death. I wanted to rest properly today
and I think nothing of bothering this guy..."

"No, you actually should."

Although she was saying that in low voice, her face was high enough to

www.asianovel.com
557

allow them to hear it.

"...that's decided. I'll be bothering you today. You have no right of veto,
take care of me, Taiga♪."

As she said that, she made a maddeningly nice smile.

Part 3
"You're not sleeping?"

It was three o'clock in the night.

A windstorm and heavy rain rattled outside the window, a quiet voice
reached his ear. Taiga who was looking at the ceiling in silence tilted his
neck and looked towards the owner of the voice.

On the edge of the absurdly big king-sized bed——about a meter away

from him was Haya, she was staring at him.

"...let me apologize first. If you can't sleep because of me, I'm sorry."

"...?"

He shook his head to protest against her suggestive words, Fuyuki who
was hugging his arm moved closer.

Her sweet smell and the unique feel of a soft body strengthened, making
his body temperature to increase by itself.

I'm completely done for aren't I, honestly...

Because of what happened by the sea, his rationality has been blown
away completely.

Although he had been sleeping with her for a month, it's not that he
couldn't suppress it just because she was beside him. He couldn't get
any sleep the night before either. That's why he was honestly thankful
for the third party that had appeared.

"What about you? Not going to sleep yet?"

www.asianovel.com
558

"That's because I slept a little bit before. Also... as expected, this

situation makes me nervous."

This situation——in other words the three of them sleeping on the same
bed, was indeed delicate. Rather than unusual, it was something that
normally wouldn't happen.

——At first Taiga wanted to sleep on the sofa alone.

However Fuyuki said 'me too', and they couldn't drive Haya away from
the bed since she was a guest. In the end, they all lay down next to each
other in the bed and decided to sleep like that.

However——

"...liar. Someone who's nervous wouldn't sleep while dressed like that."

Instead of wearing pyjamas, the only thing Haya wore was a male shirt.

Since the size didn't match her, there was a huge opening that exposed
her collarbone and the moderately big twin hills also glimpsed from it.
She wasn't wearing any underwear beneath and everything appeared
from beneath because the shirt was slightly too short.

Honestly, it was poison for his eyes.

"This? It can't be helped, this is the only thing I could use."

"There were a lot of other things there. Why did you use this of all
things."

"Because this was the best thing to sleep in. Also... you like it better like
this, don't you?"

Haya showed him a mean, tempting smile and raised a hem of the shirt.

Although he immediately averted his eyes, he caught a glimpse of aqua-

blue fabric.

"To turn red with a single piece of cloth. How unseemly."

"...you should learn some modesty."

www.asianovel.com
559

"Ara, isn't that something you should tell your sister?"

He looked at Fuyuki's chilly appearance, as she clung to his arm.

Certainly, because it exposed a lot, or rather it exposed her underwear

completely, Fuyuki's negligée was more erotic.

However, the way Haya was dressed was erotic in a different way.

It was all 'almost visible' and that 'almost' attracted his line of sight.
Moreover, since Haya usually wore clothes that covered a lot of her skin,
the destructive power was tremendous.

"...oh, that's right. There's something I want to pass to you."

In order to change the topic, he removed a program from his terminal

and passed it to Haya.

She received it and immediately opened a window to glimpse at

information inside, she looked up at Taiga with a skeptical look in her
eyes.

www.asianovel.com
560

"What's this? This is an attack-configured program. I have no use for it

do I?"

"As if I'd want you to. This is a new program that's very popular in Kiritou
Management's structure 《Aries》——It was made by 《Angel》."

The moment she heard the last word, Haya's eyes turned serious at
once. It seemed like she was also aware of its existence.

"How did you get this?"

"I got it from an acquaintance who's looking into it for me."

Taiga received it from Leon when she was bathing.

It seemed he must've struggled hard to get it since he said "Just three

times won't be enough for this!" and requested an additional reward;
since he managed to get it in a single day, Taiga agreed to increase it.

"...nyaa...Onii..."

And in response to their voices, Fuyuki leaked out a sweet whisper and
rubbed her face on him.

In response to Fuyuki's 'I won't give him to you' gesture, an

indescribable expression appeared on Haya's face.

"...you get along well."

"Well, that's obvious. The only family we have is each other."

It was a lie. To be exact they no longer were just a family.

But Haya wasn't deceived, she looked down and murmured.

"...getting along well doesn't happen just because you're family. Even if
you are directly blood related."

She felt melancholic and put on a sad smile.

The only family member of hers that Taiga knew about was her father.
And the words 'directly blood related'——he understood them to a

www.asianovel.com
561

painful degree.

"...I'm going to sleep. I'll wake up early in the morning and analyse this,
you too make sure to rest properly."

Haya said that and turned her back to Taiga. She must've been fast
asleep for good since she started to breathe deeply in her sleep about
ten seconds later.

"...I said already that I can't sleep."

Taiga closed his eyes forcibly. Even if he can't sleep, he needed to rest
his head in order to prepare for tomorrow. However, his determination
has been overcome in a matter of seconds.

A quiet electronic sound could be heard over the sound of wind and rain,
and he saw faint light through his half-closed eyelids. At the same time,
a pale phosphorescent light appeared on the edge of his field of vision.

...Iora?

There, was Iora who disappeared in the middle of the conversation with
Fuyuki. Now that he thought about it, he hasn't seen her since then and
wondered why did she come back now.

"Iora, heey Iora."

〈"............"〉

She didn't respond to his calls, she continued to stare at empty space
with unfocused eyes. It was as if her soul was missing.

When Taiga anxiously reached out to her, her eyes finally captured him.

〈"...ah, so it's Taiga dammit. What is it?"〉

"That's my line. Earlier you suddenly disappeared, now you suddenly

come back. What were you doing?"

〈"Where did I go..."〉

She tilted her neck as if saying 'I don't remember'.

www.asianovel.com
562

Iora disappeared eight hours earlier during the power outage so he

asked that... but did she really not remember anything?

〈"So that's how it was darn it. I disappeared..."〉

She muttered and after twisting her body in the air skilfully, she sat
down on top of Taiga's chest. Although there was no weight since she
was a projected image, he felt an illusion of being ticklish.

Seeing dark emotions on her face, Taiga gently asked.

"What is it? You have an expression of anxiety on your face?"

〈"Anxiety... so Iora feels anxiety?"〉

"No, don't ask me. That's just how it looked to me."

It was his intuition. There was no basis for that.

But it seemed like Iora felt something in his words, and while her line of
sight was wandering around, she started talking.

〈"...I'm worried about something."〉

Seeing her serious expression Taiga listened quietly. She opened and
closed her mouth as if looking for words to say, and asked him a
question before long.

〈"What would you do if you were troubling someone important to you?"〉

"...another weird question from you."

He glanced at Haya who was sleeping beside him. The 'important

person' must have been her.

But with that said, since the question was quite vague, he couldn't find a
clean answer to it. He pondered about it for a moment, and answered it
after applying the situation to himself.

"I guess... I would try to do something about it myself."

That's the kind of person Tenryo Taiga was. Were he to be the cause, he

www.asianovel.com
563

would definitely solve it by himself.

〈"Is that so... so that's the only thing that can be done."〉

As Taiga answered, Iora put on a resigned expression. Seeing her like

that, Taiga added more while quietly whispering.

"But taking all of it... and shouldering it all would make anyone
collapse."

〈"...eh?"〉

He smiled seeing Iora dumbfounded and continued.

"It doesn't mean it'll definitely fail. But people have their limits. It's
unreasonable to do it all alone. Someone like me never noticed such a
thing."

Without anyone whom he could rely on, carving his path by himself was
an obvious course of action to him——that's how he was a month ago.

But he was different now.

He reunited with Fuyuki, met Rui and Shio and understood that relying
on someone else can be strength as well, as well as how precious a
thing it was to support each other. He was also told that it's okay to be
spoiled.

That's why he could tell it straight.

"Your Master won't break down that easily, it's fine to trouble her to a
certain extent. But if you're still anxious then I'll promise you. I'll do
something about it."

〈"...Taiga."〉

"Is this answer good enough?"

Iora gently put both of her hands on her chest, as if locking away
something important to her in there.

〈"——Yes. It's all right now."〉

www.asianovel.com
564

While saying that, a faint smile bloomed on her face.

〈"I'm relieved with this. Even if something happens Taiga will deal with
it."〉

"Hey wait, you gonna leave it all to me?"

〈"Can't I dammit?"〉

As she curiously tilted her neck and stared at him, Taiga let out a small
sigh and answered.

"It can't be helped if I you can't do it. But do your best to make sure you
won't fail."

〈"Understood. I'll continue my futile resistance."〉

"Futile resistance... oh well, see you tomorrow."

〈"Yes. See you tomorrow."〉

Taiga closed his eyes, and his consciousness was buried in darkness.

Iora looked down at him, and went back to Haya's terminal soon after
that.

〈"...I'm at a peace of mind. No matter what happens, Taiga will stop

me."〉

Quiet, very quiet words that didn't reach anyone's ear have been
drowned in the sound of falling rain and wind.

Part 4
Four days later, the last day of midterms.

"——Yes, time's up. Put down your writing utensils."

Together with the chime's sound, the class suddenly turned noisy.

The students began to talk here and there. It was the recoil of the
stressful four days, his 'schedule after this' was already determined, and

www.asianovel.com
565

Taiga fell down on the desk worn out.

He looked up at Rui and Fuyuki who finished and were getting ready to
stand up and leave.

"You seem really exhausted〜, you okay?"

"Not at all..."

"How pathetic. It's been only four days. Rather than that, did you
manage not to fail?"

"I don't think I will... probably."

He couldn't affirm how the last one, modern language went. There were
more questions than on the mock test and it was quite hard. That could
lead to a drastic change in his score. In the end, he could only wait for
the results to come.

"The results will come in a week, right?"

"Yes. They will come together with all the other subjects. Brother can
continue worrying up until then."

"...how about you two?"

"What a dumb question. It's already decided that I'll get a perfect score
on all subjects."

"It is?!"

"Rui-san got about nine out of ten right〜"

Taiga could only sing praises for them in his mind. It was strange to feel
inferior because he was surrounded by honour students.

When everyone left the classroom, Rui clapped her hands.

"Then let's all go and play! Where should we go?"

"Hmm. Let's try some leisure facilities for once——"

"Ah, sorry. I've got something to do now, go ahead without me."

www.asianovel.com
566

He was to go and help out immediately after the tests are over, Taiga
received an email from Haya in the morning telling him to come to the
teacher's building on the first day.

"...is that so. Then I'll go together with Rucchan the two of us."

Openly frustrated, Fuyuki saw him off and Taiga left the classroom.
Although he felt a little bit guilty, it was better if he distanced himself
from Fuyuki for the time being.

And the few hours starting from that moment were truly hellish.

First, he joined Haya and headed to the teacher's building while carrying
precision equipment which was scheduled for use for the day; after that,
he was taken to the Student Council Room which was located near the
third year's Cyber Department building. There, he did a different job
together with other Student Council officers; he continued to process
and fill a huge amount of data together with Haya.

The time passed as he continued to earnestly hit the keys of a virtual

keyboard——

"I-it's over..."

By the time it was over, outside was already dark.

Taiga was exhausted after five hours of continuous work and he

sprawled out on the borrowed desk. The other members already went
back, and the only ones left in the student council room was him and
Haya.

"So the student council has an absurd amount of work like this... you're
doing well not to die from overworking yourselves."

"Everyone's an elite in here. This much is still fine."

Since there was no one else there, Haya returned to her normal self.

She quickly confirmed the data prepared by Taiga and closed the
terminal; she stood up with momentum and lightly stretched.

www.asianovel.com
567

"Now then, let's go back for today. There's a long weekend starting
tomorrow; let's continue next week."

"Yeah..."

The two finished and locked the door behind them and headed towards
the linear station together.

Aside from the Sports Department who were practicing until late, no one
from the Cyber Department, which was a genuine cultural-type
department, cared enough to stay; the two walked through a dim
avenue.

"...it's quiet."

"There's not many linears coursing at this time. All students other than
those living in dorms have already went back."

Since Kiritou Academy was looking for students from all over the
country, it had proper dormitories.

The student dormitories were lined up in the north, they were flooded by
the freshmen who applied every year. By the way, Taiga and Fuyuki also
considered entering dormitories at first since it was easy on their money
but it was rejected because Fuyuki said "we won't be able to live
together!".

"Speaking of which, what happened to Iora? I haven't seen her today."

"Ahh, she's became quiet after returning from your home. She no longer
comes out. I wonder what kind of weird knowledge is she stocking
now..."

Her eyes showed that she was quite troubled by that. Certainly, she has
been quite humorous recently.

"No matter what form it is, aren't you pleased that she's growing?
Wasn't that why you made Iora?"

"Yes but—...ever since the Reaper incident I couldn't honestly rejoice

www.asianovel.com
568

over it."

Previously, Iora was overtaken by a mysterious military consciousness

extraction program 《Jail》 ——and transformed into what Taiga and the
others called——the Grim Reaper. That incident triggered her rapid
emotional development.

"...speaking of which, did you find out anything about the 《Reaper》?"

"Nothing. I found 《Jail》's code inside of Iora, but it was restricted so it

couldn't be hacked from outside. I didn't find even a single lead... oh,
that's right. Look, this."

Haya passed him a document with data.

"These are the results I got after analyzing the attack-configured

program from before. I also added some information I found about
《Angel》 in there."

Taiga looked over the document's content.

The summary 'An unwanted program has been embedded into the
attack-configured program, judging from from the analysis results the
possibility of it being the 《Zygote》 you told me about is high' was
marked.

"...《Zygote》. So that's what was built in."

The parasitic program that infects a virtual body and creates a jet black
knight with it's data. It infected Shio's virtual body two weeks ago and
made them suffer.

"It's a very advanced program. Infecting a virtual body and creating

another one from its data isn't something even multiple programmers
working in parallel can do."

"Fuyuki said the same thing. She said the creator must be as good as
she was, if not better."

Haya was one of the senior programmers in the Kiritou company, and

www.asianovel.com
569

quite outstanding among them.

Even she couldn't understand half of the 《Zygote》's configuration. The

creator was a programmer in a class of his own.

"If I were to believe your testimony and Saionji-san's, 《Angel》 was using
Master Code. He must have gotten them either by hacking or it must be
one of authorized people, it's impossible to judge that now."

As she said that, a single girl came to her mind.

An extraordinary programmer who perhaps surpassed even Fuyuki and

someone who was involved with Kiritou——there was only one person
like that.

But that was impossible. It couldn't be. Since she was already——

That's absurd.

She shook her head lightly and rejected the the worst scenario she could
imagine.

"I have reported it to the company already but... honestly, I don't think
they will do anything now. They have their hands full with bugs at the
moment and won't listen to them even if I say 'I don't get it myself but
do something about it'."

"I guess..."

There wasn't enough information about it to make such a large company

move.

Even so, the timing of problems appearing overlapped, making him

anxious. That could also have been 《Angel》's doing——that's what he
suspected.

"Also, Haya. Is there a possibility the Reaper incident and Angel are
related?"

".................."

www.asianovel.com
570

Haya closed her eyes in order to analyse the possibility.

That possibility came to her mind two weeks earlier when she became
aware of Angel's existence. Were Angel to be one of Kiritou researchers
there was a possibility they could access Iora and the timing would
match. It was almost not possible for these incidents to be not related.

"...fifty-fifty, I would say."

She squeezed that out after a while, she wasn't confident despite
thinking about it for a while.

"50%, that low? I have a feeling there definitely is a relation."

"I also feel like that's how it is. But no matter how I think about it, I can't
tell what's 《Angel》's purpose is."

They got on a linear and sat opposite to each other. They were about ten
minutes away from the New City's central station. The train was quietly
running in the night, and the conversation continued.

"There's a possibility the criminal did it without purpose, but that would
be too far-fetched. Especially tampering with Iora would be too risky,
and we don't know why would he embed 《Jail》 into Iora. There isn't
enough information to judge it."

They didn't have enough data on 《Angel》.

In Cyber World, both voice and physique could be changed and if Master
Code were used, it couldn't be traced. They couldn't determine it in a
situation like this.

Soon after, the linear arrived at the station and the two of them went out
through the ticket gate.

Haya was going to Kiritou headquarters which was in the opposite

direction from Taiga's house. It was where they parted. After they
entered the crowded station, Haya put on a mask of a young lady once
again.

www.asianovel.com
571

"Now then, Taiga-kun. See you on Monday."

"Is it fine for me to not do anything tomorrow?"

"I don't have any time to spare tomorrow. We're supposed to work on
the problems that recently appeared starting from tomorrow. Although
it's a three-day weekend, there's no time for me to rest."

Were it to be her real self she would have sighed, but she only had a
meek smile that didn't disturb her façade. That kind of business-like face
looked to me like a stiff mask.

"...hey, is there anything I could help you with?"

Before he noticed, he already spontaneously said these words. Surprised

by what she heard, Haya turned around. She closed on to him, leaned
towards him and whispered.

"What? You want to work?"

"I just would feel guilty if you were to fall down like you did before. You
seem unable to manage your own physical condition."

"Ara, so you're a guy who can spout such reckless stuff with cold blood."

She laughed merrily at him, but that wasn't something she had a right to
say.

At the very least he didn't want her to overdo it in the long run; that
would be very risky in a lot of ways.

"Help me huh... certainly there's lots of simple tasks you could help me
with. But unless the source is dealt with, the amount of work will
continue to increase."

"Can't you do something about it?"

"The countermeasure team was formed, but unfortunately there's

nothing that would hint at the solution of the problem. Were Aoko to be
still alive, it would have been cleaned up all at once..."

www.asianovel.com
572

〈"——Then what about Fuyuki."〉

Suddenly, Iora appeared between the two without any warning.

"...that was a really sudden of you to come out. Why would Fuyuki-san's
name appear here?"

〈"Fuyuki possesses a considerable amount of programming skills. If it's

her, it can be solved."〉

"...certainly that girl's skills are great. It might not be as good as Aoko's,
but it's far beyond mine..."

In response to Iora's proposal, Haya placed a hand on her chin and

continued to think. Taiga had a premonition it would turn troublesome,
but he gave up and looked into the sky.

"Yup, it's decided. The date will be... the day after tomorrow should be
fine. Take Fuyuki-san and come to Kiritou headquarters. Just as you
wished, I'll let you help me with work."

And like this, the sibling's visit to Kiritou's headquarters was decided.

Part 5
"Now then, this much should be enough."

Inside a room that was wrapped in a pale light, a quiet whisper echoed.

The 《Angel》 closed a window it has been tampering with and looked at a
huge sphere that had about ten metres in diameter and floated in the
middle of the room.

"Kiritou Group's headquarter's structure, the main server... as expected,

it's big."

It couldn't be entered without a special passkey, the very core of Kiritou

Group. In the cyberspace that managed all the systems stood 《Angel》.

"But since they have their hands full dealing with trouble all over the
place, I was able to slip in easily. It was worth it going out of my way to

www.asianovel.com
573

cause that power outage."

Because of the power outage happening, rather than switching to

another computing power source, Kiritou's headquarters were swamped
with a huge amount of complaints. A vast flood of information paralyzed
the line temporarily and even if a handful of foreign matter slipped in, no
one noticed anything.

Thanks to that it was able to move freely as well as prepare Tenryo

Fuyuki's 《Prison》. All preparations were done, all that was left was to
start it.

"Mu..."

Suddenly, it felt a discomfort in it's right arm.

Electricity ran through its arm nerves, and the arm dropped down losing
all its strength.

"...seems like there's still some resistance. I thought the ego has been
already smashed but... that's an unexpected tenacity."

The 《Angel》 said "Waste of effort" and grabbed its right wrist. A faint
spark appeared, and the control over the right arm came back.

"...with this, it'll be all over. I won't let anyone get in the way."

Two days left until the plan is executed.

After displaying boiling hot hatred, the 《Angel》 disappeared from the
main server.

Notes and References

1. ↑ To be exact it refers to 'all you can eat' type restaurants

www.asianovel.com
574

Vol. 3 :

Chapter 3

Part 1
*pipipipi*——

It was eight o'clock in the morning.

The thirty-third floor of Kiritou headquarters building, Haya's private

room.

After managing to get proper sleep Haya opened her windows and a
tremendous sound hit her.

"...aa...u... ahh—...?"

It was loud enough to make her block her ears.

She curled up on the bed for a moment, and then finally got up.

However, her movements were 'a little bit faster than a zombie', her
aspirations were in pieces at the moment.

"...ahh—...time is...need to wake up...eh..."

Her posture broke down after she got down from the bed, she strongly
hit the floor with her head.

"........................I wish sun perished."

www.asianovel.com
575

She spat out the curse towards the daylight, which became her daily
routine, and headed to the washroom while staggering and smashing
against the walls.

When she washed her face, combed her unruly hair and ate breakfast, it
was already nine o'clock. She thought of her appointment as she
changed into her usual suit.

I'll have to deal with failures first thing in the morning, probably will have
to process bits and pieces. Since we don't know what's the cause,
there's not much we can do... well, it can't be helped.

Responding to the blackout that happened last weekend, Kiritou formed

a countermeasures team immediately which started to deal with
problems that appeared in succession.

However, the results were poor. Because of that nearly all of the
headquarters' staff planned holidays were called off.

Haya stood in the front door and took a deep breath.

——The moment I step out, I will enter my 'workplace'. That's what she
engraved deep in her mind.

"...let's do my best for today."

It was arranged so that Tenryo Taiga would come at two o'clock in the
afternoon. Until then, she needs to hurry and clean up the work, it was a
pretty tight schedule.

Speaking of which, was he able to convince his little sister?

The other day, it was unknown whether Tenryo Fuyuki will be

accompanying him. Although Haya wanted her to come even more so
than she wanted Taiga to come, they had their circumstances as well.
She didn't intend to insist on it.

That girl, she seems to hate me〜. No way around it.

As she was going down the building on the elevator, she touched the

www.asianovel.com
576

terminal with her finger. Iora who was supposed to be projected from
it——was not there.

Eh? She's not there?

She took a peek inside the terminal, but couldn't find the AI girl in there.
Iora wasn't there last night already, but Haya didn't think she wouldn't
be back yet. Although Haya wanted to check where she went, she had
work to do, so she closed the terminal's window.

Well, she'll be back sooner or later.

Haya convinced herself and headed to the laboratory.

Part 2
The same day, ten o'clock.

"And there... fuh."

A silver haired girl got out from an air-conditioned train and looked at
the blue and sunny sky.

"...finally here."

Shio let out a small voice and started dragging a carry-bag she wasn't
accustomed to using, and headed to the ticket gate.

What she was wearing at the moment was an outfit she bought after
consulting with Rui, a thin black business shirt and shorts. Rather than
cute, it was a clothes coordination that could be described as cool.

Her stylish outfit coupled with her originally cool appearance attracted
the stares of the passers-by, but she didn't notice it as she focused on
carrying her luggage. Since it was a bag equipped with wheels, even the
considerably weak Shio could move with it. But since it was filled to the
point where it was overflowing and heavy, every time she moved with it,
she felt a bodily pain. Shio took a breather after going through the ticket
gate.

www.asianovel.com
577

"Umm... they said they'll pick me up but..."

She looked around the entrance gate through which a violent stream of
people leaving for the holidays poured in, searching for her three friends
who should have come to pick her up. At the same time she looked at
the scenery, in front of her was a brand new city.

"...it really is nice."

Words full of envy left her mouth.

The New City has been developed alongside the Kiritou Group, as the
name suggested it was still new. If any extraordinary circumstances
were to happen——there was no better city to move to.

It isn't supposed to be a refuge... but that's how it appears to be.

Karasuba wasn't a place for her.

She has been treated like a ghost, it would make no difference whether
she was there or not. In order to leave that place, she came to New City.

Shio didn't know yet whether her choice was correct or not. There was
both anxiety and hesitation in her mind.

"Ahh, there she is. Heey, Shio-chan!"

Although she was sentimental after arriving at an unknown place, her

consciousness returned as a brisk voice sounded in the middle of the
crowd. She noticed three people who were walking towards her.

...if I think about that, no wonder I'll be anxious.

She locked away her own hesitation and started pulling her luggage as
she walked towards them.

Why has Shio come to New City——to explain the reason for that, we
have to trace back in time a little.

Putting aside the results, Taiga has overcome the midterms safely

www.asianovel.com
578

yesterday, which was the first day of the three-day weekend. After that,
the four of them went to subdue a powerful virus 《Crom Crouch》, and
after a fierce battle, they won against it. A small uproar happened after
that, it happened as they were sitting in the reserved seats in one of the
establishments in central city.

"""You want to live alone?!"""

Their surprised voices overlapped.

"I-is it that weird?"

Shio who was drinking a bright red juice panicked seeing the reaction of
the three.

Although for her it seemed like a small party and she wanted to chat a
bit, what she told them out of the blue left them speechless. Of course, it
was a natural reaction.

"...did Karasuba tell you to leave?"

"That's not it, I decided it for myself. I want to leave the house and live
elsewhere. From now on, I want to look for a new way to live my life."

Among these words which were truth, there was also a lie.

She didn't have the determination. She just wanted to break through the
status quo. Let aside a clear goal, she didn't even have any plans for the
future.

Even so, she had to act——because she thought like that, she decided to
do it despite hesitating.

"...is that so."

Fuyuki stared at Shio's eyes to check whether what's inside matches her
words.

Certainly, for her to live with her family would be mentally stressing, so
they agreed on her leaving the house. However, living alone was
another thing.

www.asianovel.com
579

Karasuba Shio was an Ojou-sama. Moreover it was as she had three

signs protruding from her head that said 'sheltered girl'.

If she's left alone, she'll get exploited by someone.

I need to do something——Fuyuki was burning with sense of

responsibility.

"If you haven't decided where you want to live, I recommend New City."

"That's what I intended to do at the beginning, since everyone lives

there. But I couldn't find a vacant room..."

"Ah, that's possible. Since it's a cutting edge and advanced city, there's
a lot of people looking for places to stay."

The apartment Tenryo siblings purchased on the top floor was vacant
because of a coincidence.

Were it to suddenly turn unavailable, they too would have a hard time
finding a room for them. The students flock to the Kiritou dormitories
because of similar circumstances.

"Let me ask first, do you have money? It takes a lot to live alone."

"I have plenty. I wasn't always a shut-in."

"No, that's not something you should say while puffing your chest
proudly."

"By the way, how much do you have?"

"Umm, this much?"

Shio displayed the data on her savings in a window. Fuyuki looked at the
lump of numbers for a few seconds——

"...it seems like we'll have Shii-chan treat us a lot."

"Why?!"

As if she saw something absurd, her pupils displayed shock.

www.asianovel.com
580

Since she wasn't convinced, Fuyuki started tickling Shio's whole body.
Rui who was next to Taiga whispered in secret.

"How much do you think it was?"

"I can't even imagine."

Since Fuyuki who has been earning money as she worked for Karasuba
had such a reaction, it must have been a considerable amount. Fuyuki
who has always been working hard, and (though it sounds bad) Shio who
has always been a shut-in. It was clear how absurd a difference between
the worlds they were born into was.

Finally Fuyuki stopped tickling Shio and returned to the two.

"I-I thought I'd die from laughing..."

"You reap what you sow."

A somewhat refreshed Fuyuki put a hand on her hip and said.

"...for the time being it seems like it's unreasonable to worry about
financial issues. But Shii-chan is naive to think she can manage living
alone."

"Naive... I don't want to be told that by Hime-chan."

Although what Shio said was correct, but there was also some truth in
what Fuyuki said. Rui followed up with a question.

"Cleaning, laundry, cooking. You have to do it all alone right? Can you do
that?"

"I investigated it... but I'm anxious."

"Then, let's put it to a test."

"Test?"

"Yes. Whether you're capable of living alone or not, we will perform an

examination. If you pass, we won't say anything. But if it fails... Shii-chan
will have to give up on living alone until you're capable enough."

www.asianovel.com
581

The four met up safely and left the central station, first thing they did
was to carry out Shio's check-in.

They were worried whether they could find accommodations for her, but
since it was a three-day weekend they were able to rent a room in a
business hotel without any problems.

In fact, Fuyuki and Taiga said "You can stay in our place for a few days"
inviting her, but she refused. Instead, Shio said "I want to stay in a
hotel".

After that, the three of them took Shio to many places in the New City.
Time passed by very fast, and before long the sun reached its apex.

"Now then, feel free to go in."

"Y-yup. Sorry to intrude."

Somewhat tense, Shio took off her shoes and entered the apartment the
Tenryo siblings were living in. Rui followed her while holding ingredients
she took from 《Paradise》.

"So Onii-san and Hime-chan are living in here..."

Fuyuki and Rui put the ingredients in the refrigerator while Taiga
prepared coffee. Shio looked around inside. She's never been outside of
the Karasuba's premises, so for her to see someone else's home was
something new.

Then, she opened one of the rooms curiously and peeked inside.

That's a huge bed... the bedroom? But why are there two pillows... c-can
it be that they sleep together?!

She imagined the scene, and her cheeks started to feel hot.

Shio hurried back to the living room, Taiga has already finished pouring
coffee and he shook his head seeing her flushed face.

www.asianovel.com
582

"Did something happen?"

"Ah, no! It's nothing!"

In order to deceive him, she immediately sipped from the cup she
received, but since there were no sugar nor milk inside, her face
distorted from bitterness.

"What are you doing. Come on, drink this."

"Thank you..."

He passed her the café au lait he made for Fuyuki, she started to sip it.
After Fuyuki and Rui came over, the four of them took a break.

Then, Taiga realized Shio's state was weird, she seemed uncomfortable.

Although at first glance it seemed as if she was relaxed as she sat on the
sofa, occasionally she made an unnatural gesture with her leg. That
movement was awkward too.

Rui also seemed to have noticed it, and she whispered to Taiga in
secret.

"...does her leg hurt? Isn't it better if Rui-san made lunch?"

"Indeed. Can you do that?"

"Leave it to me. Fuyuki, I'll prepare lunch, can you help me?"

"Eh? We should be testing Shii-chan today——"

"Leave that for next time. Come on, let's go."

While saying that, Rui took Fuyuki's hand and pulled her to the kitchen.
Taiga waited for the two to leave and asked quietly.

"...Shio. You, did you train today?"

"Uu..."

As he pointed it out, she looked away.

www.asianovel.com
583

She was too fatigued from just walking around for two hours. She
must've exhausted herself before coming to New City. When he looked
closely, he realized her upper arms and shoulders were trembling, it was
probably muscle pain.

"I told you in the beginning. The purpose of it isn't to hurt the body,
what's important is to continue training every day and increase the pace
every day. First of all you need to increase your stamina."

"I'm sorry... because it was the first time meeting with Onii-san in the
real world, I wanted to show you the results of my training..."

She lowered her head slightly and looked up at him from below, her face
was pale.

It was unconscious but that gesture stirred the desire to protect in him,
Taiga let out a small sigh and knelt in front of her.

"Shio, extend your leg. I'll give you a light massage."

"E-ehh?!"

"It'll be painful for you to walk like this. It should be better if your
muscles relax."

He knew too well the discomforts of muscle pain. They couldn't be

avoided when one trained their body and it could be painful for those not
used to it.

Shio's line of sight was wandering around, it must have still hurt, she
slowly held out her light leg to Taiga.

"I'll take off your socks."

"...yes."

He gently took them off.

Her snow white bare foot was revealed, Taiga wrapped it with both of his
hands and pressured it with his fingertips.

www.asianovel.com
584

"Nn...ouch..."

A strange feeling ran through her every time his fingers pressed her
feet, and she let out a quiet moan.

"It might be a little bit painful at first, but bear with it. It'll feel good soon
enough."

"F-feel good..."

She knew very well she misunderstood it. But because she imagined
'that' kind of act, she hung her head embarrassedly.

Taiga ignored what she said and continued to carefully rub the soles of
her feet.

...Shio's feet are really beautiful.

Her skin was silky and smooth.

She must have never ran before. To a point he thought it was

impossible, but her feet were incredibly soft. His fingers sank in with a
light touch, he felt like wanting to touch it forever.

Naturally, with this massage his body started to heat up.

"Fua... a, kh..."

The pain has been gradually fading, and comfort replaced it.

Warmth spread around her body and the tiredness left her body as if she
was soaking in a bathtub, she couldn't focus no longer and started
daydreaming.

Ah... this posture...

She looked in front of her, Taiga was kneeling in front of her and he held
her foot in his hands.

Somehow Onii-san... he holds it as if I was very fragile...

As she thought that, a feeling went down her spine.

www.asianovel.com
585

Heat came from her back which melted her reason, and her breathing
roughened. But the heat didn't subside.

Hime-chan is sleeping with Onii-san on that bed... they must be in close

contact and hugging.

And a sight of the two, one overlapping the other was vividly portrayed
in her mind.

——And the fact that a person who would do that kind of thing was
servicing her as if she was very brittle, made her irresistibly thrilled.

Fuyuki and Rui who were in the kitchen couldn't see their figures. But
what if they were to come back? Surely they would be jealous. They
might get angry.

With such a racy situation, and because she was doing it in secret from
her best friend, she heated up further.

"Ahhn...♪."

She couldn't believe such a bewitching voice came out from her own
mouth.

"...please, further up."

"Got it."

According to what Shio said, Taiga slid his fingers towards above her
ankles. He carefully rubbed her delicate legs which seemed like they
would break with too much force.

www.asianovel.com
586

"Nn...fue..."

Unconsciously, Shio put the index finger of her light hand into her
mouth.

She rummaged in her mouth aroused and mushy, she entwined her
tongue around the finger to dissipate the heat.

In the middle of that conduct, 'what to do if Onii-san notices it', her mind
was occupied with such a thought; were he to raise his head just a little
bit, he would notice that she lost her cool and was unable to think
properly.

My head's all mushymushy... it's turning weird...

She couldn't calm the feeling she had for the first time.

I don't care what happens next——just when she thought that, Taiga
moved his fingers away. Shio immediately removed the finger from her
mouth.

"W-what is it?"

"Hm? I'm finished with the right leg so I though I'd switch."

"Aa, i-is that so... that's good..."

www.asianovel.com
587

"What's good?"

Suddenly a voice came over from the kitchen, Shio felt as if her heart
was going to jump out of her chest.

As she turned around in a hurry, she saw Fuyuki carry plates of

sandwiches who gave them a questioning look.

"...what are you doing, you two."

"It seems like she has muscle pain in her legs so I gave her a light
massage. Come on, hold out the other leg,"

"Uehh?! I-it's fine already!"

"No, there's no point unless I massage both legs——"

"It doesn't hurt any more! Thank you very much!"

As expected, she didn't have courage to continue this in front of Fuyuki,

Shio put on her socks and hurried to the washroom. Fuyuki and Taiga
looked at her back and tilted their neck with puzzled expressions at the
same time.

"Haa... haaa..."

Shio entered the washroom and repeatedly took big breaths.

Her shame appeared after all this time. Her heart rampaged as if it
wanted to crack her ribs, and the face that was reflected in the mirror
was red like an apple.

"W-why have I... such a thing..."

The more she tried to remember it, the more her body heated up. Even
though she washed her face with cold water, the feeling of her brain
melting didn't disappear.

——What was I thinking back then?

www.asianovel.com
588

She wanted to snatch away her best friend's dear person. She got
incredibly excited by such a perverted fantasy. Just by thinking about
snatching away someone's precious thing, she couldn't suppress
herself——just by imagining it, her heart started beating hard.

"Will he... give me another massage..."

Shio licked her finger and her face reddened further, she splashed it with
cold water again after that.

Part 3
After that, the four ate sandwiches prepared by Rui, and spent an hour
while relaxing themselves in the Tenryo's home. After that, right before
2 p.m.——

"...it really is an absurdly big building."

What towered in front of Taiga, was a building that seemed big even
among the multiple skyscrapers of the New City. The symbol of the city
and made by a large company that has developed together with it.

——Kiritou Group's headquarters.

"They might be an emerging group, but they're one of the four major
corporations. This is the least they need, otherwise they'd be a joke.
Karasuba has several sites of this size."

Fuyuki who was right next to him as he looked up at the building

responded. Judging from her tone of voice, she was feeling grumpy, she
probably prepared her emotions for the meeting with the girl they were
supposed to meet.

"...I didn't think you would come along. Don't you hate Haya?"

"I hate her. But I don't want you and that woman to stay alone
together."

She said that she will go together with him after they finished eating
lunch.

www.asianovel.com
589

Although he half-given up after inviting her and getting refused multiple

times, she seemed to have a change of mind.

"Since Little Sister has come let's finish it as fast as possible and go
back. Both Rucchan and Shii-chan are waiting."

As she said so, she sounded a small bell that was attached to the tip of
her sleeve. She changed before leaving home, the clothes she wore
were completely different from the ones she had in the morning.

The refreshing sound came from the parka with black and red plaids.
The bells were attached around the wrists on the long sleeves, the hood
had a cat ears decoration attached. From between the twenty
centimetres mini skirt and high knee-socks peeked the area called
'absolute territory'.

Overall, the coordination made her seem like a cat.

"It's the first time I see these clothes."

"This outfit has been chosen by Rucchan, does it suit me?"

Fuyuki made a twirl in order to show it off. Her figure was lovely and
irresistible, so Taiga dodged the issue and averted his eyes.

"I-is it okay to wear that now? You should have left it for a more
important occasion."

"No, it's fine to use them now. These are battle clothes after all."

As she stared at him, Taiga drew back a single step. That's when a
mechanical sound of an alarm bell set in the terminal rang out. It was
time.

"...let's go."

"Yes. Let's quickly finish this up."

The two entered the huge building's first floor, and arrived at the
entrance hall.

www.asianovel.com
590

"——Too slow. You're late, Taiga."

A scolding voice came from the side. They checked the time on reflex, it
was only about thirty seconds late from the promised time.

"...can't you overlook a one minute error?"

"Nope. Don't you know the phrase 'time is money'? A guy like you who
makes me wait when I'm damn busy like this needs to be punished."

Haya was wearing a suit that as usual, didn't fit her. She got up from a
sofa gaining a strong momentum.

There was no one else other than the three of them in the large
entrance hall, besides them there were only service drones. Haya's tone
was that of her real self. He wanted to protest against that unreasonable
decision of hers, but before he could do that Fuyuki went in front.

"That's quite a bossy attitude from you to someone whom you asked for
help, you female fox. At this rate, I might just do an U-turn and go back."

"Oh, you really came. Certainly I asked for you to come, but don't you
think coming on time after accepting is an obvious thing to do?"

"Grrr... that wicked backchat of yours is getting on my nerves..."

Easily defeated, Fuyuki glared at Haya with chagrin on her face.

However Haya completely ignored it and walked calmly towards the two.

"Since there's no time, let's hurry up and move. I'll explain everything in
detail in my room, come."

Fuyuki and Taiga followed right behind her; rather than towards the
high-speed elevator that was in the centre of the hall, they got on the
cargo elevator that was on the hall's edge, behind the emergency
evacuation doors.

"Why not use that elevator?"

"That's because you two are outsiders for the time being. In order not to
make it troublesome later on, I chose a route where you won't get

www.asianovel.com
591

caught by security. Or maybe I should have ignored that?"

"...no, I'm thankful."

Fuyuki obediently showed her gratitude.

As someone who escaped from another of the four major companies

'Karasuba'm she didn't want to remain in any footage. That was also one
of reasons she was reluctant to come to Kiritou headquarters.

After the elevator rode up to the thirty-third floor, they proceeded down
the empty hallway. The entrance hall was the same, there were no signs
of life.

"What about other employees?"

"They all log in to the headquarters' structure from their own

laboratories. Normally a few dozen of them would be working in the real
world, but currently they're too busy to do that because of the defects
all over."

"This doesn't seem like the healthiest place to work in..."

"All cyber-related companies seem similar. Karasuba's staff also work

inside the structure."

They arrived in her room while chatting.

Haya opened the lock with her terminal and they entered; she sat down
on the sofa seemingly tired. Taiga and Fuyuki looked around the room
curiously.

"...let me tell you something, checking out a lady's room is rude."

"No, I know that but... I didn't think there would be a private room like
this in the headquarters building."

"I feel the same. A refrigerator by the bed, table, kitchen and
tableware... there's even a uniform here."

"Well, that's because I live here."

www.asianovel.com
592

She replied to Taiga's and Fuyuki's question as if it was troublesome.

"The last time I returned home was... six, seven years ago?"

"Seven years, weren't you an elementary-schooler back then?"

"Even if I went back, I would be alone; there's no difference."

The room indeed gave off a feeling that someone lived in it, she must
have used it for a long time.

It was more spacious than an average apartment and at the thirty-third

floor the view was first class. If one were to overlook the fact there's no
partition between the kitchen and living room, one could live
comfortably in it.

"What do you do about meals?"

"I cook for myself. I have ingredients delivered every day. Going
shopping every day is a hassle... hey, it has nothing to do with this."

*bam*, she clapped her hands to get the attention of the siblings. She
didn't call them here to chat.

"I'll tell you what you are going to do. Especially Fuyuki-san who will be
acting alone, make sure you listen."

"Little Sister will be alone?"

"I want you to examine the main server miss. I don't know whether
you're aware of it or not, but it's impossible to log in to the main server
by using normal means."

"I know that much. On top of it having to be unlocked, one needs to log
in to its coordinates directly."

The server machine was installed deep underground and couldn't be

accessed physically, it couldn't be accessed from Elysion either. That's
why, in order to access it, one had to release two layers of security.

There was a small scale structure that acted as a barrier for the main

www.asianovel.com
593

server. It could be released only from the Kiritou headquarters'

structure.

And the second, was phasing into the server itself.

The small-scale structure that acted as its operation panel wasn't

connected to the headquarters and couldn't be accessed normally. Even
in Kiritou the amount of people who knew its coordinates was limited, it
could be entered only by adding its coordinates as a default location in
the Arclight.

With these two security methods, the main server has been completely
shut out from the outside.

"I know the coordinates of the server. The problem is the electronic
barrier, there is no choice but to release it directly from the security
room.

"Can't you do it somehow with your privileges as the President's

daughter?"

"It's not that easy. That's why I will sneak in and unlock it."

""...ha?""

Hearing these disturbing words that suddenly appeared, the siblings'

voices responded in sync.

"...what's with your expressions. You didn't think there was a legitimate
way to allow outsiders to access the server, did you?"

"No, I thought you would do something about it with your privileges...

rather, isn't that a crime?"

"That's if we get caught. There's no problem as long as we don't."

The siblings were amazed, hearing that logic of hers. Haya hung her
head, made a dark smile and cursed.

"Just how much do you think I was inconvenienced by these defects... I

could only sleep for thirty minutes yesterday and had to listen to that

www.asianovel.com
594

shitty old man's orders... I'm at my limit..."

It seemed like her thinking simplified as much as it could because of the

frustration and fatigue.

In other words 'as long as she can solve it, she won't stop at anything'.

"...well, if I were to go back after coming this far it would be a waste of

time and I would be troubled if the damage was spread to 《Aries》 any
more than it already has. I'll do it."

"Is it fine?"

"Something like committing a crime never bothered me in the first

place."

"...I guess you're right."

When he thought about it, it was certainly true that Fuyuki continued to
hack in and access things without authorization on a daily basis, even
Taiga did 'such a thing' before. It was too late to mind it.

"So. Haya, specifically what do we do?"

"Firstly, I will dive alone to allow Taiga to move freely. After that, I will go
with you to the security room to release the lock. Fuyuki-san will log in
to the server room when signalled by us and find the cause of the
defects... something like that."

"So Little Sister has to stay on standby for a while."

"I'll send you the coordinates by mail when everything is ready. The
headquarters can't tell what's happening in the server room so you can
take your time."

"I'll finish it in an hour."

"Ohh, how reliable."

After telling them what their roles were, Haya confirmed the time on the
terminal.

www.asianovel.com
595

2:15 p.m.——If she wasn't wrong, the President should have a regular
meeting with executives starting from 2:30 p.m.. Just in case, it would be
best to trespass on the main server at that hour.

"All right, I'll go ahead first. Taiga will come in, in fifteen minutes."

There were three Arclights located in the corner of the room——two

chair-type medium sized Arclights and one small headgear-type
Arclight——she selected a medium-sized machine and immediately
started the log-in process to enter the virtual world.

"...then I'll use this one."

Taiga picked up a small machine without hesitation. Then, he saw

characters carved in on the medium-sized machine beside him.

AOKO ・ ASUMI...? Asumi Aoko, that was the name of Haya's friend
wasn't it.

He wondered why would there be three Arclights, but it seemed like one
of the medium-sized ones belonged to Asumi Aoko. Since a medium-
sized Arclight was hard to move, she must have been here very often.

Well, that doesn't matter.

Taiga cleared his thoughts and leaned on the sofa. A small-type Arclight
didn't have anything to support the body so he needed to sit on
something.

Five minutes later, Taiga closed his eyes and continued to wait for the
specified time——that's when he felt a small weight on his knees.

"...Fuyuki?"

"............"

When he opened his eyes he saw Fuyuki sitting on top of his knees and
facing him.

"What is it?"

www.asianovel.com
596

Despite feeling her soft buttocks and thighs, he gently asked under the
guise of being calm.

She hesitated for a while, and soon after, she finally began to squeeze
the words out.

"...Brother, what do you think about me?"

"What you say——"

"Recently, I think you've been avoiding your little sister... does it mean
that because of what happened, you have come to hate her?"

His little sister's eyes started to overflow with tears.

She must have meant the incident at the sea, while Taiga avoided the
topic and, as not to stay with her alone, he intentionally made it so there
was someone else with them. However, it wasn't because he hated
Fuyuki, but because he wouldn't be able to maintain his reason unless
he did that. If anything, it was just the opposite from hating her.

But Fuyuki didn't think of it like that. No, it would be too much to ask for
her to guess it.

As a result, she started thinking that she has been hated by him because
she went out of control back then——a mass of negative emotions has
pushed her in a negative direction.

...what am I doing, really.

He was ashamed of making assumptions on his own while in front of his

anxious little sister.

That she would be beside him even if he acted firmly and didn't answer
to her attempts to get closer——he forced such a convenient delusion on
her. He should have known about her insecurity ever since the incident
with Shio happened. Although she finally summoned courage and
approached him, rather than them getting closer to each other, he had
distanced himself from her.

www.asianovel.com
597

She was more and more insecure, uneasy and anxious, but she still
continued to stay beside him without running away.

It's my fault, isn't it.

Fuyuki honestly relayed her feelings to him.

That's why——he had to respond to them properly.

"...sorry."

"Ah..."

He tightly hugged his trembling little sister.

Her small body was soft and warm, a sweet scent spread from her glossy
black hair making his heart beat rapidly. Taiga took Fuyuki's hand and
put it on his chest.

"My heart, it's beating like mad, isn't it?"

"...yes. *thump* *thump*, it's on a rampage."

In order to feel his heartbeat better, Fuyuki placed her palm on his
chest. And as the two were in an even closer contact, his heart started
to pound adequately harder.

"...the reason for it to become like that, is you."

"Eh...?"

As she threw him a confused glance, Taiga felt a slight irritation.

Why does this little sister of his who's unusually sharp suddenly become
slow when it comes to things like this——he stared straight into Fuyuki's
eyes and declared.

"I told you already! That's how it turns out when I'm with you!"

Hearing Taiga's words, her expression froze.

And suddenly, large tears poured from her eyes. Taiga panicked because
it was so sudden, he cradled her head and stroked it.

www.asianovel.com
598

"W-what is it?"

"Uu....ah, that's... I'm so happy..."

She continued to cry like a child. She was so very happy she couldn't
help it——directly hit by those emotions, she rested her head on his
chest.

"Finally... my feelings reached Onii..."

Fuyuki grasped Taiga's head with both of her hands and turned his head
towards her, and her face approached him.

There was no reason for him to refuse it.

Their lips touched lightly.

It happened only for a second at most. Fuyuki immediately moved her

face away and stared at Taiga before she overlapped his lips with his
once again. This time it was a passionate kiss during which they were
taking turns to breathe.

"Nn...chu...fua...ammu..."

They were engrossed in seeking each other out.

www.asianovel.com
599

They didn't stop, they didn't even think of stopping.

Only wanting to convey the passion in their hearts to the other——they

repeatedly kissed while thinking of that.

"Oniii... I lub you..."

There were five more minutes left until the time specified by Haya came,
their lips didn't leave each other until then.

Part 4
Meanwhile, Rui and Shio who parted from the Tenryo siblings were
inside of a shop located in a corner of New City.

"Shio-chan, how about that table? The price is reasonable and the
design is pretty nice?"

Shio put a hand on her chin and looked at the antique table Rui
recommended from various angles. She couldn't tell if the price was
good since she didn't know the market, but she thought that a wooden
furniture wasn't bad.

"...yes. I think it's good."

"Okay, then I'll add it to the list—"

Rui took a photo of the table and its price, she also entered the name of
shop into file. There were some goods already marked on the memo;
after looking around the store they found the table, they left it.

"We've steadily decided on the potential furnishings."

"It's all thanks to Rui-chan's assistance, I wouldn't be able to choose it

alone."

For her who had no knowledge whatsoever, the idea of 'choosing the
furniture' didn't even appear in her mind. While she was grateful to Rui
for mentioning it, she was also apologetic.

...I don't really need to decide on anything by myself, do I.

www.asianovel.com
600

Even though she said she will live alone, she couldn't do anything on her
own. Just because she wanted to run away from her family she troubled
her friends——she hated herself for that.

"You've been making a difficult expression for a while now, are you
worried about something?"

Rui asked her that when they sat down on a bench in the park to take a
break. Shio touched her face and asked timidly.

"...so I made such an expression."

"Yup. If you want you can consult with Rui-san?"

She put on a friendly smile as she said that. Somewhat enveloped in that
smile, Shio confessed what was troubling her.

"...I see. You don't know whether you made the right decision or not, you
don't have confidence."

"In the end, I'm just running away again... I don't have any reason to live
alone aside from wanting to distance myself from my family..."

That was what made her hesitate.

Despite wanting to take a step forward, her leg was clinging to the past,
it was an emotion which resembled mud.

"——Then why don't you find a more positive reason."

Rui easily cut off the chains that were binding her.

"Running away, fleeing, those kinds of words cause negative image and
feelings. What about... Shio-chan, you were looking for a house in New
City, right?"

"Y-yes. Being together with everyone is fun after all..."

"Then just make that your reason. Whether its Fuyuki or Taiga, whoever.
'Wanting to be together with'. Isn't that a very positive thing?"

"...but."

www.asianovel.com
601

"Also, it's just Rui-san's selfish opinion, but I think running away is not
such a bad thing. As long as you find something after running away, I
think it's a great thing to do."

Running away is all right——Rui's words lodged themselves in Shio's

chest.

It wasn't that her hesitation disappeared. Rui just showed her a different
point of view. But that gave her the courage to take a step ahead.

"...thank you, Rui-chan."

"You're welcome. ——Well then! Now that you've decided it yourself, you
need to overcome the test to convince Fuyuki. Let's go back and do
special training!"

"S-special training?"

"Even if the test doesn't happen, you still need to get better at
housework. Now, lezzgo〜!"

"A-awawa..."

The two girls started to make a commotion and disappeared in the

crowd.

www.asianovel.com
602

Part 5
"...now then, with this the electronic barrier has been dealt with."

Inside of Elysion, in a corner of Kiritou headquarters' structure.

Haya managed to sneak into the security room and tamper with the
settings there. She raised her head up, Taiga who was watching whether
anyone was coming finally loosened his shoulders.

"Finally... it took a while."

"Well, it is a barrier protecting the server room. Releasing it is a complex

process in itself. Rather, isn't it your fault for coming late? What were
you doing?"

As Haya stared at him, Taiga unconsciously raised a hand to his lips.

Because he was kissing like crazy with Fuyuki he forgot about the time,
but he couldn't say that.

"...well, that's fine. Let's hurry and get out. Even if all the employees are
busy, there's no guarantee that nobody will come."

Normally there would be employees in the security room, and even Haya
wouldn't be able to move freely in there. But now that they were all
pressured to deal with a huge number of bugs that appeared frequently,
even the minimum amount of people assigned to it have been relocated.
Thanks to that, they were able to sneak in.

"Even so... those clothes of yours, they seem weird no matter how many
times I see them."

"Sorry about that. They don't suit me anyway."

Taiga grumbled disgruntled, he was wearing a black formal suit. Even

though he had a neatly tied necktie, he didn't look like an employee.

"Ara, I didn't say they don't suit you? I'm just used to seeing you in
school uniform. It just feels like it's overdoing it."

"So you're making fun of me after all."

www.asianovel.com
603

"Could you stop pouting? I explained already why you need a suit."

Even if he was with Haya, he couldn't just walk around in the Kiritou
Structure while wearing plain clothes.

And so, he used a suit's data to dress himself, he couldn't get used to
this type of clothing. He felt restless and didn't want to wear them for
too long.

"Lets go then. Until Imouto-san finished her work I'm going to have you
work your ass off as well."

"Hey hey..."

They contacted Fuyuki after taking down the barrier and sent her the
server coordinates and left the security room at a brisk pace. Thanks to
Taiga sensing people around, they were able to leave without bumping
into anyone.

In order to return to the top, instead of using an elevator, they headed

to a transfer circle (A point that allowed transferring. A huge stream of
people appeared and disappeared from there able to transition
indefinitely). They passed by dozens of staff in the meantime, it was full
of people unlike the headquarters building in the real world. It seemed to
be true that all the staff were logged into the structure.

By the way, since she was in front of people, Haya turned into her
façade-mode.

"Even though it was so quiet in the real world."

"That's because all the staff are logged in. The only thing in the real
world that moves are the reception drones."

"And what about the people who are visiting?"

"They are being connected to the support that's in here. Logging out for
every visitor would be a hassle."

"That's being lazy."

www.asianovel.com
604

"All cyber-related companies are like that, you know? A researcher

wouldn't log out every time someone wants to ask them a few
questions."

"It's a miracle their physique doesn't break down... ah, I see. Medium-
sized Arclights come with supporting functions don't they."

In addition to life support functions, medium-sized machines came with

a few other ones as well.

Thanks to that people were able to stay logged in for a week. That said
though, there were cases of people dying due to debilitation because of
diving in cyber world for too long.

They arrived at the transfer point as they talked.

"...eh? Aren't we going back?"

"No, there's a limit to how much we can do in there. We're going to work
in another room."

Although Taiga thought they will go back to the login point at the thirty-
third floor, Haya set the transfer location to the thirty-fourth floor. Since
there were thirty-five floors in total, it was one floor below the top.

"...oh, right. Iora, it's about time you came back. Come out."

Just before starting the transfer, Haya called out to the empty space
behind her.

Responding to her voice, Iora appeared with a phosphorescent light and

bowed. Seeing that gesture made Taiga feel somewhat uncomfortable.

〈"Is there anything, Master?"〉

"Don't 'is there anything' me. Why haven't you shown yourself up until
now?"

〈"I was in a different structure."〉

"Geez... did I let you roam a bit too freely?"

www.asianovel.com
605

Haya sighed and started the transfer circle, moving to a floor about sixty
metres away was instantaneous in the virtual reality. It seemed like
there weren't any labs on the floor they entered, there were almost no
people in the hallway. As they looked, they could only see men and
women in suits walk towards them from the front.

Then, Haya's movement stopped.

Seeing her suddenly stop, Taiga followed her line of sight. Rather than at
the men and women in front, she looked at the man between them.
Even Taiga knew that man.

...Kiritou Kouya.

The leader of the Kiritou Group, Haya's father.

He saw the photo of the school's founder, but the real thing had a really
cold look in his eyes. The woman beside him must have been his
secretary. They must have noticed them because the woman whispered
to Kiritou Kouya.

Kouya looked up and his gaze met with Haya's.

"...so you still haven't disposed of that junk."

The one who spoke first was Kouya. He looked towards Iora who was
floating above Haya's shoulder.

"I've told you before. You should dispose something as useless as an AI

right away."

"...I apologize Father. I cannot obey that command."

With a voice as sharp and cold as ice, Haya responded quietly.

"You should also have understood the rarity of this AI ・Iolite. As long as
it's kept in storage it will definitely be useful in the fut——"

"There is no need for that. There's nothing we can obtain from that AI."

He cut in in the middle of Haya's sentence as if it was not worth listening

www.asianovel.com
606

to. As Haya tried to refute, the secretary broke in between them.

"President, it's almost time for the regular meeting. Please hurry."

"Got it."

Kouya responded shortly and passed by Haya as if it was a waste of time

to talk with her. He glanced at Taiga who stood behind for a moment,
but soon after he lost interest and disappeared after entering the
transfer circle.

The hallway turned silent once again.

Taiga couldn't find any words to say, and just stared at Haya silently.
About ten seconds later, Haya formed a fist and hit the wall with all her
strength, she made a small sigh.

"...let's go, Taiga-kun."

As she looked up, she had still the same meek smile. No, it wasn't the
same at all.

Although she had the mask of a yamato nadeshiko on her face, recently
he became able to peek through the mask at her 'true self'. But he
couldn't even imagine what kind of emotions she felt at the moment.

A perfect daughter of the President——her current appearance was the

embodiment of these words.

"The room in that corner. Please follow me."

"...okay."

He followed Haya whose emotionless smile disappeared and entered the

room.

The room was silent, the only thing that sounded inside were electronic
sounds as the data passed through.

The two continued to work wordlessly. It was an incredible amount of

www.asianovel.com
607

work for them to fix the data that was falling apart, they proceeded at
high speed.

"...all right, with this it's done——"

"I'm done over here."

Taiga took a step towards her and passed the data to her, Haya let out a
voice impressed.

"I already thought so earlier when you helped me out, but your dynamic
vision and reflexes are outstanding. You're really suited to simple tasks
like these."

"Is that... any good?"

Fifteen minutes after they started working, the room that was originally
flooded with crystals was cleaned up. Although there were three of them
(Iora didn't say anything and just continued to work in silence), he was
wondering if there was any real meaning for him to tidy it up.

"...hey Taiga. You're living alone with your little sister, aren't you?"

Unexpectedly, Haya asked him such a thing. He didn't know what did
she intend by asking such a question, but he responded and asked.

"That's right, what about it?"

"How are your relationships with your family?"

Hearing that answer, he finally understood what was her intent. It was
caused by what happened earlier with Kiritou Kouya.

"Really, you. You shouldn't get too involved with the people you use.."

"Thank you for the concern. But you don't need to bother with it. So, how
is it?"

"...they both died eight years ago."

Since there was nothing in particular to hide, he honestly answered.

www.asianovel.com
608

"...is that so. I asked something bad."

"I don't really mind. It's something that happened when I was a kid.
What about you? From what I saw, it doesn't seem like you're getting
along too well."

"It's in a completely dimension from what you would call 'not getting
along'."

Haya let out a sigh and turned to look towards the ceiling. Taiga had no
idea how to call the emotions that were dwelling in her pupils.

"Although we're undoubtedly blood-related, I never thought of him as

my father. He doesn't see me as his daughter either."

"...you hate each other a lot."

"If you put it in terms of love or hate, then you're without a doubt right.
But that's not a proper representation. If I were to put it in words... our
existences are incompatible, or something like that."

Personality, thinking, principles, objectives, behaviour——each and

every one of these factors were different between Kiritou Haya and
Kiritou Kouya, it was like heaven and earth. Or that's at least what Haya
thought. Were she to be told that she's an adopted daughter, it would
make more sense.

"Your mother?'

"She died soon after giving birth to me. That's why I never felt anything
like being appreciated by the family. Honestly, I'm jealous of your and
your little sister's relationship. For someone to believe another person so
unconditionally is amazing."

When she spoke about his relationship with Fuyuki, his heart skipped a
beat, but he immediately noticed it wasn't said in 'that' sense and was
relieved. At the same time, he was shocked.

"You thought something like that? Can it be that you being on bad terms
with Fuyuki is because..."

www.asianovel.com
609

"You're half correct. The other half is just because I don't like her."

Kiritou Haya was always alone.

She didn't have any family beside her, in order to acquire proper
education and to act with a lady's dignity, she spent every day being
strictly tutored. She didn't make any friends even after entering the
school. In this sense, she and Fuyuki might resemble each other. And
yet——

"Imouto-san has you. You're tied by ties stronger than anything else in
the world. I might be a little jealous of that... but since it's pathetic I
don't want to admit it."

"...but even you had a best friend, haven't you?"

"That might be right but... even so, the grass is always greener on the
other side."

Yeah, this girl was yearning for family——that's what Taiga thought.
Precisely because it was an illusion which wouldn't come true, she
couldn't help but embrace the unobtainable dream.

"...hey, what kind of person was Asumi Aoko?"

"What's with that sudden question?"

"I'm curious what kind of person would be friends with a someone as

obstinate as you."

"...that's a really annoying way to say it... oh well. I'll tell you since we're
taking a break anyway."

While saying that, Haya held out a single window.

It was the photo Taiga previously peeped on in the school's classroom.

On it, there were two girls wearing the Kiritou Academy's uniforms. One
of them was Haya, the other was a female student with long bluish-black
hair.

"That's Aoko. She was the same age as me, a researcher that used to be

www.asianovel.com
610

a member of Kiritou."

"She looks just like Iora."

"It's the opposite, it's Iora who looks like Aoko."

The two on the photo were linking arms and laughing, there was a
cherry tree behind them. He thought it must have been from the
entrance ceremony.

"Even though you asked me what kind of person she was... I can't easily
explain it. But there's one thing I can say for sure, she was a genius."

"Genius, huh."

It was a word Taiga heard often. But since Haya already knew Fuyuki,
the weight of her words was different.

"If you're saying that, then she must've been incredible."

"Yeah. At the very least I couldn't even reach the level of her feet.
Although I said we were developing Iora together, she's been actually
developed almost single-handedly by Aoko."

"Really?"

"I was responsible for things like debugging. Aoko was not good with
things like that. You know the people who devote themselves completely
to something, and yet they aren't interested at all in others. She was an
exemplary representative of that kind, I had a hard time being with her."

"...but you look happy as you talk about it."

Although she complained about it, she couldn't hide a smile blooming on
her face. It was different from how it was when she talked with Taiga
and Fuyuki, those were sincere emotions.

"...well, there was lots of stuff happening but it was fun."

Her expression clouded over for a moment as she said 'lots of stuff',
Taiga didn't miss it. It seemed like it wasn't just happy memories.

www.asianovel.com
611

"Now then, let's go proceed to the next room."

Haya stood up as if signalling the end of the story.

And Taiga who thought he was finally done with helping out asked with a
disgruntled voice.

"...there's still more?"

"Of course. At the very least, I'll have you help me out until Fuyuki-san
finds the cause of the problem. Although she said she'll finish in an
hour... well, my estimate is that she'll need at least three hours."

"You serious..."

Not even twenty minutes have passed since they sent Fuyuki
coordinates of the server room. Were she to finish it in three hours, the
day would be already over.

I guess we'll have to give up on rejoining Rui and Shio.

Taiga opened a window with mail software. He wrote a mail addressed

to Rui and Shio saying 'see you tomorrow' and——

"Eh?"

With a sound of glass breaking, sending was cancelled. The text written
in the window said 〈Sending failed〉.

He tried again but the result didn't change. The two words indicating
failure to send were all that was displayed. Even when he changed the
destination to Fuyuki there was no difference.

"...did it break?"

It might have been broken were it to be the real world, but this was the
virtual world. There is no such thing as equipment 'breaking' in it.

"What is it Taiga?"

"No, I tried to send a mail but it didn't go through... sorry but can you
send one for me?"

www.asianovel.com
612

"It can't be helped——hey, I can't do it either. Maybe the line's crowded.

Log out and try sending it from the real world."

"Got it."

He did as she said and activated the logout process.

The process for disconnecting the mental structure from the virtual
world progressed——and with a sound of glass breaking, it was
cancelled.

"...hey hey."

He muttered stunned by the fact that even that failed.

——Wait.

That moment, his intuition warned him.

He experienced such a situation once before. That was when he rushed

to where Fuyuki and Shio were when they faced 《Angel》——

"————"

*shh*, his thinking cooled down.

It was different. That was nothing like the line being crowded. They
couldn't contact the outside——knowing that fact, cold sweat started
flowing down his back.

"Haya, can we transition to another structure from here?"

"A different structure? You can do it if you go to a transfer point that

supports it."

"All right, let's go right now."

"Haa? Why?"

"Explanations later. Hurry up. If we don't hurry, it'll be too late——"

www.asianovel.com
613

〈"——That's pointless. This place is already under my control. You won't

escape that easily."〉

"............"

What sounded in his ears, was an unforgettable voice.

It was impossible. It couldn't be. The virtual body cloaked in white robes
wasn't there, there was only a small AI clad in pale light——

〈"Preparations are complete... with this no one can stop me."〉

What entered Taiga's field of vision after he turned around was AI ・Iolite
who had a smile unlike her on her face. Her appearance distorted and
expanded, with her form intact she increased her size several times.

"I really can't get used to a small body. It's hard to move in it. Although
this is a body I made, I should have thought more about the convenience
of using it."

In an instant Iora increased in size and became as big as Taiga and

Haya——the virtual body was usually covered with a white robe, 《Angel》
rotated its shoulder lightly.

...calm down. If you get upset you'll make it more convenient for the
enemy.

www.asianovel.com
614

As not to agitate the 'enemy', Taiga quickly confirmed the situation they
were in.

The exit from the room was behind Angel, they needed to pass by him in
order to get out.

As to not let Angel hear it, Taiga whispered to Haya... and noticed an
abnormality.

"I'll make an opening. Use it to run outside——Haya?"

"...that... voice... no way... but... it can't be, she's supposed to be——"

It wasn't just her voice that was trembling. Her entire body was
trembling as if she saw something that shouldn't exist; witnessed
something that shouldn't have been.

Her appearance being the same was obvious, that's how Iora was. But
that voice, that voice which made people think she was making fun of
them was just like hers.

"...oh right. I haven't greeted you yet."

Seeing Haya like that, Angel made a faint smile.

"It's the second time we meet, Tenryo Taiga. And——it's been a while,

www.asianovel.com
615

Haya. Looks like you remember me, I'm glad."

"——Aoko!"

Angel——no, the girl who was supposed to be dead. Asumi Aoko stood in
front of the two with an innocent smile on her face.

Leave a Reply

www.asianovel.com
616

Vol. 3 :

Chapter 4

Part 1
"...where is this place?"

Seeing reality skewed from what it should be, Fuyuki raised a puzzled
voice.

In front of her was spread an empty and white space. The perspective
deviation came from that one colour that was spread in every direction.

That's weird. Did I mistype the coordinates?

She properly set the login coordinates according to the ones she has
been given in a mail from Haya. The electronic barrier was released
according to the plan, she should have penetrated the server room.
However, no matter how she looked at it, it was a different location from
the one she wanted to enter.

She couldn't think of anything else other than mistyping coordinates.

I was too happy and became careless.

Normally Fuyuki would never made such a mistake. But because she
was spending her sweet time earlier her head was all mushy and
simmering. It must have been because of the afterglow after that.

She tried to get herself into shape by slapping her both cheeks. Even if it

www.asianovel.com
617

was a request from someone she didn't like, once she accepts it she
would finish it properly. Her pride is on the line when it came to
completing it——despite that, the smile on her face wouldn't disappear.

...after we go back let's do it again. Until then I need bear it.

She reminded herself to stay in focus.

What would that female fox say were she to fail. After imagining that
scene her thinking gradually changed.

In any case, she needs to enter the server room first. She needed to log
out and check it once again——the moment she tried starting the logout
process a red crystal stuck into the window and forcibly stopped the
process.

"How cold. Even though I went through so much trouble to invite you,
you're going back already?"

Hearing a voice sound from behind at the same time, Fuyuki turned
around to look towards the source.

"Well, I won't let you go."

How long has it been there. Five metres away from her stood a virtual
body clad in a white robe. She couldn't forget it, the cursed enemy who
used Shio before.

"...why are you here 《Angel》."

"Didn't I tell you just now? I invited you here."

Invited——she repeated that word thinking about the meaning. It was

obvious that this wasn't the server room. And if the coordinates she
typed in were correct, there was one possibility to consider.

"...you've hacked the Arclight and rewritten the coordinates Little Sister
entered haven't you."

"Correct. It's a great help that you understood it this fast."

www.asianovel.com
618

What's up with the 'correct'. That's crazy.

She started swearing in her mind.

Hacking an Arclight. Rather than whether it was possible or impossible,

the difficulty level was immeasurably high. It was on a level that would
make it hard even for Fuyuki. Furthermore, judging by the fact she was
unable to log out, there must have been a barrier spread around the
space.

But no matter how much she thought, she couldn't find the reason for
what was happening.

"What's your purpose. You haven't come here to chat, have you?"

"Chatting huh. That might have been nice."

Angel's easy going attitude was undisturbed. And since it didn't show
any gestures at all, it made it seem like it really didn't come just to talk.
That appearance further deepened her suspicions.

There was no way it had no purpose. To rewrite the coordinates the

moment Fuyuki was about to dive would be impossible unless it was
watching her movements. For it to go that far to confine her, there had
to be a reason——

...locked... in?

It was different from that. Completely different.

It was not that it didn't have a purpose, it has achieved it already.

Trapping Tenryo Fuyuki in this space, that was 《Angel》's purpose. In
other words——to stall her!

"...!!"

"I won't let you."

Something was happening on the other side. Brother was in

danger——she immediately determined herself and attempted to break
through the barrier but the window was destroyed by a red crystal

www.asianovel.com
619

thrown by Angel.

"It would be troublesome were you to get out. Sorry, but I'll have you
play with me in this 《Prison》 I prepared."

"...you're not the 《Angel》 himself are you. You're an autonomously

operating program right?"

"Hee. You've already seen through it... you are dangerous after all."

Fuyuki managed to see through the identity of Angel who was in front of
her.

A program planted with the routine thinking of its author, a program

acting according to its author's personality. It must've been prepared in
order to stall Fuyuki. It looked like 《Angel》 was preparing something
really dangerous.

"I'll say it only once. If you don't want to be scrapped disappear at once."

"That's something I can't agree with. If you want to go to where Tenryo

Taiga is——try eliminating me with all your strength first!"

Fuyuki and 《Angel》 opened windows at the same time, blue and red
crystals clashed.

Part 2
"——It's been a while, Haya. Looks like you remember me, I'm glad."

"——Aoko!"

Haya spoke the name of the girl who no longer existed.

She couldn't be alive. She died from an illness a year ago without a
doubt. Haya gave her a proper burial. There was no way the girl in front
of her was 'Asumi Aoko'.

But Haya was convinced with just a glance. The person in front of her
was Asumi Aoko.

www.asianovel.com
620

"......why."

"'Why are you alive' is a pointless question so stop that would you? As
you already know, the person called Asumi Aoko is already dead. That's
the reality which won't change."

Dumbfounded,

Haya stared at 《Angel》——Asumi Aoko who informed her with a smile.

It was no different from when she was alive, a beautiful smile.

But for some reason, her smile which should have felt nostalgic caused
her to feel mysterious fear.

"Making such a face when facing your best friend, that makes even me
hurt."

"...you must be joking. If you're the Aoko I know, then you won't be
shaken by this much. Rather, you would rather be enjoying the sight of
me being taken aback."

"Undoubtedly."

Aoko let out a happy laughter. Haya looked vigilantly at her female
friend and asked.

"——What are you?"

"...that way of speaking, looks like you have an idea... well that's
obvious. You were at my side as I did my research."

"............"

Indeed, Haya knew already.

A way for someone who died to remain in this world, Asumi Aoko knew
more about it than anyone else.

That's why that possibility appeared in her head before. It appeared, but
she didn't think about it much. I'll never use it——that's what she
promised her.

www.asianovel.com
621

"Aoko... you, do you know what have you done?! You crossed the line
that should've never been crossed! That's——"

"I know. Even I know that this is wrong."

She cut in the middle of Haya speaking, showing her determination.

"But this is what I have chosen. The Kiritou, I will destroy this silly little
world. I'll do anything to accomplish that."

"...destroy the Kiritou? What are you——"

"You might be confused, but I have no time for idle talk. It's about time I
started."

Along with that declaration, she made a dry sound by snapping her
fingers. It was a signal.

【"Total System Control of Structure 《Kiritou Headquarters Building》

Complete."】

【"Firewall disabled. Limited connection with different structures re-

established."】

【"Transferring virus program 《Zygote》, starting virtual bodies

elimination."】

Together with that voice, the walls, the floor, and the doors started
shaking.

Vibrations were emitted from all directions of the thirty-fourth floor and
spread to the entire structure in a blink of an eye, producing countless
black holes. It was also happening to the room Taiga and Haya were
currently in, the black stains appeared to the left and right of Aoko and
started to slowly expand.

"What did you do?!"

www.asianovel.com
622

"Whaat, I just thought of turning this place into a little hell. You'll know
soon enough... rather than that, Tenryo Taiga. You've been glaring at me
for a while now, got anything to say."

Aoko looked towards Taiga.

For a while now he was unable to understand what was

happening——but there was only one thing he had to confirm.

"Angel, no, Asumi Aoko was it. What have you done with Iora?"

"Iora? Oh, the virtual personality that was in this body. She was
swallowed by me and disappeared. She's been resisting until the very
end but it was a waste of effort."

"...I see."

In Taiga's mind the conversation he had with Iora at night was revived.

Maybe she was able to feel Aoko's presence. That's why she said
something like 'were something to happen'.

"I need to keep my promise."

Taiga took a step ahead and loudly stretched himself.

"H-hey Taiga?!"

"Haya, we'll talk later. We need to stop her before it's too late."

He instructed the still-confused Haya.

He was already convinced.

The sixth sense that allowed him to avoid death thousands, tens of
thousands times told him——this girl has stepped into a wrong road. If
he doesn't stop her, it'll be irreparable.

As Taiga looked straight ahead at her, Aoko laughed fearlessly.

"Stop me? Unfortunately, it's impossible for you guys. Elysion is my

home ground. The only risk factor which was Tenryo Fuyuki has been

www.asianovel.com
623

rendered powerless. You have no way of stopping me."

"...you bitch. What did you do to her?"

"I confined her for a while. What, I don't intend to harm her. I'll release
her when it's over."

Hearing Fuyuki's name Taiga released murderous intent from his entire
body.

But even in front of intent an ordinary person wouldn't be able to stand,

Angel still smiled relaxedly.

"Scary scary. You're too scary... I need to call a bodyguard."

*tap*, Aoko lightly hit the floor with her foot.

The black stain on the floor took a three-dimensional shape and started
to expand. Taiga has seen that before, he lowered his body in order to
protect Haya.

As expected, it changed into a jet-black knight——《Zygote》. Moreover,

there were two of them. They were already enhanced by several stages.

"This thing again..."

"Nostalgic isn't it? I have reviewed what happened during the case with
Karasuba Shio, a low fighting capability won't stop you. That's why I
allowed them to grow beforehand. Oh, even if you destroy it no one will
get hurt because of it so you don't have to worry... well, that's if you can
destroy them!"

With her voice as a signal the 《Zygote》 began their assault with a
powerful charge.

Taiga reflexively put a hand on his hip, but there were no weapon there.

"...!! Damn!"

He immediately switched to barehanded techniques and sent the black

knight flying.

www.asianovel.com
624

He forgot. It wasn't 《Aries》 but the Kiritou Headquarters' structure.

Attack-configured programs were made specifically for 《Aries》 so he
couldn't use it.

The black knight was blown away and hit the wall with a strong impact.
But despite having power that should be enough to crush the armour, it
didn't even have a scratch and rose up instantly.

"Get back Taiga! The enemy is a virus, without an attack-configured

program you won't damage it!"

"Even so, there's nowhere to run!"

Taiga responded to her while avoiding slashes from the two enemies.
The doorway was on the other side, behind the black knights. It was
impossible for them to pass.

Although he concentrated on avoiding, it was a small room that didn't

give him much room to do so. Together with Haya they were gradually
cornered against a wall.

"...now then, excuse me but I'll be leaving."

Aoko silently watched as the two were gradually cornered and opened a
window, her body has gradually disappeared. She was using 《Transition》
to move somewhere. Haya immediately broke out and started to run
towards her.

"Wait! Aoko!"

"Idiot don't go in front!"

Haya didn't look around at all, she tried to run in a straight line to Aoko.
The black knight wouldn't miss such a defenceless target, a large
hatchet was swung at her head.

"Hey——you retard!"

Taiga managed to push her down in the nick of time, the hatchet passed
through empty space. Haya still tried to reach out desperately.

www.asianovel.com
625

"Aoko! Aoko——!!"

"I'm going to the top floor. If you there is something, come up there and
tell me there."

Aoko left behind these words with a cold look in her eyes before she
dispersed like fog and disappeared. Haya's outstretched arms fell down
powerlessly.

But it was not the time to immerse in sentiments. Her body was nearly
bisected by a huge hatchet, Taiga embraced Haya and jumped back at
full power making distance from the knights.

"——!! What are you doing Taiga, we need to chase after Aoko!"

"Don't be so reckless."

Although Haya pulled his collar and commanded him, doing what she
said would be too reckless.

There was no opening between the two Zygotes. They didn't allow him
to rest by attacking in turns, chasing after Aoko would be unreasonable
like this. They were cornered little by little.

Fuck, at this rate we'll be done for...!

He picked up Haya to carry her, leaving her behind was out of question.
Were he to break through——he needed to risk a little.

Without any hesitation Taiga lowered his hips and flung her into the air.

"Wha——!!"

He ignored Haya who raised a complaint while in mid-air and

momentarily closed the distance that separated him and the black
knights.

While the Zygotes were distracted by the defenceless Haya for a

moment Taiga delivered a blow with his fists to the belly of one of them,
he took a half a step further after that and pounded the knight into the
ground. After that he turned his body while maintaining the momentum

www.asianovel.com
626

and while dodging a slash at the same time he delivered a roundhouse

kick to the second knight's neck.

The two black knights were blown away. Taiga immediately started to
run and gently caught the falling Haya.

"...that's quite an outrageous way of doing things."

"Emergency measures. Let's hurry up and go!'

He didn't destroy them, the black knights will chase after him soon
enough. The two hurried towards the exit of the room——and seeing the
sight spread out in front of them they were at a loss for words.

"..................what's... this."

——— I just thought of turning this place into a little hell. ———

Aoko's words were the truth.

If there were anything that could be called hell, then it would be this
scene. The walls were stained with vivid red, blood-like colour.

About ten Zygotes were lined up in the hallway, under their feet there
were numerous researchers thrown as if they were garbage.

The large hatchet that rose up from the researcher's body was clad in
blood-like a aura.

——《Jail》. The military program allowing to capture the mental

structure, which was the human soul.

It has caused more than a dozen of people including Rui to fall into a
coma before, it was something that Aoko originally researched and
developed. It wasn't weird for her to have it. However——the spectacle
of several hundred people falling to it was way too unrealistic.

"...tell me this is a joke..."

In response to Haya's groan, the dozen of black knights have turned

their gaze towards the two. Moreover, the two that fell down earlier got

www.asianovel.com
627

up and were behind them.

They had no way out. Fortunately, Taiga knew how to resist them.

He closed his eyes to calm his mind and took the pale Haya's hand.

"Let's escape for now."

"W-where to! Every floor must be flooded with these guys!"

"A place we can hide in. Aren't you living in here?"

He put some strength in the hand that grasped her wrist and stared in
her eyes that seemed to lose her will to resist; relaying 'calm down' with
his line of sight. Haya let out a sigh.

"...in the back of third floor there's a secret room I made when I was a
child. We can hide in there."

Even though she tried to act calmly, her body was lightly trembling. She
was still in high school, it was hard for her to resist panicking while
facing such a hell.

"All right. Let's go there. The transfer circle... can't be used can it."

Were he to be the invader, the first thing he would do is to seal their

mobility. Since Aoko took control of this place and was able to use
《Transition》, that meant they had no choice but to move on her own two
feet.

If I remember well, there were stairs. Looks like we need to use them.

He dug in his memory and envisioned a map in his head. Since it was a
considerable distance and they had to pass through an open area, they
had no choice but to break through forcibly.

"Sorry Haya, but bear with it for a while."

"Eh? ...kyaa!!?"

Taiga encompassed Haya's waist with his left arm and strongly
embraced her. Strength easily left her body and she left it to him, taking

www.asianovel.com
628

a posture where she burried her face in his neck.

"H-hey?! What are you doing at a time like——!"

"I'm going to run at full speed. Cling to me as if your life depends on it."

Ignoring Haya's protests Taiga quietly lowered his hip.

The moment a hatchet was swung at them from behind, Taiga burst out
at top speed.

Haya was surprised by the sudden acceleration and involuntarily she

held onto him with both of her arms with all her strength. Taiga dodged
the Zygotes' attacks with as little movements as possible and continued
to run through the hallway!

"W-wait Taiga! This is harder than expect——"

"Shut up, you'll bite your tongue!"

Although Haya complained about the speed that made her feel like she'll
be shaken off, but he ignored it all.

Were they to drop the speed even a little they would be caught. If a
black knight equipped with 《Jail》 hit them with its hatchet, it would be a
fatal wound.

He paid attention to what happened both in front and in the back.

Since he didn't defeat the 《Zygotes》 they of course chased after them,
Since they were enhanced by several stages their physical abilities were
rivaling that of Taiga's. He had to predict their attacks, otherwise they
would be struck down.

He sprinted down the hallway at an incredible speed. However, the

enemy wasn't a disorderly mob. Reinforcements used the stairs and
come from both above and below. With that they could no longer use
the stairs.

"Tch...!"

www.asianovel.com
629

There was no time to hesitate. Taiga prepared himself.

"Haya! We'll be going down to the third floor all at once, close your
eyes!"

"Wa-wait a second! You can't mean——"

He released the hand supporting Haya just for a moment and kicked off
the floor with all his strength.

There was a single Zygote in front of them. Taiga released a blow with
his fist to its belly and jumped on top of it.

After hanging in the air for a moment their momentum was lost and the
2 people + 1 virus started falling and accelerating; drawn to the ground
by gravity!

"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Because of the deafening scream Taiga's eardrums were shaken as he

was in contact with the source, but he couldn't afford to concern himself
with it.

Need to concentrate on my vision... If I miss the timing it'll be all over.

The scenery he was seeing flowed at high speed. He kicked off his

foothold right before reaching the third floor jumping into the hallway.

Immediately after he rolled on the ground, he heard a sound of

something crashing into the bottom.

"...good, success."

"What success! I thought I'd die!"

Haya hit Taiga with her right hand, a loud sound of a slap rang out.

Certainly, a free fall from the thirty-fourth floor was a scary thing even in
the virtual world.

"Stop complaining, we escaped unscathed. Rather than that, let's hurry

and hide. They'll come down to chase us."

www.asianovel.com
630

"...fine, this way."

Guided by Haya, Taiga ran through the corridor filled with a huge
amount of virtual bodies on the ground.

Part 3
It happened during the winter six years ago.

The two girls still haven't known each others names, it was the second
day after the fateful encounter.

In a hotel located in a certain remote city the twelve year old Kiritou
Haya was lazing around.

"...what am I doing, really."

She's been rolling around on a bed for nearly an hour, and then she
suddenly muttered.

Were she to be asked why was she doing that, she would answer
'because I have free time', but she still could use this time for something
productive.

"...even so, what should I do?"

For now she stood up and stared at her blank schedule.

She had nothing she could call a hobby, after her everyday lessons she
just went to rest. In other words, she had nothing to do. After such a
lifestyle continued for two days in a row, Haya let out a long sigh.

Haya was accompanying her father.

The reason she had arrived at this city could be described with those
words. Also, the reason she remained in the city even after the party
was over, was also her father.

Staying in here for two days because of work problems is fine, but
there's no reason for me to stay as well is there.

www.asianovel.com
631

She complained in her mind only. There was no way she would ever act
in such a manner openly——in her short twelve-year long life she had
already remembered the rules of acting in society.

And thus, the girl with too much time hid the fact that she was bored.

Oh right, I wonder what happened with the thief from yesterday.

On top of the desk beside the bed lied and shined her favourite bracelet.
The metal part was a little dirty, reminding her that what happened the
day before wasn't a dream.

——Speaking of how it concluded, Haya let the thief girl go in the end.

She thought that the hungry girl was quite miserable and she herself
didn't want to be questioned by the police. Were that to happen her and
father would need to leave the party venue, it might have damaged
Kiritou's good name. There were only disadvantages to it.

"Let's take a stroll."

The surface and her inner self——in her heart a need to vent her anger
accumulated, Haya changed into appropriate plain clothes and left to go
to the unfamiliar town.

Thank you very much. We look forward to your next visit——a 100%
textbook bussiness smile and line has seen her off after she left the
Namisagi brand's retail store.

Yeah... Namisagi's Arclight technology is amazing after all... it may take

ten years if not more to catch up...

She spent two hours checking out plenty of new products that were on
sale today but in the end she wasn't able to, for the store clerks she was
an ultimately annoying (even though she was a kid) type of customer.
Though, she herself wasn't bothered by it at all.

What currently occupied Haya's thoughts was the clear difference in the

www.asianovel.com
632

technology level between Kiritou and Namisagi.

...in the end, this is the only thing for me.

She hated herself for thinking about the company despite being alone.

Even though she went out for a change of pace, and yet she couldn't get
away from thinking like a 'Kiritou's young lady'.

No matter where she goes, she can't escape——that's what she was
reminded of.

"...let's stop this. It's depressing."

The words that came out involuntarily out of her mouth dissolved in the
cold air. Her sigh dyed the air white and disappeared soon enough, she
displayed her 'real self' where no one could see her.

Even as she strolled her mind didn't clear up. Just when she thought of
that and decided to go back to the hotel, something caught her attention
and she stopped her feet.

"That girl, the one from yesterday...?"

She was clad in a dirty parka, and even though her head was hidden by
a hood, the distinctive bluish-black hair could be seen. It was definitely
the thief girl she met last night. She was hiding in a back alley.

What is she doing?

Her curiosity was piqued and Haya stood still for a while observing her.

There was movement after five minutes passed. The moment a security
drone tried to pass by the girl, she moved.

"———!"

The girl expanded a window and operated it at high speed. The street-
lights around suddenly started to glow strongly and emergency buzzers
sounded all over. The passer-bys' attention was drawn to them and
away from the drone.

www.asianovel.com
633

Aiming for that moment, the girl jumped out quickly and got in close
contact with the drone. She momentarily rewrote the internal
information in it and disappeared in the back alley.

"That's..."

Haya examined the internal information of the drone that ceased its
functions.

As expected, its behavioural pattern was changed by administrator

privileges, it was set to 'stop' before reaching a 'certain place' where it
was at time.

This, it was done by the girl from before wasn't it. Hacking into an
administrator account in such a short time...

And the abnormal functions of the lights and buzzers before. That was
also her doing.

But to hack into those in such a short time, moreover only by using the
terminal's output meant her skills were on a different level.

I want to confirm it——such an idea came to her mind. She was very
interested why would someone who has such skills do such a thing.

If I go to these coordinates then probably——

Haya expanded a map and proceeded with fast steps.

Fortunately because there was good security in this town, there were no
problems. She walked for about ten minutes until she reached a run-
down bar.

"...it should be here."

The coordinates that have been removed from the patrol drone's route
were no doubt here.

Haya went up the dimly lit stairs and put a hand on the rusted doorknob.
Suddenly a shadow appeared in her field of view.

www.asianovel.com
634

"——Drop dead you damn intruder!"

"Wha..."

The door has been wide opened and the girl who seemed to wait on the
other side attacked her. She had a thin wooden bar in her hands.

Danger——as soon as she thought that, Haya grabbed the girl's arm
reflexively.

"...eh?"

"Fu——hyah!"

The moment the girl shouted, her small body danced in the air. Haya
quickly entwined her with her legs and softly dropped her on the floor,
she clamped down on her arm.

It was the grappling technique commonly called 'roark armbar', the girl
started screaming.

"IT hurtsSSSSSsss?!! time out! Ouch ouch, I said it hurts didn't I?!"

"Of course it does. It's supposed to hurt. Rather than that! What are you
thinking suddenly trying to hit me!"

"That's because you entered my house without permission!"

"...your house? What, you live here?"

"That's right!"

While still holding onto her arm strongly, Haya looked around the store.

Although the décor looked old, the counter and chairs as well as the
tableware seemed like they were used recently, a feeling of life was
there.

"...not only trespassing and stealing, but also illegal occupation. That's a
three-hit combo."

"Shut up, it has nothing to do with you! Hurry up and let go of my hand

www.asianovel.com
635

you bobhead!"

"Annoying. Ah, I see. So you don't need this arm. Hmm."

"GyaaaaaaAAAAAAAAaaaAAa!!"

The arm made an ominous sound, and her screams resounded in the
deserted bar.

"...Asumi Aoko, twelve years old."

When she asked about her name, the girl replied reluctantly.

Most likely because she was held down for three minutes, but the girl fell
down on the counter looking tired——looking down on Asumi Aoko, Haya
let out a small sigh. Why was she that interested in this girl.

Asumi Aoko was in a nutshell 'a girl who ran away from home'.

The years earlier she ran away from her adoptive parents' house and
was living in this ran-down bar ever since then.

Of course she didn't go to school, and a minor without a guarantor

couldn't rent a room.

Even so, she manages to survive somehow. She went outside to obtain
food on every third day——that's when she sneaked in to the party
venue——that's what she told her.

"...so, why did you steal my bracelet? You need money?"

"Ugh... that was an accident. The moment I rammed into you it was
accidentally caught in my clothes. Even I have my pride, I wouldn't do
something shameful like pickpocketing."

Stealing food was shameful as well, Haya thought, but she ignored that
for the time being. Rather, she was interested in this girl who lived alone
despite being the same age as she was.

"I know what happened yesterday. But how are you living your life? It

www.asianovel.com
636

doesn't seem like there's a bed here."

"There's both tap water and electricity in here as well as a shower. It's
enough to survive."

Aoko no longer had any strength to resist and obediently responded.

It was just as she said, there was electricity in the store. But why was
she using a run-down bar as her lifeline. Just when she thought of that
something came to her mind, earlier, she witnessed the hacking skills of
the girl.

"It can't be, did you hack into the management company——?"

"............I-I had no choice but to do it if I wanted to live, that was an

emergency."

"I see, so unauthorized access added to the list."

The number of charges increased again. But since she didn't intend on
taking her to the police station, counting them was pointless.

"Anyway, who are you? You were at that venue, so I imagine you must
be a considerable Ojou-sama."

"Ah, I haven't introduced myself have I. Kiritou Haya, same as you

twelve years old."

"Kiritou...?"

Recognizing her last name, Aoko stood up and rummaged in the

machinery piled up in the corner of the store. As Haya moved closer, she
saw all of it was dirty, broken or in a bad state.

"That's a lot of machinery, where did you get it?'

"This? I stole it from discarded products——I'm just reusing them. I

secretly borrowed the rest from the drones in the city."

"...you hacked into drones for that?"

So that was her real purpose. Haya was amazed.

www.asianovel.com
637

"Oh, there it is. This is from Kiritou."

"Uwaa, you brought out something really old."

Aoko pulled out a small card-type machine. It was a product made ten
years ago when Kiritou initially began to rise. Haya reflected its
information on the terminal, and was surprised with its performance. The
specs were completely different from original. It wasn't the same as the
one developed by Kiritou.

"...could it be that you remodelled it?"

"Nn? Ahh, speaking of which I tampered with it after I picked it up...

about two years ago."

Although that's what Aoko said, it was not a modification on the level of
'tampering a little'. Haya was horrified by the fact that a twelve year old
girl who didn't go to school could do such a thing.

"...I see, in other words a genius."

"That's right. Even though I say it about myself, I am a genius."

"That's boasting a lot."

"It's the truth so it can't be helped. Nevertheless, there are various

elements I'm missing, but I'm still better than an inferior human like
you."

"Fine, I get it. I haven't made you scream enough yet."

"Eh, no, you're wro————GYAHHHHHHHH! My arm, i-it'll pop offfff!"

And before she noticed, Haya started to play with the girl called Aoko.

A young lady who lived in a sparkling world and the runaway girl who
had trouble finding food every day. The two who had nothing that
resembled each other and had completely different circumstances
surrounding them felt comfortable when they were together.

"Now then, I'm going home... see you tomorrow."

www.asianovel.com
638

"...sure, see you tomorrow."

That day, the two promised to meet again the other day for the first time
in their lives.

Part 4
"Ga———"

A hatchet pierced the chest of one of the executives and he fell to the
ground. A pale sphere of light left his body——the mental structure fell
out and was absorbed into the girl's palm.

"...I have seized all the functions of this structure and disposed of
completely, the thousands of employees. All that's left is you, Kiritou
Kouya."

"............"

The headquarters building's structure, the thirty-fifth and the top floor,
the executive board's meeting room. It was where the executives of the
Kiritou Group were talking about the benefits and the fate of the
company, it was all dominated by a single girl now.

All the executives who were vigorously discussing up until the last
moment now were lying on the floor, the only one surviving was the man
sitting in the top seat. Among this gruesome sight, four 《Zygotes》 were
slowly taking steps towards him.

"You... Asumi Aoko... why are you here..."

"Why? What a stupid question. Do I have to explain the reasons to you

one by one?"

Kouya who was sitting in a chair didn't move, no, he couldn't move.

On both of his sides were black knights who poised their hatchets
making him unable to move. He could imagine that were he tp move he
would share the fate of the executives who lied on the floor.

www.asianovel.com
639

"I have only one objective. You should know what it is."

Aoko glared at the unmoving Kouya and spat out coldly.

She had only one objective.

There is no way Kiritou Kouya, the man who erased the girl called Asumi
Aoko from this world wouldn't know it.

"...revenge, is it."

"Correct. But it isn't limited just to you."

While saying that, she took a hatchet from one of black knights and
aimed it at his neck.

"——Yeah. This is revenge. I will destroy you, and this castle you created
without leaving a single piece of it. Just for that I've been clinging to this
unsightly life of mine."

She broke her promise, confined ten thousand people, sacrificed her
only friend, and used the dream they made together so that she could
stand there.

Even though she knew just how sinful she was, she didn't stop. She
couldn't stop.

"...what do you intend."

"You can't do anything even if I tell you that. Shut up and rot away."

She slowly lowered the hatchet.

"The hell you wished for... you can finally see it."

The hatchet was swung casually, Kouya didn't even scream as it cut into
his neck.

And after being signalled, thousands of windows were deployed around

Aoko producing a huge program in conjunction.

"Logic Bomb 《Indra》 Generation Sequence——Start."

www.asianovel.com
640

According to Aoko's order, the mental structures of the ten thousand

people robbed by 《Jail》 converged at one point. As the lights gradually
started to give off a strong light, the ceiling and the floor started to
disappeared and turning to dust.

"Just a little more... a little more and it'll be all over..."

Asumi Aoko stood there quietly and waited for the final demise to come.

Part 5
"...have you calmed down?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Although Haya's complexion hasn't returned to normal yet, it was much

better now. Taiga exhaled with relief.

It was the third floor of the headquarters' structure, a small room that
had about eight tatami of space and a hidden door.

Haya said "When I was small I made it by hollowing out a portion of

structure, something like a secret base.", it seemed like Aoko didn't
know about this room.

Now then... what do we do now.

Taiga thought of what to do next.

Although they didn't know about this room, it was a matter of time until
they tear it down and find them. Although he confirmed the stage of
other levels while falling, there seemed to be a large amount of
《Zygotes》 on every floor. And their total number was——honestly, he
didn't want to think about it.

I don't know what's Asumi Aoko's objective, but being here is dangerous.
I'm worried about Fuyuki, we need to hurry and log out.

—— I'm going to the top floor. If there is something, come up there and
tell me there.

www.asianovel.com
641

That's what Aoko said. Although that line seemed like an invitation, but
unless they do something about her they won't be able to log out. There
was no other choice.

...first we need to ensure a way to fight.

Between this place and the top floor there were countless 《Zygotes》,
they had no choice but to break through.

Of course, breaking through with his bare hands was out of the question.
Were he to be surrounded it would be the end of the line.

Unexpectedly the room, no, the entire structure started to shake

violently. Taiga and Haya lost their balance.

"What?!"

The moment Taiga looked up, he saw electromagnetic waves run

through the structure, the walls became transparent and he saw the sky
far above them through it.

In there was a giant sphere of light shining above them and growing.
Seeing the empty sphere in the sky, Haya shouted.

"《Indra》...?!! Aoko, you want to destroy Kiritou that much?!"

Just by seeing the fear and shock on Haya's face Taiga was able to
assess the risk.

Taiga himself as well instinctively guessed——it would put everything to

an end equally. Whether it were people or objects, once they were
swallowed by that they would turn into dust.

"What's that?"

"...know anything about Logic Bomb?"

"No, haven't heard of it."

"It's a type of a cyber weapon. A program which overloads the operation

area and causes errors that destroy it. 《Indra》 is the worst among

www.asianovel.com
642

programs of that type. It's a genocidal weapon specializing in the

destruction of large-scale structures."

"...that's some dangerous wording."

It was something he would never hear in normal everyday life. But as he

looked at the sphere of light he didn't feel any discomfort.

"The one who made it, was it Asumi Aoko?"

"Yeah. Aoko said so herself, that this is an inhumane program that

shouldn't have been created."

"Inhumane?"

"The problem is not the fact that it destroys a large-scaled structure...

it's the material 《Indra》 is composed of."

Haya sat down on the bed and expanded a window.

It was Kiritou headquarters' structure floor plan, on it there were red and
white dot marks. While there were countless red dots on it, the only two
white dots were on the third floor.

"...looks like all the employees have been taken down."

"That's... the response of virtual bodies is it."

Judging from the number and location the two white dots was Taiga and
Haya. And the red dots must've been Kiritou employee's beaten by the
black knights. The 《Jail》 installed on them must have sucked out their
mental structure——

"...wait."

The dots connected.

Inhumane. The worst program. He heard earlier that a mental structure

was a mass of data impossible to analyse. After connecting all the
information he had, there was only one answer.

"It can't be... the material《Indra》 uses is——human souls?"

www.asianovel.com
643

"To be exact, a large amount of mental structures."

Haya emotionlessly corrected Taiga's words.

When he assumed that, the current situation all made sense. A large
amount of employees has been called to the headquarters structure
today to deal with the appearing troubles, and they all needed to be
hunted down as fast as possible. For that, 《Zygotes》 were used and to
complete it they were equipped with——《Jail》.

"If 《Indra》 was triggered, then all the people inside of the structure will
die due to the excess load applied to their brains. Kiritou will literally
disappear without a trace."

"How long will it take until it's completed?"

"I don't know the details, but it won't take long."

So there was no time to lose.

Then, Haya grasped Taiga's arm slowly and forced a window open. She
took out the complex attack-configured program 《Heavenly Sword》 and
the costume he was using in 《Aries》.

"What are you intending to do?"

"You're going to stop Aoko aren't you? I'm modifying 《Heavenly Sword》
so that it can be used in here. Wait a moment."

She said that and without waiting for his reply she started to change the
program. The percentage on the window said 1%, indicating
modification completion status. It went up to 2% soon enough.

"...I'm going as well."

Haya said it quietly, there were no hesitation in her eyes.

"Can you do it?"

Taiga stared into her eyes with anticipation.

He could see it in Asumi Aoko's eyes, she wasn't someone who would let

www.asianovel.com
644

herself be persuaded. She had to be forcefully stopped. In other

words——annihilate her.

"No matter the reason, I can't allow her to do such a thing. I need to stop
that idiot."

I'll go no matter what. She made such a response which indicated she
had a strong determination. Taiga frowned.

"Even so, I can't go up while carrying you."

"That's all right. I've thought it over properly."

There was a possibility of Haya getting attacked by Zygotes if she were

to be left behind anyway. Them staying together would ensure she was
safe.

"...just tell me one thing. What exactly is the current Asumi Aoko? Why is
she using Iora's virtual body?"

"...well, I guess you have the right to know."

She prompted Taiga to sit down and looked up at the ceiling with a
distant look in her eyes.

"Let's start... from when Aoko first came to Kiritou."

Part 6
——Both Kiritou Haya and Asumi Aoko were lonely.

The girl who was born to a blessed household and was forced to become
a 'lady', and the girl who was born into a poor environment and was
forced to become an adult.

Starting with a chance encounter and short but intense days. For the
first time ever since they were born the girls found a 'friend' with whom
they could openly speak with.

——My body is tainted. That was Asumi Aoko's favourite phrase.

www.asianovel.com
645

She was separated from her parents when they died and taken to her
relatives. It wasn't common, but it wasn't a rare story either.

But what was unfortunate for her, was the fact that her foster family was
badly distorted.

For Asumi Aoko whose every day was hell, Elysion was an utopia.

It wasn't an illusion nor a myth, a perfect world existed which spread out
majestically in front of her eyes. Denying the ugly reality, it was a place
like a dream where she could change anything as she wanted to.

Then one day, she ran away from the hell.

While struggling to survive, she surrounded herself with the things she
loved. And——she met with Haya, which made her even happier.

That's when Kiritou Kouya appeared in front of her. He knew of Haya's

suspicious actions and had his secretary investigate it in secret.

I want to hire you——that's what Kouya said after witnessing Aoko's

talent.

Although Kiritou was called one of the four major corporations, they
paled in comparison to the other three.

The yet-emerging company didn't have a brand, nor research and

development that has been ongoing for many years. What Kiritou Kouya
wanted was a genius who could overturn the absolute factor, time.

Asumi Aoko accepted the invitation and became a researcher at Kiritou.

Aoko's existence was top secret and only a few of the executives knew
of her, since Haya was at a similar age to her she has been appointed as
her watchdog.

Then one day, two years after she came to Kiritou.

Haya was working in her laboratory like usual, and Aoko also entered it
by using 《Transition》 like she always did. She seemed to have an
excited expression on her face.

www.asianovel.com
646

"Haya! Look, I found something great!"

"...Aoko, I say it every time. Can you stop releasing my room's security
without permission? It's bad for my heart."

"Then make security I can't break through. Though, that would be

impossible"

"Was that supposed to be sarcastic..."

That kind of chat was already familiar to them.

Haya put her work on hold and sighed.

Even though it was almost summer, Aoko was wearing clothes that
covered everything up to her wrists and ankles as well as a white coat
on top of it. Haya recalled the reason she hid her skin, and entered a
melancholic mood.

"...so, what did you find?"

"Oh. Look, this. I look around the company data and stumbled upon it."

What was projected in the air was an artificially-beautiful girl.

Her smiling expression had no emotions, felt dead as if it was a noh

mask. Her eyes were closed as if she was asleep.

"...AI?"

It was a prototype version from a few generations ago, a really old AI.
Haya looked in Aoko's eyes amazed.

"So what's so unusual about it?"

"It's the first time I've seen one, though I've knew of them before."

"Ah—...now that you say it."

AI was something 'convenient to have' back then, but in the end the
results were not worth the development funds. Of course, Kiritou didn't
involve themselves with these.

www.asianovel.com
647

" An AI is just a doll that mechanically follows instructions programmed

into them. What made you interested in it?"

"Indeed it is as you say, she's a doll right now. She's unable to think for
herself nor act by her own discretion."

Aoko continued to lay out words one after another as if to persuade her.
Although it was infuriating, Haya encouraged her to continue.

"With what has been installed into her she's only able of making basic
responses, her thinking circuitry is extremely primitive. Thinking of the
past, dreaming of the future, it's incomparable to a human brain which is
constantly thinking. And the most important thing——are the emotions."

"...aren't you ashamed of using that dramatic tone of voice?"

"Stop laughing at me. Anyway, when I saw her I thought that were an AI
to have emotions, it would be no different from humans."

"That's probably pointless. There's nothing to obtain from that."

Haya rejected her words all at once.

AIs have their own role, if they were given something as uncertain as
feelings it was unknown what kind of effect it would cause. Were a
machine to forget its duties, it would overturn everything that was
known.

But Aoko wasn't bothered with her words and just shrugged in a grand
manner.

"Ha〜ya〜. You're getting a bit too stained with the corporation's point of
view. You should think about things in a more free manner."

"Is it something a corporation-dedicated researcher should say?"

"Those are two different things. As always, you're horrible at switching

between public and private matters... listen and consider this. Aren't AIs
a significant existence for people?"

"Well, in general they are."

www.asianovel.com
648

"In other words its something that is necessary for an owner's daily life.
Then why not develop a relationship between them similar to
friendship?"

"...friendship eh."

She tried to imagine it for a moment.

Her lonely life and meeting of Kiritou Haya and meeting with Aoko, and
now an AI staying together with them. Sharing the fun days and the
fights with each other——

"How enviable."

She suddenly returned to earth and blocked her mouth in a hurry, Aoko
heard it clearly. She made a nasty grin and——

"Then how about we try making one?"

She said such a thing.

"...ha? What?"

"How dull. I said that me and you should make an AI that has emotions.
You think it's nice as well don't you?"

"Well I thought so for a bit but... you got your own research too don't
you. Moreover, I don't think you'll get a permit for developing an AI."

"Hmm. Then if I get the permission will you cooperate?"

"Only if you do. But that's absolutely impossible."

Haya answered appropriately, with this the topic was closed.

However, a few days later just as she declared, Aoko has obtained
permission from Kiritou Kouya.

And the two undertook the task of developing an AI that had emotions.

www.asianovel.com
649

With Asumi Aoko as the lead developer, it was a small project with only
two people in it. And its name used characters from the project leader's
name and was called thus——《Iolite》.[1]

Part 7
Gradually the modification rate for 《Heavenly Sword》 was nearing
100%.

As Haya stopped talking, a question appeared in Taiga's head.

"How did Asumi Aoko obtain Kiritou Kouya's permission? He isn't

someone who could be persuaded so easily."

He could tell just by looking at his face. Kouya wasn't a person who'd
listen to people. There had to be something behind this.

"Yeah. I've learned about it later, but it seemed like he turned it down
once. But since she wanted to do AI research she proposed to him a
trade."

"Trade?"

"...I've told you before. Profit is most important for us. Kiritou will do
anything as long as it profits."

"Yeah. And then she dabbled in the development of military

programs——that's what it means."

"Yes."

Asumi Aoko proposed an exchange. After being told this much, he

realized its contents.

She took a step into the worst research of 《Jail》 and 《Indra》 in order to
obtain some freedom.

"From now on it's the main issue. Aoko and I began the research on AI in
earnest. Virtual personality, in other words a mental structure created
artificially. But something like that couldn't be simply created by human

www.asianovel.com
650

hands."

They could only create a superficial personality configuration. But the

soul underlying it, its life, creating a will which would output emotions
from the scratch was stepping into God's realm.

"We had gave up on creating it from a scratch. What had caught our
attention was the study of Hologhosts which was actively carried out all
over the world."

"Hologhosts? Haven't heard of them."

"It's a quite famous research. It can be called an end point theme for the
cyber era. Discarding the unwanted real body and living eternally after
becoming a pure soul. In a nutshell, a study of immortality."

——Immortality.

In all eras and places it was silently talked about, a dream everyone had
at least once.

Everyone who has obtained everything, they could have said in the end
'I don't want to die', a primitive desire.

One of the Hologhost's concept's of affixing the mental structure to

virtual was helpful in building the AI. And from discovering something
already existing and applying it our study had began. Even though we
started with a bright concept... Aoko has found it."

It was supposed to be impossible.

From the day Elysion was born, countless researchers aimed for it and
were equally frustrated by their failures. But by chance, or maybe
because of God's mischief——Asumi Aoko arrived at the sanctuary no
one could follow her into.

"By burning out the brain through excessive load and completely cutting
the connection with the body the mental structure could affixed to the
virtual world... she found such a method."

www.asianovel.com
651

"In other words, a method to become a Hologhost."

"That's the kind of thing it is in a nutshell."

Even Asumi Aoko didn't expect that. However her extraordinary talent
changed impossible into possible despite her not wanting it.

"Aoko created Iora by using the knowledge she gained in that research.
But after consulting with me we promised not to reveal anything about
the research on Hologhost and keep it secret. It wasn't something not
worth consulting. And yet..."

"Asumi Aoko used it."

Asumi Aoko died by burning out her brain, and became a Hologhost
living in the virtual world. She entered Iora's body and continued to hide
in it.

"...the reason she used Iora's body can be inferred. Hologhosts cannot
move without a virtual body and there is no other body as suitable as
that one. After all, Aoko was the one who designed it, the adaptation
rate must have been considerably higher."

After finishing her story, Haya spat out the air in a sigh.

Taiga summarized the information in his head.

Currently Asumi Aoko was activating the program which was to destroy
the entire structure – Logic Bomb 《Indra》 using the mental structure of
all the employees as material. If it's triggered it's all GAME OVER,
everyone dies.

"Is there a method to stop 《Indra》?"

"There is no way to stop the sequence until its complete. Aoko is now a
Hologhost, her mental structure will disappear together with her virtual
body's elimination. That should stop it."

Elimination, the moment she said that Haya's expression shook for an
instant. Her disturbance disappeared soon enough and a sense of

www.asianovel.com
652

mission 'it's something that has to be done' dwelled in her. The danger
that light posed couldn't be overlooked.

"...all right, it's done."

The moment Haya murmured that a high pitched sound rang out, a
nodachi appeared in front of Taiga all at once. The moment he grasped
it his body was clad in light and he changed into the outfit he wore in
《Aries》, a white long coat.

"Now then, let's go."

"...yeah."

Taiga stared at Haya's emotionless back, and chased after her.

Part 8
"Haa... haa..."

"Your breathing has roughened considerably. It's about time your

processing speed decreased."

"No way. ...let's go!"

Just as she cried out a dozen of crystals appeared and were released at
《Angel》 in unison.

Each and every one of them was a powerful attack-configured program

capable of destroying it. Before the literally deadly arrows, Angel swayed
its hand. An exactly same number of sinister red crystals appeared
behind it and intercepted the blue crystals. The pure white space was
dyed in two colours, red and blue.

"...being able to develop such a number of programs in just a moment. If

we considered just the processing speed you might be above me. Looks
like it was a correct course of action to deal with you like this."

As Fuyuki's breathing turned rough because of excessive calculations,

Angel made a relaxed smile.

www.asianovel.com
653

They have exchanged about fifty attacks already. Assuming every time
they used about twenty programs, after a simple calculation it would
add up to a thousand——it was impossible for a program to withstand
such a load no matter how good it was.

"You... are you borrowing a calculation space from somewhere outside?"

Fuyuki was confident about that question, Angel laughed faintly, saying
it's 'correct'.

"If it were my real self then maybe, but this program can't stop you. My
calculation space is currently directly connected to the Kiritou's main
server. It's a huge server capable of managing multiple large-scaled
structures. No matter how fast your processing speed is, it's impossible
for you to break through it."

In other words, it meant that to destroy Angel she would need enough
strength to destroy the entire Kiritou server.

An ant and an elephant... that wouldn't be enough to describe it.

She couldn't win.

No matter how good at processing data and calculation a human was,

they couldn't compete with a server which could maintain a vast world's
heaven and earth. It was an overwhelming difference, the measures she
used made no difference.

"Certainly, Little Sister can't do anything alone."

Nevertheless, Fuyuki build another attack-configured program.

"...you don't know when to give up."

Angel let out a tired sigh and began interception. It was nearly three
times the number of the crystals released before, but that level of attack
could be easily intercepted if Angel had the backup of the main server.

From the overwhelming raw power difference, a small opportunity to

catch the enemy off guard appeared.

www.asianovel.com
654

That's why. When she hid a very very small program in the shadow of
the large amount of crystals. Angel overlooked it.

As red and blue crystals clashed releasing a flurry of sparks, the barrier
blocking off the structure was distorted for just a moment.

The tiny program was shot out through that distortion and used
《Transition》 to enter another structure beyond the barrier.

Part 9
"Ahh, Shio-chan. If you don't stir it faster that's going to be burnt you
know?"

"Eh? A-awawa?!"

A fragrant smell drifted in café 《Paradise》 which was empty despite it

being a holiday.

Shio was standing in the kitchen behind the counter with a pair of
chopsticks in her hand and stirred eggs in a hurry as they started to
rapidly solidify. Her movements couldn't be called 'good' even if it was
to be blatant flattery. Rui was racking her brain.

"Hmm. What can I do to teach you?"

"I'm sorry for bothering you..."

"No, the one who said she'll practice with you is Rui-san. For now let's
throw away these scorched scrambled eggs, Rui-san will tell you how to
do it now."

As Rui picked the frying pan while saying that, a small electronic sound
came from the terminal.

"Mail——it's from Fuyuki. It says...eh?"

"What happened Rui-chan?"

Rui put on a disturbed expression the moment she opened the window,
concerned by something. Shio stopped her hands that were working and

www.asianovel.com
655

moved closer. Rui turned the window so that she could see the contents
as well——

"...please lend me your strength, it says."

Seeing unknown coordinates marked in there, the two tilted their necks
puzzled.

Notes and References

1. ↑ Now, a quick explanation: Asumi Aoko is written as 阿菫青子.
The two middle kanji's were taken (bolded) 阿菫青子 and
石 (character for stone) was added making up 菫青石 – which
refers to Iolite (the gem). This is the first time Iolite was written in
kanji.

www.asianovel.com
656

Vol. 3 :

Chapter 5

Part 1
Asumi Aoko was a 'different' girl.

The place she was born in wasn't one built of concrete, but one
surrounded by nature. A mountain village.

She was born to be the only daughter of an ordinary household which

worked in agriculture, she spent her childhood while not being exposed
to the virtual world.

The turning point for her was her fifth birthday.

With the terminal she was given by her parents as a present, Aoko's
talent started blossoming.

The girl pulled off feats no one else could do, her parents were proud of
her being such a 'genius'.

Reaction of the villagers was just the opposite, chilly. Originally the
cyber technology wasn't popular in the rural areas. In such a small
world, Aoko was treated as 'abnormal' for her technical genius.

It was primordial fear of an existence they couldn't understand.

When her parents died in an accident, they attacked her out of malice
and kicked her out of village. She was taken care of by relatives of her

www.asianovel.com
657

mother.

She was responsible for laundry and cooking in there.

Rather than a child, that family wanted a convenient handyman——if

that was the truth, she would live a decent life. However, reality was
cruel. They vented their anger on Aoko in the form of violence.

As she lived her hellish everyday life, she learned a single truth.

—— I will never be able to walk in the light.

Part 2
"——Haa!!"

Taiga bisected a black knight who was falling at him from above and
jumped, kicking off the wall again.

"That's a really ridiculous bodily strength."

Haya was watching as Taiga rose five metres in the air at a stretch and
wanted to raise her voice objecting to such a sight. She ordered "leap"
quietly and the silvery-white knight who had Haya on its shoulder
jumped, following Taiga. The two of them and one virtual entity were
rising up by climbing up the terrace in the middle rather than use stairs
again.

"But is 'that' really safe?"

"It's all right, I've got it properly under my control. Want to try
manipulating it?"

While saying so, Haya lightly poked the silver knight——which was still a
Zygote just a few minutes earlier.

That's what Haya meant when she said she 'thought of it'.

"To think you would steal the controls of a Zygote and remodel it..."

"I knew these guys could be controlled. I'm glad I prepared measures to

www.asianovel.com
658

do that just in case. If possible I'd like to control several of them

though."

Haya analysed the attack-configured program Angel created and

thought ahead, making a program she could use.

But as expected, not talking about the horde of hundreds of them, she
could only use it on one.

The enemy's forces didn't change, the White Knight rushed through the
looming Zygotes destroying them. Sometimes he put Haya who was clad
in plain clothes on its shoulder as if it was a knight protecting a princess.

The entrance hall was far below them already, they had already
advanced about eighty metres. At this rate they'll reach it soon enou——

"———?!!"

A chill went Taiga's spine, he twisted his body making an immediate

judgement.

A huge hatchet cleaved where his neck was just a moment before. Were
his reaction be delayed by even a second, he would be already dead.

"Taiga?! Kuh!!"

Haya reached out to Taiga who was falling, pulled down by gravity. But
at that moment an army of Zygotes appeared by 《Transition》, there
were at least twenty of them.

So many...! White Knight alone isn't——

The White Knight's specs were higher after remodelling by Haya, but it
wasn't a large difference. If they fought then she would lose without a
doubt——however, the black knights ignored Haya and fell down,
following Taiga.

"...did they... overlook me?"

———No. It's her, she's calling me. There was no reason, but she
intuitively thought so.

www.asianovel.com
659

"——Head straight to the top floor."

After staring at the bottom for a moment, she commanded the White
Knight.

I'll stop Aoko. That's something I must do!

Tenryo Taiga was just 'an outsider who was unfortunate to get involved'.

Were he not to meet her, he wouldn't have had to suffer such an

experience. She couldn't involve him any more than this in the
circumstances of Kiritou.

Just which gear started turning it in this direction.

When they met six years ago, when Aoko came to Kiritou, when they
decided on developing Iora, or when she has discovered a way to
become a Hologhost. Where did they make a mistake.

She didn't know. No matter how long she thought about it, she couldn't
find it. Even so——

"...I will stop you, Aoko."

"I'd like to see if you can, Haya. Literally, stop me by force."

The two embraced the wishes they won't give up, and stood on the final
stage.

The light converged at one point.

Ten thousand mental structures gathered throughout Kiritou

structure——the souls condensed in one place giving off a brilliant shine
and forming one huge circuit. By bundling together the information
which could be called God's inviolable area, it created an arrow of
destruction to annihilate all that existed in that space.

"I'm honestly surprised that a day like this would come, where we stand
against each other."

www.asianovel.com
660

"...so you say. There's no way someone as smart as you wouldn't predict
me interfering. It was all pre-calculated by you wasn't it...?"

"Hmm, I wonder."

Under the giant light——the Logic Bomb 《Indra》, the two girls faced
each other.

"...why are you doing something like this?"

Haya asked quietly.

"I've been thinking about this all the time. Why would you use 《Indra》 to
crush Kiritou. Answer me Aoko, why would your feet slip from the proper
road!"

She broke the promise between the two of them, she became a
presence that only lived as a soul.

Reaping ten thousand lives and using them to destroy everything——the

reason for that, the source of that hatred, Haya didn't know of it. She
needed to learn about it.

"A reason huh. I don't mind telling you, but can you really bother with
that now?"

"...what do you mean?"

"Generating 《Indra》 has reached the final stage. I think you know it
already, but destroying it is impossible since it's a mass of 《Impossible
to Analyse Data》. The only way you can save yourself and Tenryo Taiga
is to eliminate me. You don't have time to waste by chatting do you."

"From the way you talk, it seems like you won't withdraw obediently?"

"Foolish question. If my determination was weak enough to stop because

of that, I would have obediently died a year ago."

A year ago——with these words Haya recalled Aoko's funeral.

For her who had no relatives the funeral was very simple, the only one

www.asianovel.com
661

attending was Haya.

The cause of her death was heart disease. In fact, she was sentenced to
'live six months longer' one month before she died. That's why it didn't
inspire any doubts in Haya when she died.

However, Aoko has become a Hologhost.

The cause of her death must have been excess load on her brain. That
meant——

"You committed a suicide haven't you."

"...it was Kiritou Kouya's doing. Were I to simply 'commit suicide' the
cause of death could be easily found by examining my body. Honestly it
helped me, you were the only one who could examine my body and find
out that I became a Hologhost."

"...that shitty man."

Haya insulted Kouya in low voice.

That man must have silenced the police and without scruples provided a
fake cause of death. Aoko predicted that and used it to become a
Hologhost, moreover thanks to that she was treated as if she died of
illness.

"Now, chat time's over."

*pachin*, a dry sound of Aoko's finger snapping could be heard.

A 《Zygote》 emerged from the black stain directly above Aoko. The
shape of its armour was different from the ones that were part of her
main fighting force. Probably it was specially modified by her.

"Both of us have a pawn. That's perfect. How about a proxy battle?"

"...a fight between Zygotes huh. Very well."

Just as the two girls took a step back at the same time, the white and
black knight stood in front.

www.asianovel.com
662

"Oh, that's right. A single piece of good news for you. Currently I'm using
part of my consciousness in order to stall Tenryou Taiga. Think of it as of
a handicap."

"...is that so. I'll accept it gratefully."

Kiritou Haya was far inferior to Asumi Aoko. That wasn't a guess but an
undeniable fact.

But if what she said was truth, then she was remotely operating dozens
of 《Zygotes》 and engaged in combat with Taiga. There might be a
chance Haya might be able to exploit.

There were two ways to damage a virtual body. Either to attack it with
an attack-configured program or erode it with a virus.

One of the pawns, the White Knight was originally 《Zygote》, a virus.

There were means of attacking, as well as a chance for victory.

All that's left——was to run it.

"Let's go, Aoko!"

According to Haya's order, the White Knight charged forward while

holding a hatchet.

The Black Knight started moving at the same time, the two knights
clashed with a tremendous roar.

Exhausting the program processing ability the two knights' slashes

crossed. Their trajectories were painted with white and black, an intense
sparks scattered throughout the air.

"Ahaha, your pawn's not that bad!"

"It doesn't feel like it! I know it's nowhere near enough myself!"

"No such thing. I know how proficient you are very well. That's why——I
will get a bit serious as well!"

As Aoko said that, five windows appeared.

www.asianovel.com
663

Aoko spread her hands like an orchestra conductor and started

operating on the windows with all ten of her fingers at once. The Black
Knight's armour started to change ominously and he pushed the White
Knight back.

"Tchh——damn it!"

Haya immediately opened a window to strengthen the White Knight in

response.

Stronger, faster, tougher, the two girls continued to cause evolution in

their pawn's armoured bodies.

《Zygotes》 combat ability was fairly simple.

The foundation of their actions were 'optimal motions corresponding to

the current situation'. They were aware of what was happening, moved
and acted with maximal efficiency under the current conditions. That's
why neither Haya nor Aoko interfered with their movements and only
improved their pawn's performance.

The trajectory of the slashes felt into disarray, they started fending off
each other's intense attacks.

At first glance it seemed like the battle was evenly matched. But little by
little the White Knight Haya was using slowly started to become cover
with cracks.

"You monster... You really aren't using your full strength are you!"

"How horrible, calling me a monster. In the first place, have you ever
won against me?"

"I never lost in arm wrestling!"

Haya desperately tried to bite back at her, but Aoko laughed when she
heard that and her fingers continued to dance.

The White Knight could no longer defend. It barely managed to divert

the black knight's attack, the black hatchet crushed its armour and

www.asianovel.com
664

shaved it off.

I didn't think winning would be easy, but to think there was such a big
difference...!

That talent was something else, Haya clenched her teeth.

——She couldn't reach.

The speed of her thoughts, processing area, information analysis. Asumi

Aoko was winning in every one of these factors.

And yet, Aoko was still spending some of her thought processes to fight
against Taiga. Were she to use her full strength——she wouldn't survive
even a second.

It didn't mean Haya was weak.

Even earlier than Fuyuki, she has been thoroughly educated from early
childhood and recognized as a gifted child, she was classified among top
class researchers in Kiritou. It was just that Asumi Aoko's ability was not
normal.

"There's no one who can beat me in Elysion... you're the one who should
know that the best. As usual, you hate losing don't you."

"Shut up!"

Even as they exchanged words, the Black Knight's evolution continued

to accelerate.

There were no foolish and flashy moves from either of them. Bit by bit,
the White Knight's escape route was being crushed as the number of
choices it could do was being limited.

"Good grief... so is the match over with this?"

"It's not over yet."

Although that's what Haya said, the outcome was already determined.
The Black Knight has surpassed the White Knight in every attribute,

www.asianovel.com
665

even changing strategy wouldn't give it a chance.

"How stubborn... fine. I'm already bored with you, it's time for the next
step. It's time to end this."

Responding to Aoko's order, the Black Knight let out an eerie roar. That
moment the black hatchet released a huge amount of miasma and
became a huge sword.

"I will put an end to this."

With a roar, the black sword was swung down.

Despite raising the hatchet in order to defend, it was torn through and
the White Knight's body was cleaved apart like a piece of paper. Half of
the White Knight's body collapsed and it could no longer function.

The Black Knight brandished its huge sword in no time and aimed for
Haya who was left unguarded——just as Haya predicted.

"Naive—— 《Intercept》!!"

Haya implanted a silver crystal in it, she used the opportunity that
appeared when it made a roundhouse slash. The Black Knight's
movement suddenly stopped.

Its movements stopped for less than a second, but that was enough.

The right side of the White Knight's body rose up and cleaved the
defenceless Black Knight's torso.

"Wha..."

"It's over, Aoko!"

Aoko was shaken for a moment. Haya didn't miss that opportunity. She
closed the distance to her not giving her time to summon a 《Zygote》
and hit her neck!

*kiyinn*, a high-pitched metallic sound rang out.

Haya's breath turned rough and her head was aching because she

www.asianovel.com
666

overdid it with excessive calculations, she tried getting rid of the excess
hit in her head.

It was quite reckless. In just a moment she used the 《Intercept》 which
was a very forceful move. Her brain was exhausted after continuing the
fight, the fatigue hit her now.

"But, with this somehow..."

She was able to stop her——that's how it should have been.

"That made me a bit surprised."

As a cool voice shook her eardrum, Haya moved her body away.

"That 《Intercept》 is the program which snatched away the control over
《Zygote》 from me right? It's effect allows to temporarily override
administrative privileges. Although I've been wary, to think you could
steal the control from me even for a second... as expected of you."

The huge hatchet that was supposed to drop on her neck has been
stopped by something that look like a rod.

It was thin enough for even Aoko's hands to use it. It was clad in jet-
black haze which increases its eeriness several times.

This is bad——her instincts was sounding the alarm bells.

Haya tried to return to the White Knight immediately, but before that a
black slash cut through the silvery armour. The White Knight could no
longer maintain itself and disappeared, changing into particles of light.

"I didn't want to do something as uncouth as fighting myself. I wonder if

this body still remembers it? When I created a weapon it naturally took
this shape."

What was in Aoko's hands, was a jet-black scythe like the incarnation of
darkness itself.

It was exactly the same as the weapon the Grim Reaper virus used once.
But for some reason, the way she poised it now felt dozen times more

www.asianovel.com
667

frightening than the original.

"...let's go."

That moment, Aoko disappeared like smoke.

I lost sight of her, where is——the moment she tried to turn around in a
hurry, an nasty sound rang out. At the same time she felt discomfort as
if someone was pulling out her intestines.

"I will not stop. Until everything turns into ash, I will step over all
hindrances. Even if it's my my partner."

Aoko spoke those words right beside Haya's ears. After slowly pulled out
the scythe out of her abdomen, Haya's body losed its strength and rolled
on the ground.

Not goo——

Haya's consciousness was fading away. In an attempt to clear the field

of vision that was being dyed white, she formed a fist and stabbed her
nails into her hand.

There was no pain. Even when she hit her stomach with her fist she
couldn't feel any pain.

The Cyber World blocked out the pain. But it didn't block out the feeling
of impact. It was surely mentally damaging. Currently Haya was
determined 'absolutely not to fall' which allowed her to maintain her
consciousness.

"Goho... geho!"

She got a fit of coughing and a rebound from her stomach.

Let alone standing up, she couldn't even move. She desperately raised
her face to look at Aoko who looked down on at her with cold eyes and
smiled with satisfaction.

"Yup, you're perfectly on the brink of death. You'll be a great bait like
this."

www.asianovel.com
668

...b...ait?

Haya was only able to catch the word 'bait', but she understood its
meaning soon enough. The whole situation proceeded to the next stage.

A sudden explosion roared from centre of the floor.

Minced pieces of the Black Knights' appeared from the central terrace
and disappeared after turning into particles of light. A white shadow
holding a blade landed on the top floor.

"You came at last, Tenryo Taiga. Aren't you late."

"............"

He ignored Aoko's provocative words, his eyes wandered towards the

scythe and then his gaze switched to Haya who was lying on the floor
beside Aoko.

"...you bitch, so you would go that far."

Taiga said that in a horribly flat voice. Anger was swelling up in him, he
took a step forward. Seeing him like that Aoko expanded a window in the
air.

There, he saw Angel exchange attacks with Fuyuki by using crystals.

"——Fuyuki!!"

Although Taiga yelled, his voice didn't reach her.

The Fuyuki on the screen seemed like she was nearing her limits, she
continued to desperately shoot down the red crystals with a hand
pressed on her head.

"As you can see, your little sister is in my hands. Continuing to harass
her like this isn't bad, but I might as well turn her into a part of 《Indra》.
There's not that much fuel for it to use."

Cloudy, black emotions accumulated in his belly.

I won't let you. I'll protect people who are precious to me——that's the

www.asianovel.com
669

reason I've been living for. That's why I seeked strength.

If he allowed such a thing, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

"...but this one'll be first."

At the end of his field of view, the large scythe was swung up casually.

Its blade was aimed at Haya who has fallen on the floor and couldn't
move. Seeing her pupils beg for help, Taiga cried out.

"Wait——!"

"First."

*slosh*——a horrible fleshy sound could be heard, a quiet scream spilled

from Haya's mouth.

"...Tenryo Taiga. The first irregular that has barged into this plan. As a
countermeasure for you who has interfered with 《Jail》's and 《Zygote》's
performance test, it was essential to carry out this plan."

Although Aoko said something, it didn't enter Taiga's ears.

What occupied his mind, was anger which blazed crimson.

Haya's body collapsed face down, in his mind it overlapped with the
appearance of his dead parents. His emotions were dyed red, everything
other than Asumi Aoko disappeared from his field of vision.

"I thought a lot about it. I came up with some countermeasures, but in
the end I decided on something easier. Basically, humans become weak
when they are tired."

He clenched the nodachi's handle with all his strength.

His endlessly gushing murderous intent was relayed to the weapon, he

said quietly.

"——I'll kill you."

That moment, Taiga jumped tremendously fast.

www.asianovel.com
670

〈"Activate——Synchro Infinity!!"〉

Driven by his rage, he pulled out his trump card.

After he smashed a sky blue crystal, the shackles that tied up Tenryo
Taiga have fallen off.

He cut through the air, leaving behind the scenery. Taiga swung his
nodachi at Aoko's neck who was looking at him with a condescending
smile!

"...when people who surround you get hurt, you become emotional.
That's your weakness, Tenryo Taiga."

The nodachi that was supposed to slip into her neck was blocked with a
black liquid.

As he looked up momentarily, he saw a large hole about two metres in

diameter in the air from which a black miasma overflowed.

"Come, let's start the second act."

She grabbed the neck of Haya who fell over and sprang back. The black
miasma surrounded Taiga and formed black knights. Their number was
thirty or more.

However, that wasn't enough to stop Taiga as he currently was.

"Out of my way——!!"

Fifth form 《Heavenly Mist》. More than a dozen black knights turned into
particles and disappeared.

The reason he struggled with them before, was because he was unable
to attack. Just thirty of the knights weren't an opponent for Taiga in his
fully synchronized state.

"Oh-ho, that's no good. There's still a lot of them out there."

www.asianovel.com
671

As to replenish the numbers after those which disappeared, more

miasma continued to flow out of the hole in the air and formed a dozen
of Zygotes once again. Taiga took a step back and fought them off
reflexively. Although he chopped them into pieces quickly, their resupply
didn't stop.

"No matter how many viruses of this degree you gather, it won't work!"

"I bet. They cannot seal your attacks like they could before. Even if there
were fifty of them they wouldn't be able to stand up to you. But... how
abouttime?"

"Time?"

Taiga's movements didn't stop. Every time a keen flash of steel cut the
black armour an arm or head was cut off.

Aoko let out a ridiculing laughter as she overlooked him seesawing back
and forth.

"That program of yours... it's called 《Synchro Infinity》 isn't it. How long
can you use it?"

"———?!!"

His movements were disturbed after he heard Aoko's words.

It was true that 《Synchro Infinity》 continued to hack him and there was
a large strain on the brain, it couldn't be used for long periods of time.
Its creator, Fuyuki said that there's a five minute limit. However, Aoko
shouldn't have known it.

"Could you not underestimate me? You think I was just watching your
previous fight with 《Zygote》 for my enjoyment? I was searching for your
weakness."

During the fight two weeks ago. Taiga did indeed use 《Synchro Infinity》
for his final attack.

But that was triggered only for a few seconds. So she must have

www.asianovel.com
672

managed to find its disadvantages in such a short time.

"I can understand the program's performance just by looking. I figured it

out immediately that using it must've involved an accordingly high risk.
After learning that, finding countermeasures against you was easy."

*pachin*, Aoko snapped her fingers.

The hole in the air further expanded and started to drop a torrent of
miasma. All of it turned into Zygotes and pushed onto Taiga with sheer
mass.

"Until your head starts screaming, I'll continue to conduct this song."

——Stalling for time.

In short that's how Aoko's tactic could be described, it was an extremely

simple thing.

However, Taiga was worried about the time limit. Were he to fight with
this inexhaustible supply of troops prepared by using players from a
large-scaled structure, this tactic could be deadly to him.

"Shit..."

He cut down Zygotes surging from all sides.

Releasing 《Synchro Infinity》 was not an option. The moment he releases

it, he would have been overpowered by the horde of enemies.

The only choice was to break through by concentrating on one point. But
Aoko wouldn't allow it. The attack came from all directions at all times,
the forces were replenished the instant they fell and wouldn't thin out.

"Let's start it... the final stage which will make you run out of strength!"

In response to Aoko's words, the Black Knights' movements were

revitalized. The deadly battle has begun.

"...the number passed four hundred and fifty. I can't say I expected this."

www.asianovel.com
673

Seeing the sight in front her, Aoko let out a breath and exclaimed
involuntarily.

What spread in front of her, was truly a battlefield. In order to crush one
boy a number of soldiers flocked. The boy was slashing the black
downpour which pushed on him from all directions. The tip of the sword
moved at a crazy speed which made it blur as it continued cutting apart
one Black Knight after another.

"Taking down more than one per second... that's an instant death one
should fear. It was the correct decision to be wary."

Aoko infested a number of virtual bodies with 《Zygote》 and reared

them. Their number was approximately a thousand and five hundred.

She acquired such a number in case a problem were to appear in the

large-scaled structure, thanks to that she still had a lot of fighting force
left. But she didn't expect she would spend a third of the force on one
person.

"Oh well——isn't he about to hit the limit?"

A smile spilled on Aoko's face and she started to walk slowly towards the
battlefield.

His thoughts were screaming.

"——Haa!"

He did a roundhouse kick and a cut at the same time. As he turned

around he immediately cut the neck of the Black Knight who was behind
him.

With nodachi in his hand, Taiga continued to single-mindedly hunt the

《Zygotes》.

Taiga made the circular area around him his own and continued to cut
down any enemy that stepped inside. Renjou Sword Technique Sixth

www.asianovel.com
674

Form 《Enkuu》. Although at first he didn't allow any enemy to approach

him within a two metres radius, he was currently fighting at a distance
where they were almost grazing his cheeks.

"Guh...ah...!"

*zukin*... a fierce pain ran through him.

Taiga's movement visibly dulled, the hatchets were swung at him from
all the sides as enemy saw an opportunity.

He somehow parried it and avoided a mortal blow by dodging but a

small cut was engraved on his body.

All of his five senses were blurred as if he had a high fever.

The ringing in his ears continued to increase more and more, he was
attacked by a illusion that made him feel as if he was to lose sensation
in his fingers.

It's been already seven minutes since he triggered 《Synchro Infinity》,

Taiga's body exceeded the limit long time ago. And yet he still continue
to fight, driven by his strong will. However, the turnaround of the
situation was nowhere in sight.

And then——the time has come.

"———?!!"

Against his will, force left his knees. At the same time a severe pain
incomparable to what he felt hit his entire body, colour was drained from
his vision.

"...checkmate."

A quiet declaration. It was the signal.

When Taiga stopped moving two huge hatchets penetrated his

shoulders, furthermore his entire back has been slashed.

"Agah...!!!"

www.asianovel.com
675

The nodachi fell out of Taiga's hands and dropped on the floor with a dry
sound.

Although Taiga would normally fall, both of his pierced shoulders locked
his body in the air like a model. With his knees on the ground and hung
down head he looked like a sinner sentenced and waiting for
punishment.

He desperately raised his face while feeling a pain that made it seem
like his body was falling apart. His vision was still blurred, yet he still
wasn't released as Asumi Aoko pushed through between the black
knights.

"You did well to get this far. I didn't think you would withstand this much.
You have my honest praise."

"...s..hut...up..."

As Aoko gave him an applause and clapped her hands, he glared at her
while releasing killing intent.

He tried to force his body to move, but he felt a throb in his head every
time causing his consciousness to recede.

"Good grief, could you not look at me with such eyes?"

Aoko slowly brandished the jet-black scythe.

Although she had a smile on her face, her eyes were cold and didn't
show any emotions.

"If you look at me with such impudent eyes... I'll feel like crushing them."

Together with the clear voice, the scythe's blade pierced through Taiga's
left eye.

"——GAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!!!!"

He screamed.

Ignoring Taiga's screams which were loud enough to tear eardrums,

www.asianovel.com
676

Aoko focused on the scythe in her hands.

With nasty fleshy sounds, the blade entered his back. Feeling a severe
pain as if his nerves were torn apart and a discomfort in his head, Taiga
continued to scream. If he didn't, he would go crazy.

After a dozen of seconds that felt like forever, the sickle was withdrawn
slowly.

If it were reality, pieces of meat would have clung to the blade, but there
were none in here. Aoko looked at him satisfied and walked behind him.

"Wa...it... whe...re...are you...going..."

"...that's surprising. You're still conscious."

Aoko made a surprised expression as she heard a low voice he squeezed

from his lungs.

Taiga's posture was unchanged, he found Aoko with his remaining eye.
Although, his breath was faint and the only thing that kept his
consciousness together was his will.

"The rebound from the program should have caused you a fierce pain,
I'm amazed about your strength of will. Well, it would have been better
for you if you obediently lost consciousness."

A normal human being would have fainted long time ago, no, it wouldn't
be weird if they died from shock——that's how painful it was. Aoko has
comitted a suicide by burning out her brain in the past, she knew a bit
about that pain.

She stood in front of Taiga, strongly grabbed his hair and forcibly raised
his face. A horrible noise was running through his left eye, but his right
eye displayed an unchanged and strong will in it.

So he can still make such eyes.

Aoko admired those eyes a great deal.

Tenryo Taiga no longer had any strength to raise his face.

www.asianovel.com
677

He couldn't hold his sword nor defeat any Black Knights, he couldn't
even dream of stopping Aoko. Were she to swing down her
scythe——with just that, his life would have been easily extinguished.

"W..hy...?"

"Nn?"

"...why...would you...betr..ay..Haya...like...that? Isn't...she your

best...friend...?"

His voice was quiet enough to disappear carried off by the wind. Aoko
looked at the Logic Bomb which slowly expanded above her and
released Taiga's hair from her hand.

"The reason huh. Oh well, there's no need to hide it and 《Indra》's

generation is slower than estimated so I'll tell you some of it."

Aoko put her fingers on Taiga's forehead.

As she did that a light colour appeared, a scenery Taiga has never seen
flowed through his head.

"I implanted some data into your mind. The stimulus might be a little too
strong, so try not to break okay?"

Asumi Aoko has become a Hologhost and obtained some freedom in

manipulating mental structures. Two week ago, she sealed some of
Shio's emotions.

Because she was like that, she could replicate and transfer memories as
well. In Taiga's head the memory of the original 'Asumi Aoko' has been
imputed.

Those were, gruesome memories.

"In a trade off in exchange for Kiritou Kouya to allow us to develop AI

・Iolite, I agreed on developing military programs. That's because that
miser wouldn't allow research that wasn't profitable. So I've been made
to do such things, I didn't resist it."

www.asianovel.com
678

A memory was played out, a sight he didn't know appeared and

disappeared.

——First, it was just a security program.

He gave her a norm and ordered her to produce, she made things
according to his instructions. Legitimate programs like ones used by
police. However, Kouya's instructions slowly became more extreme as
not to make Aoko too aware of it.

Surveillance cameras, motion sensing, aircraft control systems, the

backbone of the Kiritou Headquarters' structure defence system, anti-air
defence systems——no one knew as she continued to be entrusted with
more and more important work.

"Now that I look back, placing me and partnering me with Haya was a
trickery. My senses were clearly paralyzed. Every day I spent with Haya
was fun and my recognition of right and wrong has become ambiguous."

That's why she took on the task of developing military programs. If just
that much allowed her to research and develop something together with
her best friend, she would do it without thinking twice.

"I was reminded of my foolishness three years ago. I was curious how
the program I made was used... and learned that it was a murder
weapon used in war zones."

In the end, it was something made by a child. It couldn't be all that

important.

Those optimistic thoughts of hers were crushed with ease.

She made it. She made a program made to murder people——no,

because of her a lot of people died.

"I was in shock. I felt like I fell into the abyss. I knew I no longer had the
qualification to live in the light, I reached out to it with regret... and this
is the price."

A scene emerged in Taiga's mind.

www.asianovel.com
679

A season during which cherry blossoms fluttered around, the two girls
laughed together while wearing brand new uniforms. The girl who was
walking a road full of light and hope for the future was reminded that
she was still in hell.

"I didn't say I want to quit. If I stopped my development Kiritou Kouya

would have immediately discarded Iolite. Also... my hand was stained
with blood a long time ago. That's why, I just did what I could. Even if it
was hell."

Even though she knew people would die, she still continued to develop.

She at least resisted when 《Zygote》 and 《Indra》 were in the conceptual
stage and destroyed them as high risk programs. She knew well that it
was hypocrisy.

"Then one day, a doctor has sentenced me to death."

Life expectancy, six months——it was already too late for treatment.

"Of course I feared death. But even more than that, I was relieved. With
that I would be free from this hell, I wanted to use my remaining time for
myself... and yet, do you know what that man, Kiritou Kouya thought?"

She thought she will be free by the very end.

For her who was always tied to something, she wanted a bit time for
herself. She wanted to go to the bright places along with Haya. It was
her last chance. And that——

"——『'Then spit out all the knowledge and skills you have during these
remaining six months.'』. The day I was sentenced to live six more
months, that man said so."

You are a tool. You will be used until you're broken. Having her
remaining time taken away made her feel outraged.

That's when anger, resentment, hatred have flowed into Taiga...

excessively strong negative feelings were boiling. It became the root of
Asumi Aoko's revenge.

www.asianovel.com
680

"I'll destroy everything. Kiritou Kouya, and this silly kingdom he made by
using me all all all of it will be destroyed not leaving a single piece
behind."

"............"

She looked down at Taiga who didn't say anything, Aoko aimed the
scythe's blade once again.

No more talking. She will eliminate the nuisance, end him.

"See you, Tenryo Taiga."

The decapitating slash was swung down.

Just as the blade of darkness has been plunged into Taiga's defenceless
neck——just before the blade sank in, it stopped.

"———?!"

Aoko's eyes were stained with surprise.

What stopped the scythe, was Taiga's hand which shouldn't have had
any will to move.

He gripped the blade with all his strength, it didn't move even though
Aoko tried her all.

"...I finally get it."

Taiga murmured quietly and forced himself up.

The hatchets in his shoulders sliced the nerves, a severe pain ran
through his entire body. But that was fine.

...it's alike.

He finally found a reason why he recognized Aoko as the enemy the

moment he met her.

They were alike, this girl and him. They resembling each other a lot.
That's why——he couldn't acknowledge Asumi Aoko.

www.asianovel.com
681

"...someone has to put an end to it."

"...what?"

*mshrr*, the sickle Taiga grasped let out a sound.

He forcibly pulled out the hatchet from his shoulders. He didn't feel any
pain, and his anger has reached critical point long ago.

"It's not about your suicide. But you know, don't involve your best friend
in something that stupid! If you want to die, then die alone!"

Just by shouting his consciousness receded. The severe pain from his
crushed left eye felt like poison, his vision was dyed red.

Even so, he didn't fall. He couldn't afford to fall.

There should've been a different path she could have taken.

Be happy according to that path, be fulfilled after choosing that ending.

And yet——why would she choose a path on which no one would be
saved.

He didn't approve of such a story. He didn't approve of such an

outcome.

Tenryo Taiga bet everything he had, as he absolutely needed to change

this ending.

"Such a wasteful story——right here, right now. I'll put an end to it!"

He stared straight in front of him and declared.

Tenryo Taiga will deny Asumi Aoko——that was the meaning embedded
in these words.

"...hee."

Aoko tried to shake off Taiga's hand and hit the ground lightly with the
scythe's handle.

With that the 《Zygotes》 activated and surrounded him.

www.asianovel.com
682

"I don't really get what you're saying... but I can understand that you
want to continue fighting with me. But are you going to do it with such a
worn out body?"

It was just as Aoko said, Taiga had wounds all over his body. Although it
wasn't damage that could be called critical, but it was a miracle he was
still standing.

"Suuu....haaa..."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

Again and again, deeper and deeper, he did it countless times.

With his breathing came pain, it swallowed his feelings and roused the
instinct inside his consciousness.

"...it's been two months since I last intended to kill a person."

He went back in time.

Reawakening 'himself' from the time before reunited with her.

He slowly opened his eyes, in the sky-blue pupils dwelled an unwavering

will.

www.asianovel.com
683

"——Let's start, Asumi Aoko."

That moment, Aoko felt a thirst for blood which made her blood freeze.

While feeling a horrifying sensation grabbing her heart she lost the
mental battle, she snapped her fingers.

"Get him!"

As they were ordered to, the Black Knights kicked off the ground and
jumped.

Taiga kicked up the nodachi that was lying on the ground with his
foot——and he vanished.

He reappeared few metres away right before a materializing Black

Knight and lightly swung his fist. The blow that shouldn't have hit
anything has captured the assaulting Black Knight's head from the right
side and pulverized it.

"—— 《Raijyuji》"

In no time he twisted his body and released a lightning fast double

attack.

The Black Knight's armour was decomposed in an instant. Aiming at

Taiga the moment he still hasn't changed his posture, dozens of Black
Knights rushed at him——and they exploded with a flash.

With a speed that made it look hazy, the blade has drawn multiple
slashes in an instant. Unable to wield their hatchets any longer, the
Black Knights became wreckage.

"HAAAaa!!!!"

It wasn't a fighting style driven by anger like the one he used earlier.

These were sophisticated movements without any waste, a refined way

of fighting which purely dedicated his movements to destroying the

www.asianovel.com
684

target.

...calm down, he's just using a way of fighting that won't put a burden on
his body. Tenryo Taiga reached his limit long time ago. There's no
element that would make me lose.

Aoko analysed the situation calmly.

No matter what he said, the damage to his body didn't disappear.

There was no way his brain would recover from a fatigue that made him
fall over once already——she know that.

But what is this feeling?

One of his eyes was crushed. His body was cut up. His trump card
《Synchro Infinity》 already passed its limit.

Asumi Aoko couldn't win against Tenryo Taiga——such a baseless

thought was stuck in her head and wouldn't leave.

He soared with a flash.

It was as if everything other than him was in slow motion, the Black
Knights were trampled over not even having a chance to counter-attack.
At a speed that couldn't be followed with eyes, sometimes he crushed
them with his body, sometimes he cut them up, and continued to reduce
their numbers.

"———!! Adding body connection path, continuous transition!"

When she returned to herself, Aoko added another summoning point,

doubling it.

A dull pain hit her because of the sudden load, a mass of Zygotes which
transferred from another large-scale structure attacked Taiga.

——He sped up even more?!"

But, even so, they didn't reach him.

Rather than grow dull, Taiga's movements became faster and sharper.

www.asianovel.com
685

He cut up the Black Knights in a blink of an eye.

Witnessing that sight, Aoko realized.

———Until this boy defeats himself, he will never fall. He had no bounds,
he would become infinitely strong.

"...! What is... this?"

Unexpectedly, an unknown memory appeared in her mind.

Happily walking with his parents and little sister, a large truck plunging
towards her. The siblings who ran escaped, the dying parents.

It's not my memory... did the circuitry have a rebound?

The electronic circuits planted Taiga's memory in her.

Although it was supposed to be the other way around, Tenryo Taiga's

memory, the strongest one among them flowed into Aoko.

——A young boy who lost everything.

Separated by death with his parents, and torn away from his remaining
little sister.

Even so he tried to live and face forward. If there was next time, he
swore to himself to become strong enough in body and mind so that he
could protect what was precious to him then.

However, the boy was weak.

He was adopted by a military clan. A complete amateur was given the

last name of the head family. It resulted with him being bullied, he was
beaten up and ragged down every day.

But the boy endured and put in a desperate effort. If he becomes strong
enough he'll find the place he belongs to——he believed in that. And
eventually found it.

However, soon enough he was chased away from it. It was simple. While
there were people who didn't acknowledge weakness, there were also

www.asianovel.com
686

people who hated strong people. In the boy's case, it was the people of
Renjou's main family.

Strength is everything. That was the iron law of Renjou. If the boy
continues to grow at this rate, he will deprive us of the family head's
seat——they feared that happening, and sent the nine year old boy to
the battlefield. They hoped and prayed for his death.

His memories from the past were gruesome enough to make her want to
turn away, they were full of blood and death.

Kill or be killed. Under such an abnormal environment he killed for the

first time, he wasn't given any time to repent. He made eye contact with
people as he killed killed killed and continued to kill them.

How many hundreds, how many thousands. He sowed death.

He continued to circle around battlefields accustomed to death, stained

with blood, he became a human who robbed people of their lives without
any hesitation.

And one day, after three years from the moment he first killed——he
noticed that he thought nothing of his parents death and despaired.

He bore hatred for everything.

The environment that drove him to that point, he thought of killing all
the folks who made him like that.

And yet, he stopped himself from doing that.

Let's live together one day——the only family he had left, in order to
protect the promise with his little sister, the boy discarded hatred.

"............don't fuck with me."

Glimpsing into that memory, Aoko murmured dumbfounded.

It was the same.

Deprived of their place to stay, living a life while being treated like a

www.asianovel.com
687

tool. And——accumulating a multitude of sins, yet still reaching towards

the light.

The only difference was the result. He discarded the hatred, she decided
on having revenge.

"———!!!!"

She clenched her teeth strongly until they creaked.

I won't acknowledge it. Just this boy, she absolutely couldn't

acknowledge his existence——it was nothing as simple as cognate
aversion, a searing anger was born deep within her.

"All individuals... Armour Create!"

Driven by rage, she cried out towards the heaven.

The Black Knights who were fighting against Taiga turned back to
miasma and wrapped around Aoko.

The miasma covered her torso and limbs before crystallizing, changing
into a darkness-coloured armour. Aoko grasped an atrocious scythe with
an over one metre blade in one hand and swung it.

Aoko became a mass of murderous intent and glared at him, Taiga

responded her squarely.

"Why... you're the same, even though you are the same as me!!"

"——Come. Cut that out and let's finish this."

"WHY IS IT ONLY YOU STAYING IN THE LIGHTTTTTTTTTTT!!!"

The two kicked off the ground at the same time and clashed with a loud
roar.

Part 3
At about the same time as Taiga and Aoko engaged each other in a
deadly battle. In the special structure prepared by Aoko, the 《Prison》,

www.asianovel.com
688

the cyber warfare was about to reach its imminent conclusion.

"Cut it out, how about you give up."

The defence program Aoko prepared——《Angel》 stared at Fuyuki

soberly.

"Haa... haa...!!"

Fuyuki didn't answer. No, she couldn't afford to answer would be more
correct.

The number of attacks they exchanged reached three digits. A countless

number of attack-configured programs has been created. Once she even
created a hundred of them at once. And yet, it was all in vain.

Angel looked down at Fuyuki as she exhaled roughly and spoke quietly.

"I've told you earlier, I have no intention of harming you. And yet, why
do you continue that despite knowing you can't win? It's hard to
understand."

No matter what she does she couldn't surpass Angel who received the
backup of the main server, a smart girl like her should know it.

And yet, she didn't give up.

"...it's because, you showed me, such a video...!"

Fuyuki answered while catching her breath.

What she was shown, was Taiga being cut by numerous Black Knights,
as well as him having his left eye pierced with a scythe. After being
shown such a thing, there was no way she could stay calm.

"Because of such emotions which last only for a moment you repeat
your pointless resistance. Truly pointless."

The Angel laughed and described her resistance as 'foolish'.

"There's a limit to how much one person can do. You can't defeat me,
that reality won't change no matter how hard you try, that's the absolute

www.asianovel.com
689

truth."

This single girl who seemed to be stuck in this hell until she died.

And after living that silly life, she arrived at a single truth. Her hatred
concentrated in these words.

"...are you an idiot?"

Fuyuki discarded it all with a single word.

"——What?"

"People have limits? Nothing will change no matter how hard they try?
Even if you say that. That's not a reason to give up is it."

Tenryou Fuyuki understood she was a highly eccentric human being.

The only thing she had was her technical skills in cyber technology. She
was bad at sports and exercise, she didn't possess the necessary skills
required for everyday life. Also, she was fragile mentally.

She was supported by Taiga and Rui as well as Shio, and became able to
live a decent life.

"If it's impossible alone then do it with two people. If it's impossible with
two people then do it with three people. When Little Sister was in pain,
Brother supported her. That's why, when Brother is in pain his little sister
must support him. 'Impossible' or 'it can't be done' has nothing to do
with it."

She separated the words with small pauses during which she took small
breaths every time.

"Before giving up one has resist with all their strength, That's what Little
Sister thinks."

"...!"

These words as if seeing through it, have pierced Aoko's heart which
was dwelling in Angel's chest.

www.asianovel.com
690

——What do you know about me.

Fuyuki and I are different.

There was someone who reached out to her. Aoko didn't have such a
person.

Resist what. You are just blessed, that's all——!!

"——I didn't intend to harm you, but I changed my mind."

Driven by fury it clamped on Fuyuki's neck. In its hand was a red

light——a military program which captured the mental structure 《Jail》.

"You'll die here."

There was no hesitation, at this rate 《Jail》 would steal her mental
structure and fuel 《Indra》——yes, it was then.

Suddenly, power left Angel's body.

"Wh...at...?"

*clank*, it collapsed on its knees. Its body became as heavy as lead for
some reason. The 《Jail》 could no longer be maintained and melted away
into the air. And it heard the voice of a third party that wasn't (shouldn't
be) in there.

〈"Nnn... can it be that we barely made it in time?"〉

〈"Hime-chan, you all right?"〉

"Yes. Nice timing, Rucchan, Shii-chan."

Angel forced its face up and stared at the two girls reflected on the
window.

"Saionji Rui, Karasuba Shio... why those girls——no, rather than that,
what did you do?!"

Its body was heavy to an impossible extent. This state, it seemed like its
processing area wasn't enough to make it move.

www.asianovel.com
691

That's when it looked towards the huge sphere that was behind the two
girls.

"——It can't be."

"Yes it can."

Unlike how it was before, Fuyuki slowly rose up and looked down on
Angel.

"You are getting support from the main server. That means your circuits
are connected with it. But that also works in reverse and if the load from
the server is directed to you, you won't be able to do anything."

What Fuyuki sent to Rui and Shio were coordinates of the main server.
And with a plan message 'please access the main server and reverse all
vector operations' she instructed them.

Honestly, she didn't know whether they will manage to do it in

time——but they splendidly accomplished it.

"Kuh... I've been... by someone like you...!"

"You are an amazing programmer. Were Little Sister to be alone, there

would be nothing she could do."

Through Angel, she spoke to the program's author.

Not only did it borrowed computing power from the server, acted
autonomously but also had its own will. The current Fuyuki would faster
make a handstand before making something like that. But——

"...Little Sister isn't alone. That's the reason for your defeat."

She shot blue crystals towards Angel and disassembled the program.
Within a few seconds Angel disappeared not leaving a single piece
behind.

"...you two, I'll head over there right now. Make sure you prepare to
move."

www.asianovel.com
692

Fuyuki looked towards where Angel was for a moment and then after
entering the coordinates of the main server she used 《Transition》.

Part 4
"Uuu..."

Hit by a shock wave and trembling air, Haya woke up.

The sound of metal crossing again and again pierced through her
eardrums, her consciousness slowly became lucid.

"Koho... ha... kua..."

Because of a foreign sensation in her belly she started coughing. Her

blurred vision caught a trajectory of white and black objects which
yelled. She slowly looked up and saw Taiga and Aoko clash against each
other.

It was a clash of two souls.

Both of them unleashed speed which surpassed the limit and dozens of
their attacks crossed. The two blades clashed and an invisible shock
wave destroyed everything around them.

"UUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooo!!!"

"UUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

With every blow that roared, the world was cracking.

The power of the two rose infinitely. Taiga was drawing strength from
within himself, Aoko continued to evolve by absorbing 《Zygotes》.

Neither of them would acknowledge the other——that was the driving

force for both of them.

While they traveled the path of sin together, they still longed for the
light. They didn't give up, they desperately extended their hands to it.

Tenryo Taiga managed to grasp it. He chose to escape to the person

www.asianovel.com
693

who would accept him.

Asumi Aoko didn't grasp it. She couldn't speak of her suffering to
anyone, and sank into the abyss.

If I were to make a choice like that then——they found what was the
correct and the incorrect answer, and Aoko felt the road she has walked
on was meaningless.

That's why Tenryo Taiga and Asumi Aoko bet everything and fought.

The two forcibly clashed, it was strong enough to blow away each other
ten metres away.

Although Taiga wanted to rebuild his posture and run, a fierce pain ran
through his whole body making him kneel.

"Ga———ha——aa...a..."

His heart ached, the anchor holding his consciousness was fading.

He went past his limit a long time ago. Taiga moved his broken body
forcibly not allowing himself to be defeated.

As he desperately looked up, he saw Aoko crouch and hold her head.

"Haa... haa... aghhh!!"

Even though Aoko boasted of her extraordinary processing power,

absorbing hundreds of 《Zygotes》 put an immeasurable load on her. Her
thinking circuits would collapse were she to fight any longer.

Even so, the two stood up.

"I, won't lose... I will destroy everything... and end it... I won't lose at a
place...like this"

"Give me a break you spoiled kid... to the very end you haven't fucking
done anything at all!"

Taiga roared strongly. In front of him was 'himself who made a

mistake'——that's why he couldn't acknowledge her.

www.asianovel.com
694

"You neither fought it nor escaped, you just let the circumstances take
you away! Scared of changes, scared of being rejected, you shouldered
everything alone!"

"...shut up."

"With just one phrase 'help me' your life would have been saved! You
selfishly plunged yourself into despair because you couldn't say that!"

"Shut up..."

"You just wanted to be beside someone! You just wanted someone to

reach out to you! Both you, and we, would be happy with just
thaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAT!!!"

"SHUT UPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!

The nodachi and the scythe crossed again.

The cries of heart of the two reached Haya who was lying down.

"Ao...ko..."

She muttered the name of her best friend and cursed herself.

———Why am I sleeping in a place like this.

Haya noticed. She knew Asumi Aoko was being troubled by something,
she knew Aoko continued to suffer. But despite noticing, she couldn't do
anything.

She was scared.

For the girl called Kiritou Haya, Kiritou Kouya was absolute. That's why
the girl who was cornered by her father pretended as if she didn't know
anything. She did so that she wouldn't get hurt.

...in the end, I was just suiting myself.

Were she to extend a helping hand back then, Aoko might have lived a
happy life.

www.asianovel.com
695

Without going for stupid revenge, she could live her life and leave the
world with a smile on her face——such a regret occupied Haya's mind.

I must... go...

After exerting strength with both of her arms she raised her body.

She had to stop her best friend who went down the wrong road.

It couldn't be anyone else, she had to finish that girl's story with her own
hands. It was her duty to end that girl's derailed life.

With determination filling her chest, in order to bring down the curtains
she started walking towards the battlefield.

How many times have they clashed.

The two didn't know the exact number themselves. The slashes crossed
countless number of times and the two continued to be blown away.

"Haa... hhaa..."

They continued to breathe irregularly and somehow stood up.

Both of them were clearly at their limit. They literally put a desperate
effort into this fierce battle, they could no longer feel pain nor fatigue.

Without even a need to say it they knew it——next one, was the last.

Neither of them spoke.

The time to talk was over. What they could do, was only to celebrate the
end of the battle.

*clank*, a sound of something swaying could be heard.

""———!!!!""

It was a signal, the white and black flashed at the same time.

The nodachi slashed Aoko's body and the scythe stabbed into Taiga's

www.asianovel.com
696

belly.

As the two went beyond their limits the blades of their weapons broke
and rolled on the ground.

After a few seconds of rest.

"............sh...it..."

The one who fell——was Tenryo Taiga.

He lost strength in his body after swinging his sword and plunged
forward, he couldn't move any more.

His consciousness seemed to remain. His fingertips moved trying to

struggle. However, that was all. Taiga couldn't raise his body.

Seeing the enemy she has defeated Aoko quietly laughed.

"...how unfortunate, isn't it."

Both their attack power and speed were equal. If they were to fight
against each other in a perfect state, Taiga would have won thanks to
the combat experience he had.

What decided his defeat was the accumulated damage.

From the very beginning Taiga was fighting by using his own body,
different from Aoko who cornered him using her pawns.

〈"Mental structure synthesis complete. Logic Bomb 《Indra》 generation

sequence process completed."〉

As she looked up into the air an inorganic announcement came, the

giant star made out of ten thousand absorbed mental structures shined
like a sun. All that was left was to say 'fall' and this world would have
been turned into dust.

"With this, it's all ov———............er...?"

She tried to move her finger in order to accomplish her objective that's
when. *thud*, something hit her back.

www.asianovel.com
697

An unpleasant sensation came from her chest and her limbs lost their
strength. When she frightfully looked towards it, she saw the blade of
the nodachi which was broken off earlier protrude from her left breast.

"...I'm sorry Aoko. I can't let your objective come true."

"Ha...ya..."

She muttered the name of her best friend who pierced her from behind,
a cold sensation came from her left breast which had a hole in it. The
sensation slowly spread throughout her body, and her senses faded.

I'm... dying...?

Her body temperature, the warm of life was dissipating.

Strangely clear, she could hear the sound of her own breathing, it was
becoming more and more shallow.

"N...o..."

——Once again, she will go back to that place.

A place where light doesn't reach, a dark and cold place, she was to go
there alone. She still hasn't accomplished anything.

A silly and ridiculous ending like this, for what sake has betrayed her
best friend and clung to her life.

If she died here and now, the life of Asumi Aoko,

Would be meaningless——

Worth...less——

"NOOooo... I DON'T WANT

THATTTTTTTTTTttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt!!!"

Asumi Aoko let out a scream putting spitting a curse that would destroy

www.asianovel.com
698

anything.

The powerful emotions she lost control of flowed through the 《Zygote》
which infested her body, the star of doom in the sky started to slowly fall
down. The Black Knights which turned into an immobile armour turned
back into a muddy stream and flowed to swallow Haya.

"Haya...! Gu...gahhh...aaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!"

That moment Taiga raised a war cry as if to order his body 'move' and
jumped into the contamination.

He desperately broke through the darkness which wrapped around her

body, he pulled her powerless arms out the miasma.

"Geho...gouh... Haya! Hey! Pull yourself together!"

"............Tai...ga?"

Since she was limp he kept slapping her cheeks, finally she reacted and
returned.

She stared at Taiga with unfocused gaze, but soon enough she
understood what was the situation. She tried to get up in a hurry, but
her body didn't listen to her and was unsteady.

"What about Aoko...?"

"Above. We were washed away and are about ten floors below."

As she looked up, she saw Aoko far above. But that wasn't all there was.

The Logic Bomb 《Indra》 was slowly crushing the building, slowly but
surely it was falling.

The walls and rooms continued to become meaningless data the instant
it touched them, the giant star continued to expand as it absorbed it.

"It's GAME OVER if that reaches the bottom. We'll be all done for. That's
troubling."

"It's not time to take this leisurely! Now that it's been activated even

www.asianovel.com
699

destroying Aoko won't stop it! We need to hurry and do something——"

"Yeah, you're right. That's why I'll do something about it. You should
hurry and go back to the top."

"Eh...?"

"——This time end it properly. Her story."

That's your role, he said as he stared straight at Haya.

Haya stared back at his pupils and responded with a small nod.

"I'll leave it to you."

"Yeah, leave it to me."

That was enough.

She forced her legs to move and went up the stairs. Taiga looked as she
slowly disappeared and jumped down from the terrace.

"There we... go."

He killed the momentum by kicking off the wall and nearly instantly

arrived at the first floor.

It was a soft landing with almost no shock dealt to him, his body passed
its limit long time ago. His consciousness was fading away simply by
moving his limbs, his entire body screamed.

"Now then. I said 'leave it to me'... but what do I do."

He looked up at the giant light that was gradually looming down and
murmured.

Although he wanted to do something, 《Heavenly Sword》 was broken. He

had no choice but to let Haya go, and alone he couldn't do anything.

Still, he tried to do something alone. It was at that time.

〈"Brother! Are you safe?!"〉

www.asianovel.com
700

A window opened in front of him and Fuyuki's voice sounded at the same
time.

"Fuyuki! You're safe, that's great!"

〈"Thanks to Rucchan and Shii-chan I somehow managed. And Brother...

seems to be in a dangerous situation."〉

"Rui and Shio? They came?"

〈"Yes. We're together in the server room now. Rather than that, we will
remove the barrier right now, please log out immediately!"〉

Understanding the situation on his side, Fuyuki's eyes looked towards

the falling 《Indra》. Judging from her expression, it must've been really
bad. But——

"...no. I can't do that."

He couldn't run away alone.

Unable to believe his words, Fuyuki cried out as blood drained out of her
face.

〈"Brother, what are you saying?! Don't you know how horrifying that
is?!"〉

"I do understand."

〈"Then——"〉

"...I promised that I'll do something about that."

The one he promised with was no longer there. Still——the little girl
disappeared relieved after he promised her that.

That's why, he couldn't run away. If he did, he would betray her trust.

There was determination in his pupils, Fuyuki sighed and seemed like
she was about to cry.

〈"...haa. Really, you continue to trouble people don't you. It would be

www.asianovel.com
701

fine to just leave it."〉

"Sorry."

〈"But... that's the Brother I fell in love with."〉

She wiped the corners of her eyes, and determination appeared in her
eyes.

Fuyuki waved her hand, and the attack-configured program 《Heavenly

Sword》 which should have been destroyed appear beside Taiga.

〈"Little Sister made a back-up. Brother needs to plunge it straight into

the nucleus in the Logic Bomb's centre. It'll end with that."〉

"Got it."

He didn't need to know the reason nor principle behind that.

She told him to plunge it in. All that was left was to believe her and do it.

"——I'm going!"

Taiga gained momentum and leaped while pulling the nodachi. He

rushed towards the giant shining star.

Part 5
"Rucchan, please direct all the server's computing power to Little Sister.
Shii-chan, cut off the connection with all other structures!"

"On it!

"U-understood!"

In Kiritou headquarters' server room, Fuyuki gave out one instruction

after another.

Fuyuki operated the console with a furious speed and aggregated all the
processing power of the main server, she used all of it to back the
《Heavenly Sword》 that was in Taiga's possession.

www.asianovel.com
702

A Logic Bomb was causing errors by dumping a huge amount of

information that was impossible to process. In other words, the errors
don't occur if the information is processed.

The method Fuyuki intended to use was simple. She used Kiritou's main
server and she collected all the processing power in 《Heavenly Sword》
to process the information the moment nucleus was being destroyed.

"Thank you very much, you two. Leave the rest to Little Sister."

After saying that to Rui and Shio Fuyuki continued to single-mindedly hit
the console.

"............"

Shio quietly stared at Fuyuki's back. It seemed very, very distant to her.

"Fuyuki's amazing. We can't do such a thing."

Before Shio noticed, Rui standing beside her spoke to her. Shio didn't
answer, she only stared at Fuyuki who worked in silence.

"Frustrating, isn't it. Taiga and Fuyuki are doing their best, and we can't
do anything."

"...Rui-chan feels so too?"

"That's right. I know Fuyuki is special, but it's still frustrating."

Rui's words pierced through Shio's heart.

She knew their talents were different. And yet she still felt irritated as
she was unable to do anything.

"...but you see. Rui-san thinks that's fine."

"Eh...?"

"Both Taiga and Fuyuki, they live in a different world from Rui-san. But...
the place those two really want to be in, is this all-too-ordinary world of
ours."

www.asianovel.com
703

That's why, it was fine like this.

After all's over, she'll greet them with a smile——it was fine with just
that.

"............"

Shio closed her eyes quietly.

Somehow——she finally could see a glimpse of the road she should

follow.

Part 6
"Haa...! Ha...!"

She ran up the stairs.

Her feet passed their limit long ago, she fell down many times already.
Still, Haya stood up and continued to run towards the top floor.

What occupied her mind, was the expression Aoko made right before
she was swallowed by the muddy stream.

Her best friend was terrified of extinction, feared death. Her real face
was weak and fragile.

...one year ago, she made such an expression when I couldn't see it?

Scared, in pain, her heart was almost crushed. She held down the
feelings she couldn't do anything about. Frightened that her remaining
life was slowly running out, and despite that, something she couldn't
forgive remained. She decided to kill herself and have revenge——that
showed just in how much anguish she was in.

As to not to allow that to repeat, Haya continued running while thinking

she couldn't allow Aoko to be alone. And——she found her collapsed and
crying like a small child.

"...uu...u...aa..."

www.asianovel.com
704

"...Aoko."

What was there, wasn't a demon of vengeance that annihilated Kiritou

all alone. It was a tiny girl terrified of death.

Her virtual body was at the limit of endurance and began collapsing
already, particles of light continued to spill from her body.

As Haya took a step closer. Through the particles of light, Aoko's feelings
flowed.

——She thought it would be better to have lived alone.

Asumi Aoko's existence wouldn't be acknowledged by anyone, she would

died miserably discarded like garbage in a place where the light of sun
didn't reach.

But she has met the light named Kiritou Haya, and learned what was
comfort.

If it was her old self, she would have been able to stand the loneliness.
But after experiencing the warmth, it made her feel even colder now.

She no longer was strong enough to withstand loneliness.

No... I am the one who weakened Aoko.

The floor gradually collapsed.

The building was slowly turning into a slope, she staggered almost losing
balance. Still, Haya continued to walk——and gently hugged the
kneeling girl.

www.asianovel.com
705

"Ha...ya...?"

"...sorry. I didn't notice. Even though I was the one who dragged you
through it... I couldn't protect you."

She arbitrarily decided and was under impression that the talented girl
was someone strong.

Haya made a mistake that she was strong enough to live alone. The
truth was, that she was weaker than anyone, and desired connection
with people more than anyone.

"...I'm scared, Haya... I don't want to be cold any more..."

"Nn, I got it. I'll be with you until the end. You'll be warm like that, right?"

The floor collapsed, Haya fell down while holding Aoko.

《Indra》 was looking down on them, it shone and swallowed everything,

destroying it. At this rate both of them will——

...well, that's fine. Such a conclusion isn't bad either.

Immediately after Haya closed her eyes, a sky blue glow filled the sky.

www.asianovel.com
706

Part 7
What Taiga felt after he entered Indra, was warmth.

Covering his entire body was a temperature that made his body feel
comfortable and took away the senses in his body.

This is——not——goo...d——

If it was pain, he could put up with it. But this was out of question.

All the damage he received and fatigue he accumulated entered the

gaps of his heart, he couldn't shake them off.

A mental structure of ten thousand people, the souls which lost their
bodies clung to Taiga's virtual body as if saying 'give it to me' and cut off
his nerve connections.

It stalled him in the air.

Leave your body to this warmth. It'll be comfortable——he almost

drowned in the temptation, that's when.

〈———I'll lend you a hand. Come, it's over here dammit."〉

He heard a horribly nostalgic voice. It reached out to him.

In the white haze he couldn't feel any directions, he relied on her voice
and followed her.

"...Iora."

〈"It's been a friggin week hasn't it, Taiga."〉

A small body that fits in one hand, transparent blue hair. Although her
face was the same as Asumi Aoko's, her tone was weird and rude——it
was the AI ・Iolite.

"You, why... Aoko said you disappeared..."

www.asianovel.com
707

〈"I escaped right before that happened. Rather than that, is your damn
body all right now?"〉

"Body? Now that you say it..."

He suddenly noticed that the pleasant sensation disappeared, his

blurred five senses returned to normal. With the fatigue and pain which
returned to his body he could still withstand this.

〈"I moved the other mental structures away. I bought you some time
like this."〉

"...since when were you here?"

〈"When 《Indra》 was generated I escaped from Master Aoko seeing a

chance to interfere. An AI also has a mental structure so... in the end, I
could only delay its completion."〉

"So you did such a thing."

〈"Yes. Just as I promised, I continued my futile resistance."〉

As she said that, a smile spilled on Iora's face.

The promise she made with Taiga——honestly to a fault, she tried to

fulfill it.

"I see... cheers for your hard work."

She believed that Taiga would come and stop it. Just by believing in it,
she could continue struggling.

〈"Taiga came to destroy the nucleus right?"〉

"Yeah. To end this pointless revenge——that's what I came here for."

〈"Then... you know what to do right?"〉

Iora looked straight at him, he silently nodded.

Rather than theorizing, he knew it instinctively. It was the centre of the

Logic Bomb, the origin that pieced together a ten thousand mental

www.asianovel.com
708

structures. And that the girl right in front of him——

"You're the nucleus, aren't you."

〈"...yes."〉

It was something that had to be cut.

〈"Please don't make such a face, Taiga."〉

Iora looked at Taiga who hung his head, she laughed quietly.

〈"Iora is originally an artificial existence, nobody will be hurt if she

disappears. If so many lives are to be saved thanks to that, that's a
damn great thing."〉

"I can't categorize it so easily, I'm not too smart."

Iora looked into Taiga's pupils as if to admonish him. But Taiga wasn't
convinced by her words.

Even so, there was no other way besides destroying her, he understood
it to a painful extent. That's why he put a hand on the nodachi hanging
by his waist.

〈"...thank you."〉

"I don't have a right to be told that by someone whom I'm about to
destroy. Rather than that, let me ask you something."

〈"What is it dammit?"〉

"...you, are you Asumi Aoko?"

Taiga was somehow confident as he asked that question. Iora was

surprised for a moment, but soon after she smiled softly and stared back
at him.

〈"Why do you think so?"〉

"There's no solid reason for that. It's just a hunch."

〈"...that's just like you."〉

www.asianovel.com
709

With a faint smile, Iora answered.

〈"...the answer is YES, and NO. When Master Aoko was lurking in Iora's
body as a Hologhost, she has thrown away some feelings that were in
the way of her revenge like compassion and kindness. Part of them were
absorbed into the artificial intelligence——that's what happened
according to Iora's analysis."〉

"I see..."

The remaining feelings Asumi Aoko's had for Kiritou Haya——that kind of
thing.

When he looked below, he saw something like a thin haze approach him
slowly. Iora's interference was approaching its limit.

"...it's about time for farewell, Iora."

〈"...yes. Goodbye."〉

Iora took a step away, she spread out her arms holding out her body in
front. Taiga slowly lowered his body and put a hand on the nodachi's hilt.

"...... „ Secret Technique” first form"

Taiga closed his eyes and took a deep breath, concentrating.

Right now he will destroy a personality, he will take a life——in order to

never forget this sin, he engraved it in his heart.

His feet released all the strength, he concentrated on the arms holding
the nodachi and pulled out the blade at godspeed while taking a step
forward!!

"————— 《Haryuu》!!!!"

An enormous amount of light overflowed together with the slash, it

swallowed the small girl.

〈"...thank you for stopping me, Taiga."〉

www.asianovel.com
710

With that, everything was over.

www.asianovel.com
711

Vol. 3 :

Chapter Epilogue

Part 1
Before she knew it, Haya was already awake.

"............"

What she saw in front of her with a dim vision, was a pure white ceiling.
She heard a regular electronic beeping and the sound of pure white
curtains swayed by the wind.

"...heaven's quite bleak isn't it."

"Leave sleep talk for when you're asleep. A woman like you won't die so
easily."

When she turned her head in shock, she found Tenryo Taiga's figure in
plain clothes seated on a folding chair. He held both of his hands behind
his head and looked outside through the window as if he was in daze.

"Before you ask. This is Kiritou general hospital's VIP room. Want to
know your condition?"

"...please."

"Okay. Although there is no trauma, there seem to be quite a large

psychological damage. In the worst case, you might have not awakened.
It's great it took only a week."

www.asianovel.com
712

"A week... so I slept that long."

She turned towards the opened window while still lying down. She
marked this day as 'one week passed since that day'.

On that day——Haya hugged the disappeared Aoko as the Indra fell on

them.

She determined herself to disappear along with that woman.

But immediately after the giant light hit the two, everything was filled
with sky blue colour——and she lost her consciousness.

Here I thought I was invited to the other world... but I persistently

survived haven't I.

In the end, Kiritou Haya let Asumi Aoko go there alone.

That was the conclusion. No one was saved, a futile ending.

"Now then. Haya, you might not be feeling the best after waking up, but
listen to me."

And Taiga spoke to her about what she should know.

The ten thousand mental structures with composed 《Indra》 went back
to their original bodies on the same day.

The 'Kiritou' was one of four major cyber-related corporations, were it

become to be public the damage would be immeasurable. The negative
effects of 《Jail》 caused Kiritou Kouya as well as the executives to have
only vague memories of the incident and it was further buried in the
darkness.

The world didn't change, Kiritou continued to be one corner of the four
major corporations. It was as if the girl called Asumi Aoko didn't exist
right from the beginning.

"...I see."

When Haya heard the story from Taiga she suffered from negative

www.asianovel.com
713

emotions and hug her head. Seeing the suicidal expression Taiga let out
a small sigh.

"I saved you after going through a lot of trouble. Be more happy."

"...there's no way I can do that can I. In the end, I didn't give anything to
neither Aoko nor Iora... maybe I should have acted differently."

If only she questioned Kouya earlier. If only she noticed that Aoko was
inside of Iora earlier. If only she discovered 《Angel》's identity earlier.
——Such regrets occupied her mind.

"...it might sound cruel, but Asumi Aoko would reach happiness. She lost
her life a year ago. Even if she turned into a ghost, the past wouldn't
change."

The moment she turned herself into a Hologhost to have her revenge,
she stepped on a road from which she couldn't be saved.

The only thing the two of them could do was to stop her by force. If not,
it would have reached the worst conclusion.

Taiga opened the terminal window, and displayed data in front of Haya.

"That's...?"

"It seems like Asumi Aoko's diary. Fuyuki found it in the server room."

Haya turned the pages around frantically.

From the day she was picked up by Kiritou until the day prior to her
suicide. Her anguish, hatred as well as all the contents of the plan were
written there in detail. She slowly read it all.

"Aoko..."

"It's just my selfish imagination but... she wanted someone to stop her. If
she only cared about her objective, there would be no need to leave this
diary behind. Moreover, were it to be found the plan would be ruined."

It was a wishful thinking that saved her, even if just a little bit.

www.asianovel.com
714

Taiga himself knew very well that there was no basis for it.

"...yeah, I think so too."

However, Haya decided to believe his words.

Aoko suffered badly and decided to take revenge, and to this diary she
entrusted her only hope. As she was about to take the final step, that's
what she must have thought.

Time flowed in silence.

An uncomfortable atmosphere drifted in room, after five minutes passed

with the two who didn't know what to say. Unexpectedly, a quiet
electronic sound came from Taiga's terminal.

"Oh, it's finally here. Nice timing, Fuyuki."

"What, you look strangely happy. Got some good news?"

"Yeah. She says she finally found a hidden treasure in Kiritou."

When Haya tilted her head puzzled, Taiga executed a program he was
sent by Fuyuki. The built-in projector in the terminal activated and
displayed a girl in the hospital room.

She had refined and clean facial features, as well as long bluish-black
hair.

Clad in a fantastic fluttering costume like a fairy from fairy tales, a girl
who looked exactly like Asumi Aoko——AI ・Iolite was there.

"...w..hy...?"

"It's Iora's virtual body that Aoko was using. I asked them if it was
possible to restore the body somehow. Fuyuki and the others recovered
the wrecked data picking it up one by one. But we couldn't do much
about her mind."

They dug through an enormous amount of data that was destroyed by

Logic Bomb 《Indra》 and reconstructed the body by sorting the data, it

www.asianovel.com
715

was a tremendous amount of work. But the three agreed to do it without

any complaints.

Haya raised her body and reached out to Iora who had her eyes closed
and wouldn't budge. It was a three-dimensional image so it couldn't be
touched. It was just an empty shell without a soul, so there was no
reaction.

Even so, Haya continued to stroke her time after time. She pulled out a
virtual personality from her own terminal and incorporated it in her.

"...activate."

She gave Iora a push with his fingertips.

After that, a few windows were expanded and an inorganic voice leaked
from her mouth.

〈"Start-up code confirmed. Reading virtual personality start. Connecting

information collection from five senses... complete. Memory database
generation... complete. AI ・Iolite starting in initial state."〉

Slowly she opened her eyes.

It was the same as when they first met, cold eyes which didn't project
any emotions found Haya, with a business tone completely unlike her

www.asianovel.com
716

she spun words.

〈"Nice to meet you. I am an AI program called 《Iolite》. I would like to

proceed with master registration, will this miss become my master?"〉

"Nice to meet you, huh... I've been prepared for this, but it is quite
hard."

"Haya..."

The memory didn't return after inserting a new virtual personality. Aoko
who created Iolite together with her wouldn't come back——she knew
that. But the girl still had some hope, she could be called weak.

〈"I'm sorry... because of me being timid I have broke miss' heart... I'm
really sorry."〉

She repeated repentance time after time, tears flowed quietly down
Haya's cheeks. Iolite's inorganic eyes stared at her and——

〈"——I was happy being together with Master. Thank you very much."〉

She said words that should be impossible for her.

"Eh...?"

Haya, as well as Taiga have stared at her in disbelief.

Impossible. Iora's virtual personality disappeared completely. She

shouldn't have remembered.

"I-Iolite... just now...?"

〈"...I do not know. For some reason. When I see Master shed tears, I
absolutely need to convey it... that's the feeling I get. There's a
possibility of a bug."〉

"...it's not... a bug."

www.asianovel.com
717

Really not knowing, AI ・Iolite tilted her neck.

Haya wiped the teardrops which collected in the corner of her eyes,
looked into her eyes and said as if praying.

"You're fine like that. You can remain as you are."

〈"Understood. Master."〉

After confirming her state Iolite nodded and was sucked into Haya's
terminal. While staring at the disappearing after glow, Haya declared.

"Taiga... I have decided. From now on I will forever pursue the dream I
had with Aoko. I will develop an AI who can become friends with people.
No matter how many years it will take, definitely."

"...I see."

There was a very difficult road in front of her.

But she will never give up. Even without any proof of that, Taiga was
confident about it. One day, she will definitely achieve——

"Why are you talking as if it doesn't concern you? You're doing it with
me."

"Ha?"

He didn't understand what she meant, seeing him like that Haya made a
grand smile.

"Because I'll be graduating starting from next year, you'll be my first

employee. Congratulations, there isn't many people who get a job offer
on their first year〜."

"Wait wait! The talk leaped far too forward!"

"But isn't it quite a good offer? With your grades it's impossible to enter
cyber-related companies and you probably won't be able to stand
working in a normal company will you. Impossible. Instead, I could use
you well."

www.asianovel.com
718

"Use... you..."

"And if I hire you then I'll be able to catch Fuyuki-san and Saionji-san as
well. I'll get the top student of first year as well as the runner up? It's not
easy to get such high quality staff."

"So that's your real aim!"

Taiga started panicking because of the sudden development, Haya

looked at this with a happy smile on her face.

And then, she made a nasty teasing smile as if she came up with
something. She outstretched her hand towards the fountain pen placed
on the side-deck, picked it up and dropped it on the floor on purpose.

"Ah... sorry Taiga, can you pick it up?"

"Hey hey, you all right? Maybe you still feel——NMU?!!'

It was when Taiga looked up to pass her the fountain pen.

She suddenly pulled him by his collar towards the bed and pressed her
soft lips against his.

Eh, wh, wai——wait WAIT?!

Not understanding the situation at all, Taiga's thinking overheated all at

once.

Why was Haya's face so close to his, why were his and her lips stuck
together.

*click*

"———?!?!?!"

The moment a quiet sound of a camera shutter filled the air, he

separated from her.

Haya's terminal seemed to be the source of the sound, in there, was a

photo of a boy and a girl kissing——

www.asianovel.com
719

"Yup yup. It came out well."

"Y-Y-y-you what are you doing?!"

He didn't understand. Neither why would she suddenly kiss him, nor why
would she take a picture of it.

Haya showed Taiga the photo's data and said.

"A trade. If you don't agree, I'll show this photo to your little sister."

"ARE YOU A DEVIL?!!"

He didn't even want to try imagining how Fuyuki would react after being
shown such a thing.

To avoid that he would do anything——just when he thought that, with a

strangely good timing a mail came from Fuyuki. It said 'hurry up and
come down'. He checked the clock and realized it was past the meeting
time they agreed on.

"Geh... sorry Haya, I'll come again! That photo, erase it properly!"

"Ah——w-wait!"

She tried to stop him as he jumped out in a hurry, he looked back at her.

"...thank you for everything. I'm really grateful."

She said it shyly, with a blush on her cheeks.

Involuntarily, he was fascinated by her beautiful figure combined with

her black hair flowing in the wind.

Taiga left the hospital room.

Haya stared at the terminal Iolite has entered, she made a phone call to
a certain person with a clear purpose and determination. After eight
calls, the other recipient finally responded.

"...it's been a week since we last spoke, Father."

www.asianovel.com
720

〈"What do you want. I'm busy so be quick."〉

Hearing the cold voice her heart almost broke.

She always followed his orders. Never thought about standing up to him,
and lived as he ordered her to. That life was to end here and now.

Haya clenched the terminal tightly, as she did that she felt a courage
well up inside her.

"Is that so. Well, in short it would be——"

She looked at the sky outside the window, and she announced both
ending and the beginning.

"——I declare a war."

In order to continue the dream the girls pursued, she depicted it like
that.

Part 2
"Ah, Taigaaa! Over here!"

He rolled out of the hospital into the pleasant sunshine. Taiga looked
towards where the energetic voice called him from and saw Rui waving
her hands towards him. Fuyuki and Shio stood next to her.

"...it took you quite long. What were you doing?"

"Explaining what happened and such."

Taiga dodged the topic appropriately, Fuyuki entwined their arms as if it

was natural and stared at him questioningly. Rui's and Shio's line of
sight pierced his arm and was somehow uncomfortable.

In order to deceive them he spoke to all three.

"Sorry to make you do such a tedious work. Shio too in the end had to
stay for a week in a hotel because of that."

"I don't mind at all. Thanks to that I could practice housework with Rui-

www.asianovel.com
721

chan and pass Hime-chan's test."

"Did you find a room for yourself?"

"Not yet, but I'll definitely live in this city. This city which Onii-san and
Hime-chan lives in."

There was no hesitation in her pupils. Fuyuki noticed that Rui gently
stared at her and she made a puzzled expression.

"Rucchan, you look somewhat happy?"

"Really? ...yup, I guess I am."

Rui said so and laughed, she hugged Taiga's other arm.

As her large and soft breasts pressed onto him he involuntarily tried to
pull his arm out, but Rui firmly held it.

"Hey hey, Taiga. Rui-san wants a reward."

"A r-reward?"

"Yup. I did my best this time right? So, I don't care when but let's go on a
date."

"Please wait a moment Rucchan. If that's the case then Little Sister is
the biggest contributor and she should go first."

Seeing Rui rub his body wanting to be spoiled, Fuyuki raised her
eyebrows. She strongly embraced his arm as if to compete with Rui and
raised her index finger to point at Taiga.

"Little Sister hasn't forgotten, the date she was promised two weeks ago
still hasn't happened. That's right, with this it'll turn into a short trip, how
about that?"

"Grr, that's not fair. What does Shio-chan think?"

"Eh, umm... I'm a bit envious..."

As the three happily chatted, Taiga looked up at the sky.

www.asianovel.com
722

The world of light they were always aiming for.

Now he was standing in the place they always longed for, no matter how
many sins they've piled up.

He desperately grabbed onto the light people like Asumi Aoko reached
out to, but couldn't grasp.

"...God, I beg you. Please let days like these continue."

Taiga muttered a quiet prayer and continued to walk with the girls.

——In the pleasant and warm sunlight he will hold onto the happiness
that was granted to him.

www.asianovel.com
723

Disclaimer
There is no guarantee the translation is 100% correct.

ASIANovel.com wishes to emphasize that this translation is for review

purposes only. We do not claim this intellectual property or any rights
whatsoever.

Under no circumstances would you be allowed to take this work for

commercial activities or for personal gain. ASIANovel.com does not and
will not condone any activities of such, including but not limited to rent,
sell, print, auction.

www.asianovel.com