The sky was a vast expanse of dark looming clouds that had long since passed threatening to rain as drops slammed against the windows, roofs, and cement of the city below. It was easy to say that no one would be starting their day without an umbrella if they should venture outside for any reason. It was a bit of surprise to see rain happening on the last few days of freedom before the start of school for many but who ever said nature made sense. The downpour of noise didn't reach the ears of one person, no matter how much she usually loved the sound and enjoyed watching it. Shizuka didn't move from her spot on the bed, her chocolate eyes staring up at the ceiling as her mind drifted through memories for she didn't know how long. She hated thinking about it day in and out but with her brother gone, the silence and loneliness of the house was like a prison. She sighed, turning on her side and looking around the darkness of her bedroom with only a small source of light coming from the Neuro Linker that had been yet to be turned off. The small piece of technology had been the lead in to the biggest mistake of her life and yet it use to bring her so much joy. Could she ever get back into the game? Could she enjoy Brain Burst again? Had someone taken her spot as King? No, Mamorimasu would have said something but what if her Legion disbanded or people joined other Legions..... what would she do then? A King with no one? Would she just be doomed to be alone no matter what world she was in?

All this and more swirled in her mind that she was about ready to pick the thing up and chuck it where it could not be seen. Shizuka pushed off the bed, swiping the thing up off the desk and raised it about her head for but a second before pausing to bring it back down slowly. She twirled it in her hands gently before placing it on, her eyesight correcting itself and seeing everything else pop up. Her home network was the only one she ever connected to and even then it was never for very long since it was usually just to check the frustrating and disappointing messages from her parents telling her what to do or what they excepted for a certain date.

One Unread Message

She looked at those three words with dread before opening it up and frowned. Even now, it binged up on the screen with a brief and pathetic message that sounded more like business than family, not that she expected more at this point. Shizuka, after all, had been taking care of herself as far as she could remember and her parents really had never been her parents or at least not what anyone would look to as parents.

Shizuka,

There is a press meeting tomorrow and we expect you to be there as well as looking presentable for the occasion. As always, you will be compensated for your time. The limo will pick you up at 10 o'clock sharp, don't make them wait.

- Mr.Katashi Kobayashi and Mrs.Jun Kobayashi

Shizuka knew there was no reason to respond so she just deleted it, not wanting to look at it a second longer. She hated playing happy perfect family when it was all a fat lie. As it was, they had needed to make lies on why she hadn't lived with them since her waking in the hospital. That had been a complete joke to watch as they made pathetic excuses and at that point in time they didn't even want to see her but the more the media pointed fingers was when they contacted her. They would pay for her time and in return, she would play their happy daughter. Silent and pretty. She shook her head, not letting her parents get to her as she moved to the kitchen and started to scrounge around for something to make lunch wise.

Matsushima Momiji

As expected of the day, Matsushima Momiji woke up at her usual 12:00 pm during the days she was not forced to school. After all, the purpose of “getting up” tended towards “effort”, and though Momiji believed herself to be a rather spry young lady, if there was little purpose in an instance of effort, then the effort was wasted, and frugality is an idea that people should live by.

“Meh.”

Momiji thought to herself if she should really get up. After all, she was dulling from the break, and the weather outside was definitely less than optimal for any activities she would want to accomplish. Though not a very outgoing person, Momiji did dislike staying in the same place for too long.

Of course, while considering this option, she had both heard and felt the rumbling that seemed to shake the foundation of her apartment. A bestial roar of a monster that would have made the heart of the greatest slayers coward themselves.

“Oh, I’m hungry.”

A simple observation. Momiji had not eaten her standard breakfast, the most important meal of the day. Cause and effect in action. Sleep in and you get hungry due to inactivity. Thus, Momiji figured the best use of her time would be to make some lunch.

Getting out of her bed, Momiji entered the living room-cum-kitchen of her apartment. Though a bit tidy and clean, it seemed almost overly quiet, besides the petite steps of Momiji. It was as if no one else lived here. A single bedroom, livingroom, kitchen, and bathroom were all that existed within this flat. However, Momiji was but a girl. Though she did not tend to appear her age, she was genuinely 17 years old, and there was no way that a 17 year old going through school would be able to afford such a ritzy apartment.

Though she tended to prefer the silence over what her life used to be. Her family was once peaceful, but a series of unfortunate events caused Momiji to desire peace from her former chains. Thus, her father paid for her lifestyle under the condition that she would continue schooling.

“No food…” Momiji commented after opening both her pantry and refrigerator. Nothing. Just an expansive emptiness like the distance between atoms and their valence.

“Sigh. I really don’t want to go out and get food today.”

Of course, she would have to. After all, there had to be a way to satiate her hunger. And that was the money her father gave her every month to her bank account, much more than she would ever be able to spend in a single month. Of course, she understood that her father loved her, as all fathers do, but never really felt her was able to feel his love. After all, money was one thing, but affection from a father is worth more than gold to the psyche of a child.

A certain game was something she believed would have allowed her this ability to meet other "Players" and form bonds through this means. Perhaps she was being a bit optimistic in this regard. Perhaps she simply wanted an excuse to continue on her rather "cold" streak toward her classmates. She was merely a facade of a person. One could not consider how she carried herself to be truly "living", but rather "existing". Perhaps, as her mother had put it oh-so delicately not too long ago: "perhaps it would have been better if you were never born". Parent of the year.

Momiji was used to this sort of treatment. Her family came from money, and her father had cheated on her mother, filing for divorce and remarrying. Her mother had always resented her after this, needing someone to blame over her father's infidelity. Of course, Momiji had nothing to do with this incident, however, when one is in emotional distress one is not able to think correctly, as Momiji would latter get an apology from her mother regarding to this sentence. Perhaps it would have been better to keep the sentience that Momiji's mother did not wish for her, as it was more painful to see her mother, a shell of the woman she had remembered from childhood, than the words spoken. Thus, Momiji chose to live alone in an apartment. At least, her father was kind enough to support this pursuit.

“I did really want to try out that one cafe that opened up. I think I have a flier somewhere around here.”

After a short while of rummaging through her drawers, she eventually came across what she was looking for. A simple piece of paper that had a menu and a few marginalia on the of the paper. Of course, it held the address and a bit of information regarding the store itself like the menu.

“Angel Mort,” Momiji read aloud.

Well, that is where she would spend her lunchtime, it seems. So she dressed in a jacket and took an umbrella to protect against the rain.

Arriving at the address, she entered the cafe to be greeted by a most pleasing sight. A line of maids ready to serve. Well, one could say that Momiji was an individual of “interesting tastes”, to say the least. Someone who enjoyed the idea of something “cute”. After all, the world ran on cute itself! And Momiji was a cute girl in her prime, thus she should admire the cute maids at the Maid Cafe Angel Mort!

Being seated, Momiji scanned the menu for anything she would like to order as she appeared to be out of place in such an establishment.

However, a prevalent thought ran through the forefront of Momiji’s mind. After all, “Matsushima Momiji” was not simply who she appeared to be. Known within the exclusive MMO “Brain Burst” as “Purple Progenitor”, she was a King that held the utmost authority over the purple legion. And as the leader of the Purple Legion, Crepusculi , and as its leader she was obligated to her Legion’s problems

A single name was placed on the forefront of her mind as she looked towards the menu. Xero, an enigmatic enemy who had taken the lives of several of her Legion members. The thought that this being had the ability to delete an avatar on defeat was worrying, but the fact that he had attacked her legion was an entirely different matter. Those who would take advantage of her legion would not live much longer. Though her outward diplomatic policy tended towards ensuring the balance between the power and influence of the Kings of Pure Color, she was not one to forgive transgressions easily.

Either way, Momiji scanned the menu for anything that would interest her. This “Xero” person would have to wait away from her thoughts, which were now focused on the cute uniforms of the maids in the cafe and how they would look nice on herself, and the idea of eating after being starved for the rest of the day.

---

To those who knew him, Kirei was definitely a bit “off”, but not to an extent one would wish to ignore him completely. A man who went to a rather prestigious college in Tokyo. A man who held the total value of 3rd greatest in every single one of his classes.

A man who seemed to do the same activities every day at the same time without fail, eating his breakfast at 6am sharp, his lunch at 12 pm sharp, and his dinner at 6pm sharp, with snacks three hours after his lunch and dinner. He entered his classroom 4 minutes before the bell rang everyday. He ate at the same eateries on a weekly basis and had the same meals weekly without fail. Truly an odd man.

And today’s lunch, just like he had eaten the week before, was the rice and eggs leftover from yesterday’s dinner. Unlike last week, however, Kirei selected not to eat his lunch in the park, as the weather was rather poor for any outdoor activities.

After concluding his meal, he had chosen to do something he normally tended to do. There was a game that he had become invested in. A game where there existed an abnormality. The ability to nearly freeze time and enter a space where one fights between different players in an exchange of blows. However, his skills tended to be better as a support than a true fighter so he often avoided fighting straight 1v1s, but did wish to find another player in the game to play as a duo partner in 2v2 fights.

However, since he lacked this duo partner, he didn’t really want to fight against an avatar in single combat.

Thus, to get his fill of video games, Kirei chose to go to the local arcade. Maybe others would also be there? Maybe not. Who knows.

---

[I would post for both Yuuki or Reimi , but I don’t know how I can use the fact that Yuuki is a member of the black legion currently and Reimi wasn’t officially accepted yet]

As the hour struck 7:00, a digital clock resting on a small nightstand rang to life. The slight beeping of the alarm clock was growing louder and more annoying as it performed a brilliant crescendo, waking the neighboring body that rested peacefully on the bed. On the bed laid a thick blanket, a blanket that was much bigger than the bed itself. From underneath the fortress of eternal comfort a hand came soaring, slapping down on the clock. The crescendo of a series of beeps came to a halt. The hand belonged to a boy named Kazue Hamasaki who sat up straight seconds after the alarm stopped.

Kazue sat there, still half asleep, he looked like mere ghost of himself. He mustered enough energy to flip the blanket off his lower half and move off his bed. The hard wood floor beneath Kazue didn't have heating or anything like that, so the wood itself felt like ice on the boy's freshly warmed feet. Every step he took was torture, yet, it was those same steps that helped him wake up every morning. Like every other day, Kazue went into the washroom and prepped himself for the day. After a warm shower and a bit of early morning pep talk, he made his way to the kitchen where he would find a frozen hot-pocket on a plate, ready to be heated.

This is almost routine, day in and day out he would go through the motions of the morning. It wasn't always like this, it was actually quite different a few years ago. But, after so much trauma, a few years can feel like an entire lifetime to someone. An Entire lifetime that Kazue didn't want to go back to. Mid thought, Kazue's attention was caught by that near silent tapping on the window.He saw rain drops sliding down the kitchen window, leaving streaks of water behind them that looked like small rivers.

"I hate the rain...I guess it's going to be one of those days." He said to himself, no one else being around to hear it. His mother and his father leave for work before the sun comes up almost every day, leaving Kazue in a house to himself until 5 or 6. This will changed in a few days when Kazue goes back to school, but until then, he will just be waiting around his house.

The wall clock in the kitchen chimed for a few seconds as 12 o'clock came around. Kazue didn't realize how much time he had just wasted doing nothing, but it didn't matter now. "I guess that's lunch?" He questioned rhetorically. He opened up his fridge to see a note on the shelf, after skimming it Kazue saw a few bills beside it. His father had decided to give him some money to go out today. After a small debate with himself, Kazue obliged his father and went looking for a place to eat lunch. Roaming around town with only a sweater, jeans and some rain boats, he'd hope to find a place that looked interesting enough to eat at.

Droplets of rain danced across the window of the Inata residence - home to only a single person. Keiko herself. She didn't exactly complain about the privacy, but it did get rather lonely at times. On an odd occasion, she would think about what things would be like if she had a family member, friend - hell, even a lover to stay at her apartment. But, like everytime before, she snapped out of it. Her family were gone, and her friends were few and far between minus an odd number.

Her lover, too, taken straight from her grasp. As much as she didn't want to blame herself, for some reason she couldn't help it. Like there was some subconscious will forcing her to take responsibility for Matsuta's death. It wasn't as if she would have been able to help. They were both Level 9s; she would have had no chance at winning.

In her inner monologue, Keiko had been idly pouring herself a drink from the first thing she found - a carton of apple juice. It wasn't the best drink, but it was better than nothing. Just as the glass was about to overfill, a message alert formed at the side of her vision; courtesy of the Neuro-Linker strapped around the back of her head. The off orange coloured liquid stopped pouring as her hands retracted, letting the juice form across the top almost perfectly. With her right hand picking up the drink, her left reached up and tapped the message - it instantly forming across her vision.

"Another Amber... What do we do with it?"

The message was short, and would make no sense to pretty much anyone who read it. Of course, though, it was official business to do with the Red Legion. "Amber" was just another term used for players who had used the Amber Infuser, created by the bastard in the Yellow Legion. And the worst part? Her legion couldn't retaliate, as in accordance to the Peace Treaty, it wasn't a direct attack or an act of aggression.

"Kill him now. There's no point in keeping him alive if he proves a threat." Keiko idly wrote; her fingers dancing across the keyboard with expert precision. How many times had this message been sent? Surely her underlings should have gotten the hint and just killed any Amber on the spot. Though, they probably realised that would cause problems in the long run...

Setting down the drink, she quickly brought up two message tabs - each respectively to one person, either Shizuka or Yoshiki. Both were more or less friends from school; with Shizuka still being more or less in debt from back then. Yoshiki... Yoshiki was a lot like Matsuta in a sense. He had that same care-free attitude, only putting in anything remotely akin to effort when the situation desperately called upon it.

Both her index fingers hovered above the send buttons of the two windows; a message already written out on each.

Been a while, Void. Or should I say Shizuka now? There was something I wanted you to test for me - a bit of a game I've been working on, if it can be called that. I want you to give it your all, okay? We'll be watching

- Keiko

"We'll" was specially italicized. Just so Shizuka knew that there might be more than one person watching.

Hey there, Yoshiki. I know you've been looking for a new game to play, so I'm sending you an invite to my private network. Kick some ass, okay? Theres someone I want you to meet.

- Keiko

Somehow, no matter the format, she felt that she could always feel... Casual, around Yoshiki. It was different from her usual attitude, that was sure. Being able to keep her guard down around someone felt good every once in a while.

With that, Keiko tapped the send buttons, grabbed her drink, and headed off to watch TV.

---

Yoshiki stood from the sofa of his house and closed the video window in front of him. He had just finished watching a documentary of sorts about the SAO incident from 2022 and the years following it. He'd always been interested in game history and things related to it, so his video archive on the Neuro-Linker was filled with things of the sort. Old world games, the 21st century, The Nerve Gear and BIC, the first generation, etcetera. It was why RPG type games were so appealing to him, and the same with puzzle and strategy and fighting. His sister, Mayuri, sat on the other side of the sofa, supposedly watching something as well. Whatever it was, she seemed pretty engrossed, as she didn't notice him standing.

He walked over to the kitchen, just a little ways from the lounge, and pulled a glass from a nearby cupboard. Then he grabbed a bottle from the side and unscrewed the top, pouring the black liquid into the glass and watching it fizz. The sound of his parents talking and the oven were all but drowned out in his hearing by the constant downpour of rain from outside. There were only a couple days left before school started again, and so far the final days had been boring and miserable. Yoshiki lifted the glass to his mouth and took a drink, before a message appeared at the side of his vision, from Keiko. It wasn't normal for her to message him, so the occasion must have been special in some way. He placed the glass back down and opened the message, saying it quietly under his breath as he read. It was short, but it definitely piqued his interest. A new game to test out? She really did know him well.
"Yeah sure, I'll check it out." he replied before putting the tab to the side.
"Hey, I'm gonna head to my room for a bit. I've got something to do, so message me if you need me urgently." he said to his family as he walked off and into his room, locking the door behind him with the Neuro-Linker. Then he sat down and connected to the invitation world.
"Open direct link."

Shin sat at the desk in his room, finishing up his studies, as he had repeatedly done since the first day of summer vacation. Deciding to take a break, he stretched and noticed it was raining out, moving to the window and peering out of it. The street below was virtually empty, save for one or two passerbys hurrying to get out of the rain. His eyes moved to the house across the street from him, How long ago was it? he thought, recalling a memory. Sighing, he closed the blinds, he didn't want to think about any of that. He returned to his desk and spotted his Neuro Linker, he had taken it off when he started studying, so he wouldn't get distracted. Picking it up, he put it back on, going through the routine reconnection like usual. He saw a message from his parents, and after reading it, he deleted it. Late again tonight. Figures. he thought. He began to go through his files from the previous school year, deleting several picture files and a couple of other random files he had kept. He finally came across the Brain Burst program, tempted to delete it as well, though decided against it. Letting out another sigh, he decided he needed to find a way to take his mind off things. After connecting back to the internet, he went to the forum he frequented, reading up on a few posts. Once he was finished there, he moved to a different site, his avatar now connecting.

Once he was in, he began to search around, looking at the different hangouts. None of them seemed particularly interesting, then again, they never did. He continued until he found the one he usually hung out at, connecting to it and being greeted by the usual crowd. The hangout appeared to resemble that of a mix between a weapon shop found in most RPG's and a cafe with an open plateau 'outside' the store. The programming was set up so it was usually sunny, this way people could sit out on the plateau and chat. This was one of his favorite places to go, aside from one other place, but that was in the school network. School. Only a few days until it started back up again, of course, he knew what that meant; the girls would be fawning all over him again. Sighing, he took a seat, Why is life so cruel to me? he thought. A message appeared in his inbox, "Hey Shin! It's me! I'm having a great time studying in America! Everything's so different here, the people, the food, even the speech! It's all so much to take in! Anyways, had some time to send a message before bed, hope all is well back home! Hope to hear from you soon! -Yuki" he read. He chuckled a bit, Yuki always had such a positive outlook on life, that's what made her such a great friend. His mind wandered to the previous school year, Yuki had told him that she would be moving with her family to America. Shin had been sad at first, but he got past it and was glad she was having fun overseas.

After sitting around for another hour, he decided to disconnect when nobody was going to show, returning back to the real world. He sighed, the real world. It hurt to be in it, but it hurt even more to be in the accelerated world. At least here he could avoid the cause of his pain, but there? No, he would come across that pain, it was inevitable. He stood, moving to the window and peering out it again, the street now completely deserted. He moved away from it and left his room, heading downstairs to make something to eat. After making himself a sandwich, he received another message, it was from one of his fans. He opened the message and read it, apparently there was a small group holding out hope that he'd return, and the fan had just been accepted as a member of the club. Shin smiled a bit, it was nice to hear he was missed and still popular among some people, but it wasn't enough to get him to go back. He doubted anything would get him to return.

Hirose Reimi

@Krinos Solstice

Though it was never truly her fault, Reimi could not get over it. Though one could not blame a child for their childish actions, it was not like Reimi could really forget what she had done. Her negligence was the reason why “it” had happened.

“How could it have be her fault?”

“She it just a child.”

“Leave her alone.”

Despite one rationalizing this sort of incident as “not her fault”, in the end, the means were still what lead to the ends. It didn’t matter the excuses one could throw, from Reimi’s perspective she had cheated someone she cherished and because of that they could no longer be her friend. They could no longer be anyone’s friend.

Even today Reimi thinks about if she had just not been selfish. If she had just simply left her ribbon in the park. But even that was a gift from “them”. Something she cherished even to this day. Though ribbons tended to be disposable for the most part, she refused to let go of the rather old cloth from her childhood, which many her age would consider somewhat odd.

But Reimi, despite this incident, wanted to live a peaceful life. Something she was not used to entirely, but something she strove for her ideal. If Reimi had more courage in herself, she might proclaim something to the heavens: “I, Hirose Reimi, have a dream!”. Or perhaps some other cheesy line.

She wished to have a bold personality, but her person tended towards the timid type, often taking themselves to the shadow and avoiding the limelight. Though her skills in most things were rather average, her ability to hold a conversation with someone she did not consider to be a friend was rather lackluster. And to become a friend it tended to take more effort than most would be willing to put in. Or perhaps, due to her easily flustered state of being, they would simply not wish to speak with her.

After all, not a lot of people tended to enjoy speaking to people without skillful application of social skills, or at the very least a bare minimum understanding. However, even Reimi tended to avoid others. Though perhaps not completely actively, she tended solidarity over personal confrontation.

However, there was one person that seemed to put effort towards understanding herself. An upper-classman she had met within the confines of school.Though normally introversive, the meek Reimi did not wish to be completely isolated from others to some degree. Even if they might one day abandon her, she could always simply retreat within herself once again.

This person was one “Furukawa Shin”. Perhaps it was by chance but there existed an instance where the two had become friendly with one another through a coincidental meeting. Perhaps it was the mechanisms of fate turning their wheels, but Reimi was not one to really believe in fate, and even if she did to be a slave to fate was something she wanted to avoid. After all, fate in the romanticism books tended towards a painful death. And despite it being rather selfish, Reimi did not want to live in pain.

“M-maybe he is not busy today?”

Naturally introverted, people tend toward a desire to at the very least establish some form of companionship.

“Hello,” a message to Shin’s neurolinker said.

“How are you doing?”

Though many teens utilized slang and the like within the confines of their neulinker messages, Reimi seemed to understand very little about these sorts of colloquialisms of the modern day. After all, she did not tend to interact with many daily.

“I was wondering if you would wish to accompany me somewhere. Well I don’t really know what sort of place you and I would both enjoy. And I know it is also raining, but I figure at the very least it would not be too much of an inconvenience. Unless it is too much of an inconvenience in which case just ignore I said anything. But maybe then we could share some sort of experience together. That is to say if that wouldn’t be against the plans you already had for the day. If that is the case I will apologize and retract my statement from…”

…

…

...

You can probably see where this sort of message is going.

---

Evelina “Yuuki” Da Luca

One could say that Evelina, or better known as “Yuuki” to those around her, was an odd child compared to most others. Though many in Japan tended to have been born as a Japanese citizen, Yuuki was hardly that. Her mother and father were traveling diplomates, and her mother happened to be of Japanese descent, while her father was a European.
Of course, such a differentiation of race should tend to not matter as much in a globalized world. However, it was not as if people didn’t tend towards those who were alike themselves. But Yuuki seemed to be accepted as if her European side never truly mattered, which was not something that Yuuki really disliked.

Her parents travelled the world, leaving her daughter in Japan to study. Of course, it was not as if they told her she was unable to join them on their travels. Yuuki simply did not care for travelling anymore. During her youth, an incident had occurred that made her fear travel. Therefore it was not really abandonment by her parents. Yuuki had asked for this.

Living with a relative of her mother for the last several years of her life, Yuuki seemed to have incorporated rather well, in Yuuki’s opinion, into the Japanese culture and her ability to speak Japanese was rather skillful and comparable to a native speaker. That being said, she actually was not very skilled in Japanese cultural understanding. Her Japanese was pretty good though.

However, there existed a side to Yuuki that was different than the average Japanese student, besides the glaring fact she was half Japanese. Within the confines of her neurolinker, Yuuki held a special “game”; something that she considered “sacred”.

A game that allowed for her to be part of a “community”. A Legion of sorts. Legions are, as most who play Brain Burst know, ruled by a King that governs the policies and the like of said Legion. However, the leader of her Legion had been missing for many years, thrown into anarchy. Though some would choose to take this opportunity to leave the legion. But even if her Legion Master was missing Yuuki, or better known as “Prussian Palatine” , only considered the former Black King as her leader. If they would not show up and would be replaced by another, there was a high likelihood that Prussian Palatine would leave the Black Legion.

Either way, Prussian Palatine was looking for a matchmaking game in Brain Burst. Maybe someone would be brave enough to challenge them.

Akairo

The sounds of two shinai, clashing, bounced within the walls of the dojo at the Hoshi residence. Akairo and his father have been going at it since before the break of dawn. Had there been any spectators, it would appear as if either one was fighting his own reflection. Moves were matched and countered, seemingly flawlessly, by both parties. For any fan of the sport, it was like watching two titans going at it. It gave Akairo a rush that he very much enjoyed. If he wanted to win he could easily accelerate himself, making things all too easy. If he were the type to rely on his acceleration, for every little thing in his life, then he would say "the hell with practice!". Doing things the "normal" way was so much more invigorating. It instills a sense of accomplishment, knowing that you don't always need to cheat to get where you want.

Finally, it was time to end the games. Akairo had the biggest advantage of all, his youth. With a swift step, forward, it appeared as if he was aiming for a thrust to the chest. His father prepared his defense, as planned. Before there was any time to react, with a quick rotation, Akairo redirected his attack to his fathers head. Rendered helpless, his father took the, forceful, blow and stumbled backwards. Huffing and puffing, sweat dripping down their faces, both removed their men (head piece) to reveal, bright, smiles.

"HA! Geez kid... I remember when your shinai was taller than you were. You couldn't defend or score for nothin! Now look at ya... Got your old man all shook" his father jested

"You've only got yourself to blame, 'old man'" Akairo teased and laughed

"Right! Well, go get washed up. I'm your mother is whipping up something delicious now"

With that, the two made their way to the main house. They would part way, upon arrival, only to head to their respective wash areas; otherwise known as the bathroom. After Akairo's refreshing, steaming, hot, shower, he ran downstairs. His senses were blessed by the scent of some good cooking. He followed his nose, like a dog, all the way to the kitchen. There he would greet his mother.

"Morning! Whatcha got today?" Akairo questioned as he crept up, behind his mother, attacking her with hugs and kisses.

"Oh no! What is this?! Heeeeeeeey! You're going to make me mess this up!" she giggled and squirmed in his his arms. Appearing fearful, as if he actually believed he would mess up his mothers concoction, she was released "What does it matter what i'm cooking anyway? Don't you love my cooking?" she questioned with a, phony, pout.

"Well yeah... of course I do mom"

"Then sit down and enjoy!"

Akairo found a spot at the table and his father joined the picture, but only for a brief moment. He snagged his packaged breakfast and lunch, kiss from his wife, keys to the car, and rushed out the door. It was all so smooth. Thanks hun! Have a good day kid... and never question your mothers cooking!" he said, as the door shut behind him. Shortly after, his mother met him at the table with Oyakodon. A bowl of chicken, egg, and rice. As soon as the bowl was set down, Akairo shoveled down its contents.

"Thanks! You're the best" he reminded his mother

"I know"

After breakfast, Akairo retreated to the confines of his room. There he skimmed through his, rather large, assortment of books. He slides out the most appealing. A medieval/fantasy. Without wasting time, he practically jumps into the computer chair -luckily he tilt it and fall backwards- and dives into the pages of his book. Lost in the story, it shredded away the rest of his morning.

Noon was rolling around and Akairo's stomach was starting to give warning. He needed to find something to eat soon. His mother had left for work earlier, so he would either have to try his hand at stirring the pot or eat out. A crucial decision and he was a little reluctant after, just now, noticing the weather condition. He sighed as he came to a decision. He just hoped it wasn't the wrong one. A little bit of water never hurt anybody. Akairo knew he really wouldn't mind, once he was out the house, anyway. Nothing can make a person feel more lonely than keeping themselves trapped in a, giant, empty, house. Akairo bookmarked his stopping point, set the book down, and got dressed.

@ADamnFiddle
Rain boots strapped, rain coat buttoned, and umbrella in-hand, he stood at the front door. He shut his eyes, for a brief moment, and gave himself a quick pep talk; reassuring himself that everything was going to be alright. It's just rain. With that, he opened his eyes, and flung open the door. He frisked himself, one last time, making sure that he had everything of importance. Then came the first step for man. He wasn't entirely sure where he was going to go. The plan, for now, was just walk and enjoy the fresh air.

Eventually, Akairo would find himself in front of the aracde. Food options didn't seem all too appealing, at the concession. Super greasy or slightly less greasy food? It didn't matter. The only reason he's even considering it is because, at least here, he can indulge his inner nerd and satisfy basic human necesities, at the same time. Having made a fairly quick decision, he enters. Naturally, his first scans the room for any familiar faces.

The rain continued, falling on the shoulders of Kazue as he walked the streets of the city. He was now blocks away from his house and he hadn't brought an umbrella, a decision he now regrets. The water was starting to seep into his shoes, he could feel the awkward squish of his soles and socks between his toes. Kazue sighed in annoyance.

"Should'a brought an umbrealla..."

Instead of continuing to walk to a familiar restaurant or store to buy some food, he entered the first eatery he saw just to get out of the rain. He stood out front of the place, it was a cafe, a cafe he hadn't been to before but definitely heard of. It was called "Angel Mort," a small cafe that was on the outskirts of the downtown area. Kazue recalled a time when his mother pushed him to go out more, even if that meant giving him money to go eat out. She saw it as a way to let him be around people more without necessarily having to talk to them, of course this was a time when Kazue wasn't in school. Kazue let out an intrigued sigh, and nodded his head, thinking to homself What the heck, i'll try it. He pushed open the door with a bit of apprehension, stepping inside the establishment.

The Atmosphere in the cafe was warming, it wasn't as eccentric as he earlier thought. That was, until he saw the servers in maid costumes. With the little social activity that he has, it's not often you see girl in maid outfits, not in real life at least. He was greeted with smiles all around from the waitresses, them giving him a greeting that they almost all said sync. Kazue blushed slightly and raised his hand to wave, finding himself a seat by one of the front windows. Kazue looked at the menu, trying to find anything that could pass for a satisfying lunch. It was a creamy coffee and a ham sandwich that was cute nicely into triangles that pointed upwards. Before Kazue started to eat he raised his hand upwards, opening the message menu in his neurolinker.

You have 0 messages

Kazue shrugged his shoulders, and huffed slightly. Nothing new there. With a few more waves of his and a bit of typing, he'd found the cafes website. He read up on the establishment, thinking there wasn't anything better to do while he eats. He would jump into one of the Global networks virtual spaces, but he wasn't really in the mood to play games by himself right now. After a bit of browsing, he swiped away the screens in his view. He took a few bites out of the sandwich and looked around the cafe. The place wasn't extremely busy, but it had quite a bit of customers. Most of them seemed like regulars, but it was obvious there was people who don't come here every day. The customers who would chat with the servers and call them by names or nicknames would be the regulars, and the people who would keep to themselves and use their manners excessively would be the people who don't come often.

If didn't have much to do today, but he definitely wasn't going to spend it at this cafe. He continued to eat his sandwich and drink his coffee, this was one of those times where he actually enjoyed having the company of others. It was almost comical, every day his parents urge him to go out and be around people, but the one time they don't force him to do it, is the one time he actually enjoys it. Kaz decided he'd stay for a little bit longer before going on about his day, letting the food settle in his stomach as he reclined in the hard wooden chair. Another sigh of both contempt and satisfaction.

Matsushima Momiji

@Undying Curiosity

Just as quickly it had begun, Momiji had concluded her meal. Momiji was one to enjoy the meals she ordered over that which she cooked for herself. After all, her prowess with the fields of contemporary feminine skills were rather lackluster, herself never having a strong female role model in her life. Compared to her female peers who would most likely not take their time alone in a maid cafe, if going at all, Momiji appreciated these sorts of "arts".

However, that did not mean Momiji was simply inept in these fields. Simply inexperienced to the point of semi-incompetence. Why should she be forced to do her own cleaning or cook her own food when she was a fortunate daughter? Momiji tended to prefer to keep herself, though on rare occasions she seemed to reach out to others, it was merely recreational in nature. Even one who dedicates themselves to playing the observer would eventually need to interact with those "playing" in order to continue her status. After all, that was what she believed herself to be in the current. Rather than an actual participant of life, she merely continued to live, only truly looking out for herself.

“Thank you for your patronage, sister,” the maid stated to the Momiji that had just concluded her meal. Momiji always wanted to be an older sister. Her "other" family did have younger girl, she never felt that she had much of a connection with her "other" family. After all, she did move into her own apartment for a reason. Partially because she did not feel welcome. Partially because her father and mother had both betrayed her for their "new" families respectively. This sort of thought process could not be waned. Even if Momiji appeared younger than her appearance let on, she believed that it was interesting enough

And thus she had asked her server to call her as such.

Granted, she would prefer if no one would know of her actions, as it could lead to some complications if others learned she was fawning over maids at a maid cafe, but perhaps she could be glad she hardly recognized anyone in the cafe. Momiji could at the very least take that as a win. Though a misunderstanding would most likely lead to nothing, it was not something she truly wanted.

Wait.

It was not as if she had complete recognition of that “someone” in the cafe. The sort of double take one does when they realize they might have seen someone in a magazine or perhaps on the news or something rather than the actual connection of seeing them within their daily life.

Or perhaps that was not as apt. Sort of like seeing a ghostly visage of someone you had seen once or twice before. Though Momiji tended towards solidarity due to her distrust of those around her, that did not mean that Momiji refused to associate with others. She had been invited by peers to do mundane things on several instances and perhaps if she felt up to the task she would accept.

However, she usually declined. Not because she didn’t wish to “go somewhere and hang out”, but more because Momiji was the sort of person who believed the worst in those she had met. An individual who believed those before her would have the “ulterior motives” besides the ones presented, needing good cause to consider teaming with others, such as something threatening her or those she had sworn to protect like the members of her legion.

But still, the face of the man bothered her. Not in the sense that it was “ugly”, but rather due to the fact she was unable to to discern his identity, despite feeling that she should have an understanding of his person.

Who was he?

Why did Momiji recognize him?

It then hit her. Corner of her class there was always a boy that seemed a bit “odd” in regards to their interpersonal conditioning. Though Momiji was against ‘interpersonal relationships’ between her classmates, at the very least she had a basic idea regarding the interactions and social construction understanding, but the boy who Momiji had remembered in her class was almost completely inept, but always looked like he wanted to be socially active.

At the very least, Momiji understood why he acted in this way. He was a friend of “him”; someone Momiji knew long ago. Someone that Momiji had promised to protect. Someone who Momiji had failed. By the time a person has achieved years adequate for choosing a direction, the die is cast and the moment has long since passed which determined the future.

However, Momiji didn’t want someone from her own class knowing that she was interested in rather risqué behavior regarding choice of places to eat. Especially alone. To others, these sorts of things might be considered creepy, and at the very least this would ruin what Momiji wanted to consider her “cool” image, which to her mind would deteriorate into the image of a degenerate.

So after placing the money on the table, Momiji attempted her best Solid Snake impression and tried to sneak out without being seen by Kazue.

However, though Momiji tended to have the idea she was “cool” to some degree, this was a bit inaccurate. Purple Progenitor within the confines of Accel World was cool. Momiji was a bit clumsy, and when trying to dodge Kazue, as if magic itself, she had tripped on her own feet and proceeded to crash herself into the person she was trying to avoid, the two falling to the ground.

Truly, Momiji was the strongest. We are all born ignorant, but one must work hard to remain stupid.

---

@Inkd Bull
Within the confines of the arcade, Kirei was never one to truly stand out. Though he won often, it was not enough to create himself a cult following within the arcade. After all, those who get the high scores in their games often get unwanted attention, and that was something which Kirei wished to avoid at all cost.

Kirei did not want to stand out from a crowd. After all, if he had but a single skill, his ability to feign an average outward appearance was one to be reckoned with. Despite his skills compared to many of his peers to be superior, his desire to stay hidden pushed him to lessen standards to attempt slightly lower target grade marks.

This same principle seemed to apply when he takes himself to the arcade as well. Though perhaps to someone with a more trained eye and mind,Kirei looked to be “sandbagging”, he never seemed to exit this “sandbagging” mode for any sorts of gains and the like. After all, to sandbag was to pretend to be mediocre at a game, then after seeming mediocre make a bet with someone to obtain some sort of hidden advantage they wouldn’t have expected.

Kirei, however, never made these sorts of bets. And although he seemed to be playing merely for entertainment, one might be able to understand they were not playing to the greatest of their ability. Artificial mistake have a calculated feel to them, whereas natural mistakes seemed a lot more fluid.

Standing out was a bother to Kirei. And Kirei just wanted to live a quiet life.

“I am sorry, but I’ve won that round,” Kirei said to a random stranger he had recently beat in a fighting game.

Kirei seemed to speak, in his regular instance, with a lot of respect to any and all he had met. In Brain Burst he was the same. Respect towards others in conversation tended not to come off as badly as more vulgar choices of words. More forgetful are the instances of joy than those of malice.

However, there did exist a certain degree of “uncalculated error”. Kirei had forgotten to turn off his Neurolinker, and thus others in the game of Brain Burst could duel him if they so wished. However, Kirei understood that currently he was within the confines of a public space, so if there were people who did not know who he was, they would merely know he was one of the many people inside the arcade. Can’t really boil something down when you don't have the right temperature at base. Information was somewhat important for a member of Brain Burst, but to obtain slight advantages would be pointless, unless Kirei was discovered in full.

Still, this was merely a mistake by Kirei. Even those trying to live a quiet life have these instances bound to happen. Even those who meticulously calculate every detail are bound to have simple mistakes.

But unintentional mistakes were something that Kirei wished to avoid at all cost. After all, he did not want attention. He wanted a quiet life. A life where he would be able to escape sins he had never committed. After all, guilty by association was what lead Kirei’s life down a path to ruin. A childhood stolen without compensation.

But Kirei continued his streak of playing games. After all, a bit of video games tended to be entertaining to himself. Even if he had to purposely throw games to not gain attention, Kirei was a competitive man. Which is why he understood Brain Burst as an outlet to his desire to compete. Anonymity was something that Kirei strived for.

@ADamnFiddle

Shin was halfway done his sandwich when the message icon flashed, indicating a new message had been sent to him. He opened it, finding it was an audio message this time and hit play, the message beginning. Right away he started to chuckle, he knew who it was from, the one person from school he had kept on his contact list, Reimi Hirose. He continued to chuckle through the entire message, though he wasn't laughing at the girl's inexperience in human communication, it was simply because of how formal she sounded all the time. It was a good thing, in his opinion, at least she always got him to smile no matter how down he felt. Once the message stopped, he took a few minutes to compose himself, thinking over her invitation to do something. He thought about his summer, he hadn't really been out to do anything, not that he had friends anymore to begin with. 'She' made sure of that. As a result, he had remained inside his room, studying. Sure, he had communicated with Reimi a few times over the break, but they never made any actual plans until today. She must be about as bored as I am. It's raining out though, so I'm not sure where we could go in this weather. he thought to himself. He furrowed his brow as he thought of a place, suddenly getting an idea, We could go to that cafe that just opened a couple of weeks ago, I've been wanting to try their bubble tea, sis said it's delicious. he thought, pulling up his recording program.

He pressed record, "Hey Hirose, I got your message. You really do sound way too formal, not that I have a problem with that at all, of course. If it were anyone but me, I'm sure they'd probably make fun of you or something. Anyways, I'm getting off topic here. I'd be more than happy to meet up with you, I haven't exactly been outside at all this summer, so this is more than enough reason to do so! Sadly the weather limit's our meeting locations, but I think I have a solution for that. There's a new cafe that opened up not too long ago that my sister went to, she said their bubble tea is amazing, I've wanted to go ever since she told me that but I never found the time. I'm adding the location and directions on how to get there, just in case you don't know where it is. Anyways, I hope to see you there! Your friend, Shin Furukawa. PS: There's also something I've been meaning to talk to you about. It's not something I'm comfortable discussing over our usual method of communication, I'd rather do it face to face." he finished recording, then added the location and directions on how to get there before sending it off. He finished his sandwich and went to his room, changing to something more appropriate for being in public, returning back downstairs and making sure to bundle up and grab his umbrella. He stopped at the door, opening his connection to the net, tapping it and disconnecting.

Shin never connected to the net outside of home or school, he knew exactly how dangerous it was to do that as a Burst Linker. Anyone could challenge you at any given moment, and given the fact he disappeared from the accelerated world, he wasn't particularly keen on returning right now. He opened the door and stepped out of the house, making sure to lock up behind him. He began to walk towards the cafe, having memorized the route already. Along the way, he typed something up with his free hand, checking often to make sure he was both going in the right direction and that he wasn't about to run into someone. He turned the corner and spotted the cafe, arriving there before Reimi had, which was what he wanted. He went inside and took a booth by the window, that way when she showed up, she'd know where he was. He returned to his typing, using both hands now, finishing quickly and saving it. He set the icon to the side and reached into his jacket pocket, feeling around for the cord he always carried with him, locating it. He left it in there, removing his hand and finally deciding to order his bubble tea he wanted. Once it arrived, he sipped it gingerly while waiting for his friend to show up. Truth be told, Reimi was more than just a friend to the boy, even more than a best friend. She was more his confidant, she knew things about him that nobody else knew, she was the only one he had opened up to since the incident six months ago. Reimi practically knew all his secrets, all but one, though that was going to change today.

It was about the time Shizuka entered her room with a bowl of miso soup that her NeuroLinker popped open an alert to a new message. She carefully set down her meal on the desk before checking out the message as well as who it might be from.

Message Recieved

Been a while, Void. Or should I say Shizuka now? There was something I wanted you to test for me - a bit of a game I've been working on, if it can be called that. I want you to give it your all, okay? We'll be watching

- Keiko


Shizuka read over the message from Keiko multiple times, biting her lip as she debated on what she should reply with or even if she should ignore the message by tapping that tempting delete button. She always enjoyed the Virtual Worlds that girl made but the thought of other people being there made her a bit nervous to jump right in to accepting. It had been a long time since she had played games with different players and instead chose to do singular games that kept up with speed training or letting her continue with practice fighting in case of...well she wasn't sure why anymore. Why did Brain Burst keep calling to her? It was like she was always keeping up her mind for it even when she promised to never set foot in that world again. Mamorimasu had been trying to get her to return and keeping her spirits up that he was not the only one but she didn't believe it. Heck, Keiko had even tried once or twice to talk about it but Shizuka had shut them down. It was possible that this was another way to lure her but...maybe it was time to at least try multiplayer games. It wouldn't hurt from the safety of her home and if this test proved bad than she could just stop, right?

She gave a small nod, steeling her resolve before tapping on the replay button. Her fingers gliding through the air with expert grace since this was one of her biggest form of communication. Once the small message was typed up, her finger hovered over the send button for but a moment before she pressed it and flopped back onto her bed with an arm over her eyes. It was too late to turn back now...guess she better eat something while the files downloaded and then she would have to be prepared for whatever this game held. That was the thought on her mind as Shizuka pushed up off the bed, grabbing the abandon bowl on her desk.

Message Sent

-It has been quite awhile but it was a pleasant surprise to hear from you. I'll be accepting your invitation and am probably downloading the files as you read this message. I am excited to check out this devolpted Virtual World of sorts and will let you know what I think as soon as I am able. I hope that you didn't invite too many people, Keiko.-

The brown wooden chair creaked ever so slightly as the weight of a person pushed up against it. Kaz looked at the plate in front of him, nothing but crumbs from the sandwhich littered the ceramic. It was a delicious lunch indeed, far better than anything he could have made himself at home, yet not as good as one of his fathers signature sandwiches. Kazue's father could have use the exact same ingredients the cafe used and it would still be more satisfying. Maybe it's the feeling he gets when he eats homemade food, regardless of what the food is. Nonetheless it was a good meal.

Kazue looked up from his plate to the coffee mug that sat before him. The mug had a little heart on the side with a wavy handle. He grabbed it and tilted the mug towards him, looking inside the mug to see how much coffee was left. A small puddle of coffee accumulated at the bottom of the mug, all the coffee that was on the walls of the mug dripped to the bottom leaving only a sip. It crossed his mind to order another cup, but he didn't want to stay any longer than he had to. Even the the place was growing on him pretty quickly, the atmosphere in the cafe was a bit suggestive and Kaz didn't exactly want to be associated with that stigma. Kaz put the mug down and reached in his pockets, although usually empty he found the coins and pulled them out. He put them on the table, paying a little more than he needed. He considered it the tip.

Kazue, finally ready to leave, pushed his chair away from his table, about ready to stand and leave the cafe. As soon as his chair stopped sliding, he began to stand up, only to be interrupted by a falling person. This took him by surprise. He fell to the ground with little to no effort to keep himself up, this was the result of his poor decision making. He wasn't sure if he should turn and catch the person as he started to tumble, or grab for the table and hold himself up. Either way, what ever decision he choose, it was to late to initiate. Now, the only thing he was thinking was curse words.

He and the person hit the floor with a thud, he lied there for a second to determine rather he was hurt or not. He was fine, his head throbbed slightly but that was about it. He put his hand to the back of his head and rubbed it a bit, sitting up in the process. He looked over to the person who'd fallen with him, realizing it was a girl. This girl had long black hair that was spread out all around the two of them. Kazue's immediate reaction to seeing her was to question whether she was alright or not, but he gave her a few seconds.

"A-Are you alright?" He mumbled, still a bit discombobulated.

Kazue looked at the girl who lied there, only able to see the back of her head he didn't really know who it was. He didn't really try all that hard to recognize her knowing full well it was futile to tell who it was from the back of her head. Only one thin came of that, he concluded that she had nice hair. He starred at her for a few moments, as if the thought of standing back up eluded him. The girl started to move, instantly making Kazue blush a bit. This small ruckus had evidently made it hard for Kazue to focus, he'd just realize that this girl might actually be hurt.

"Do y-you need help ??" He stammered.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@ADamnFiddle

Keiko Inata

The replies from both were more or less instant.

Yoshiki, as always, was casual. A simple, small answer limited to a couple of words summing everything up. Most of the time, that was just the way he was. Shizuka, on the other hand, went for the more long winded reply. She had always been one to elaborate, even if the situation didn't call for it. In a sense, it might have just been the way she wrote. But to anyone who knew her from before, it fitted her status as a King.

A smile traced over her lips reading the message from the Black King. From the sound of it, even if she didn't mean for it to, she was hesitant. Even after all the time since the accident, she was against playing multiplayer. Despite the numerous attempts to... Revive, her passion for Brain Burst, all their efforts were for naught. It was only natural for her to be hesitant about returning, but to an extent such as this? It didn't seem right, despite everything she had been through.

Which was why this was more or less a last ditch effort. Keiko had concluded that the only way for the Black King to return would be to re-ignite her love for the game. That in of itself was a hard enough task, save for one thing. Shizuka had never become a Guardian. She still had her copy of Brain Burst to transfer onto someone else. The same could be said for Keiko, of course, but there wasn't any need to use it. Not yet. The Black King on the other hand needed a push over the edge, and making her into a Guardian was the perfect way to do it.

The only problem with that, though, was that she would have to find a suitable candidate who could both impress Shizuka, and have a chance at installing Brain Burst successfully. Luckily enough, she already knew one such person. Yoshiki Kaibara; intelligent, skilled, casual. Her was amazingly good at both VR and old world fighting games, very intelligent for what effort he ever gave, and all around easy to be with. Provided you ever got to BE with him at all. Despite his easy personality, he stayed away from people in general. All except people in the VR world. If there was who could download it successfully, and impress Shizuka, it was him.

The boy in question soon materialised into the room she had constructed, and proceeded to look around in the curious fashion he always did. Her free hand danced across a control window to the left; scrolling through several pages of pre-made objects. Her hand finally tapped on one object in particular - a pure white balcony. She dragged it into a 3D rendition of the room, and placed it on the wall behind the catboy. Keiko then brought up a second window, selected a few different options and typed in a few lines of code. In a minute, the spawnpoint had been changed to the balcony.

---

The world around Yoshiki de-materialised as a new, virtual world constructed itself onto his vision. Perceptible reality broke down around him, slowly replaced with a pure white room. Every surface was covered in shiny white panels, almost impossible to tell apart. From somewhere, lights illuminated every space visible. He had played a couple of Keiko's games before, but they were mostly demo's for "a big project for a close friend".

The room itself contained very little in the way of decoration. Towards the back wall of the room, a single shiny white robot stood - a sword at its side buried slightly into the ground. On the wall to it's left, weapons of every type lined it. Axes, swords, daggers, guns; everything. However, every single on was blacked out - like a silhouette. The only one that remained was an unsheathed katana. From the way every other weapon was seemingly unavailable, it felt as if the game was telling him to take it.

And so he did. The blade glimmered with the unsee-able light that illuminated the room, perfectly showing his reflection; a human male, with his exact features. Besides a pair of black cat ears, a crimson streak through his hair and bright red eyes. He gave the blade a few practice swings, then made his way to the center of the room; where a virtual control panel sat floating a meter or so away from the drone.

It bore three screens all placed next to each other, all with a different title - Name, Difficulty, Commence?. Yoshiki typed his name into the keyboard provided by the name section, and them turned to the difficulty. He scrolled down the options with his finger , looking at the different options. Beginner, Easy, Intermediate, Medium, Expert, Hard, Insane, More he read in his head, before realising that there was one that didn't fit. More. He tapped it, and immediately the difficulty screen vanished, instead replaced by two options directly next to each other; "Yoshiki" and "Shizuka".

However, as much as he was confused about the second name, he instinctively chose the option bearing his name. The screen disappeared, and all that was left was the begin button, which he proceeded to press. In the instant, the robot opposite Yoshiki powered up, standing straight and reaching for the blade in the ground. When the AI was in a fighting stance, ready to begin, a countdown started.

Matsushima Momiji

@Undying Curiosity

Momiji cursed herself. How could she have allowed for this to happen? How could she allow her “cool image” be ruined by her failure to walk. If Momiji was more coordinated in this respect, perhaps it would have been a lot easier to sneak passed Kaz and out of the door.

Needless to say, this was not going according to the plan in Momiji’s head. In fact, one might argue that the opposite effect, bumping into the person she was attempting to avoid, had occurred.

"Where's the user support for my life? I could use a patch here."

Games are games. Reality is reality. Those who try to link them together are the ones who can't tell the difference. Then again, perhaps it was likely that Momiji had issues discerning the difference between the Accelerated World and the real life at times. After all, exposure increases the likelihood one is to preference something, and to get to her level 9 status in Brain Burst, Momiji did have to invest many of days in real time, years in game time. However, unlike other games to which the flow of time seemed Accelerated, Brain Burst also altered the flow of time outside of the game, thus mental aging and maturity were available well passed the mentality of a someone’s outward appearance.

However, there were a million thoughts running through Momiji’s head. Had he recognized her? Was he alright? Could she hit someone hard enough they’d forget something?

Either way, in the end she figured that despite this looking bad on herself, she could most likely talk her way out of this situation.

“I-I’m alright,” Momiji finally croaked at the other’s question.

It was somewhat humiliating to her that these sorts of events were to have happened. Perhaps if Momiji had prepared enough before taking her actions, it she might have come out with a contingency plan for this, but there was hardly any planning going into this action. Merely wishing to “leave”.

Perhaps it should be worth noting that even understanding the minor gravity of her situation, there was a moment to which Momiji actually considered using her Physical Full Burst. However, Momiji understood that even with her believing the situation might be important to avoid, the amount of points she would lose wouldn’t be enough to justify her actions in the slightest.

That and she hardly understood what was happening until it was already too late.

But Momiji was proud. Even if she had messed up, and this was a rather embarrassing situation, Momiji believed it was best to simply own up to what she had done to the other. Still though, perhaps she was not all too thrilled that someone had seen her both at a maid cafe and her tripping on herself. A blunder that Momiji would attempt, but most likely fail, preventing in the future.

“I guess I lost my footing. Sorry about that, ha ha.”

Momiji then turned to face Kaz, her face no longer looking away from the boy. Though Momiji didn’t truly hold the greatest of confidence in her looks, one could say that her appearance was outwardly cute. Though petite, she seemed to have a degree of elegance about her.

“What where you are going, idiot!”

Normally this is what you expect the person who got crashed into, the “crashee” to say, rather than the person who crashed into them. However, Momiji still never believed herself in the wrong in this situation. After all, the person she crashed into after tripping should have moved out of the way, right? Or at the very least, a more perceptive person would have been able to catch her.

Wait, you’re that boy from my class, aren’t you? Umm, Kazue, right? I’m Momij, in case you didn’t know. Funny running into you. I am going to have to ask that you forget about my little ‘accident’ though. “

Well, Momiji did understand that these sorts of cafe attracted those who were lonely. Though it seemed that Momiji was genuine, the latter half of the statement seemed almost as if phrased and given the tone of a threat despite Momiji hardly changing her voice. Sort of like how a mob punisher might say to his client’s enemy. Though Momiji was someone who was, to a degree kind, she still had a childish desire to hide this incident up, as if a child hiding the fact they had broken something from their parents.

However, perhaps this was not the first time the two had met. Momiji remembered the meeting herself, but felt it would be best to feign ignorance over the issue. After all, Momiji was one to believe it was better to pretend than to potentially hurt someone.

---

Hirose Reimi

@Krinos Solstice

It didn’t take Reimi too long to arrive at the destination that was sent to her by Shin. To her surprise Shin had arrived but moments before her.

“S-Sorry for making you wait. Shin. I hope you weren’t waiting too long for me”

Reimi tended towards sincerity. If she believed that there was an instance which she had wronged another, then she would do anything within her power to correct this mistake, assuming it was not to benefit said people. After all, though she was a simple girl, one could say that her ideas of justice were flawed at the core.

At the very least, Reimi was not the most awkward in a social setting. One could say that it was not as if she could not understand the social relations between people, but rather it was incompatible with her person, and as such she tended to misinterpret things and fluster herself, or just fluster herself in conversation anyway. Alright, perhaps she is a bit socially inept. After all, logic strove for order, but rational argumentation and transparent transfer of information were rooted in assumptions on the nature of being. Every mode of thought carries an ontology sequestered within it, but being is in a constant state of flux.

“Y-You said you wanted to talk about something in your message f-face to face. W-what did you want to discuss?”

The wording of the conversation flustered Reimi a bit. There was something that Shin wished to inform her that was too private to discuss or too delicate to talk about over the neurolinker. Of course, Reimi was the confidant of Shin. She trusted him, and likewise she believed that Shin trusted her. A mutual agreement that the two had come across if only by chance.

“I’d want to order a tea first though.”

[idk if it was supposed to be the same cafe. If so I’ll let your post be retroactive in regards to actions.]

Shin didn't have to wait long, as Reimi showed up not too long after having finished what he was typing, "I haven't been here long, actually. I only just got my drink moments ago." he replied. He noticed her stuttering, apparently he had accidentally flustered her in some way. He tended to do that to her quite frequently, perhaps it was the way he worded things? That was most likely it, after all, she didn't exactly speak like everyone else did. Her speech was formal, and he knew it threw others off. He heard what they called her behind her back, when they thought she had no friends at all. She was ostracized by her peers, her juniors avoided her, and the entire school called her Robot Girl. It sickened Shin that people could be so cruel, but then again, that was probably why he approached her in the first place; they were both alike in some way. Sure, he was popular among the junior girls, everyone knew that. But he never associated himself with any of them, always preferring to sit alone and keep to himself. Of course, just like Reimi, he had been ostracized. However, his was different, those who used to be his peers now look at him with disgust. It was 'her' fault, 'she' spread lies about him, and like hungry savages, his former friends gobbled it all up and believed every word. Trust. That was a big thing now for Shin. "Yeah, go ahead and order." he said, giving the girl a genuine smile.

While he let her order, he reached into his pocket, his mind going over what he had typed. He wasn't about to connect to the net, and saying it out loud...well, one of their classmates might show up and overhear them. That was the last thing he wanted. He'd rather continue receiving the looks he got, than to have someone interject and fill Reimi's head with lies about him. No, she was the one friend he would protect from their influence. Once Reimi had her tea, he slowly pulled out his cord and set it on the table, "I...don't want someone overhearing our conversation...so I brought this." he said, his face turning a little red. It was embarrassing to even say something like that; everyone knew two people using a cord in a cafe like this were assumed to be a couple, even if that weren't the case, which it wasn't in the case of Shin and Reimi. "D-don't get the wr-wrong idea, I just...there's something I want t-to send you, b-but I'm not comfortable c-connecting t-to the internet h-here. I-it's in relation t-to what w-we'll be t-talking about..." he stuttered. He needed to get a grip and quickly, otherwise he was likely going to start freaking out Reimi...if she wasn't freaking out already.

@ADamnFiddle

Hirose Reimi

@Krinos Solstice

Reimi, though socially awkward, at the very least was able to order her tea. The waitress walked towards herself, and Reimi placed her order for the supposed delicious bubble tea that Shin had recommended to her. It was unlike Shin to lie to Reimi. After all, they could be considered friends to say the least. Reimi considered Shin to be one of the few people she trusted. Though seemingly popular, Shin seemed to, at a core like herself, was flawed.

And Reimi understood this well.

No one is perfect. Humans existed as entities imperfect by design. A man's conscience and his judgment is the same thing; and as the judgment, so also the conscience, may be erroneous. The flesh endures the storms of the present alone; the mind, those of the past and future as well as the present. However, imperfection does not imply a flawed self by nature, and a flawed person was not an imperfect person by nature, nor are the two mutually exclusive.

“Y-yeah of course.”

Though Reimi tended to have problems expressing herself, she did seem a lot more lively in the presence of Shin. Though even to Shin it was a bit hard for her to open up completely, in the end opening up slightly was more than even Reimi might be able to confide in her parents, who seemed to almost ignore her entire existence.

Perhaps it was by chance the two met. Though someone not to believe in superstitious things like fate and whatnot, even Reimi considered that day “fateful”. If she had not met a person in the sea of nothingness that became her life, and if he had not been able to smooth over her course personality, perhaps there might have been a different future to Reimi’s end. The child to endless ridicule due to her natural tendency towards awkwardness and to a degree stoicism.

But to Shin’s recommendation, Reimi took the cord and placed it into her Neurolinker. Though normally it was rather embarrassing after all, the only reason why a boy and a girl tended to use a direct link was due to their relationship being that of boyfriend and girlfriend. It was considered scandalous otherwise.

But Reimi considered such notions to be childish in the end. It was simply an exchange of thoughts no different than a conversation. The only reason the two would be forced to use the direct link must have been information a bit too sensitive for even the meager amounts of people within the cafe.

“So, what did you wish to talk about, S-Shin?”

Though technology will continue to advance, it was always a bit odd for Reimi to direct connect to anyone. Direct connections require a degree of intimacy to trust another for this instance. A Neurolinker was the tool of the future, and to allow strangers into your key to modernism could impede on such processes. And even so, to allow someone to read your personal thoughts required a great deal of trust. But Reimi trusted Shin. At least, she hoped her trust in Shin was not ill-founded.

“We don’t seem to do this often do we? After all, that is what c-couples do. But it is nice to do this sort of thing with you, Shin. It kinda f-feels good. ”

Well, it wasn’t exactly like Reimi had a dirty mind. In fact, it was rather the ignorance of her statement’s wording that lead her to say such an awkward thing through the direct link.

Kazue leaned forward to push himself up off the ground, watching as the girl he'd bumped into turn her head towards him. Her hair perfectly framed her face, revealing who this person was. When she looked at him Kazue immediately knew who this person was. Her name was Momiji, they've had class at school together in the past years.

Kaz wasn't much of a socialite, and he really didn't have much(if any) friends. The people that he encountered on the day to day basis consisted of his two parents and sometimes his mailman, it wasn't exactly a perfect circle of friends. That being said, anybody else who left any sort of impression on him was usually remembered. Such as his best friend, or even, evidently, someone who knew his best friend.

Kaz lost in thought as he starred at this girl, was pulled down back to reality with a chain that took form as attitude. It took Kazue by surprise to see this girl, who at school, is a kindhearted and friendly individual, show so much bitterness. Kazue didn't see it coming at all, her words 'Watch where you're going, idiot!' stung his timid self.

Kazue was well aware of the persona's one takes on when they know they'll be judged by others, along with being around the people they know. It's very often a person chooses a mask that portrays them as a better person. It's only when caught off guard do you truly see whats underneath that aforementioned mask. Of course, everyone does this. Kazue once read a quote from a book he was reading that really gave him some perspective on how people act. It went along the lines of ' Every person wears three masks, a mask to show their friends, a mask to show their family, and a mask they only show to them self. These masks change over time and are different for everyone...'

Kazue looked down and felt he was responsible for this little dilemma, He was about to apologize and leave the cafe, but more words had escaped the girls mouth. These one's weren't hurtful, however. She explained who she was and that she knew Kazue. It was strange to him, he knew they'd met before but she was acting as they only seen each other before.

Kazue remembers a time when Yoshiro, his best friend who isn't here anymore, introduced Kaz and Momiji to each other. Why now is she acting like that? It was clear Kazue didn't pick up on many social clue, this being a prime example.

"I-I...We've met before..." Kazue said with some hesitance. He was starting to think maybe they had't officially met before, and that maybe Kazue had just imagined such a scenario.

He bit his lip a bit before he spoke again, he wanted to see if she remembered or not. He let out a whisper, only saying one word hoping she would acknowledge or at the very least humor his notion, "Yoshiro??" He said, as if he was asking if she'd remembered him or not. It was a little depressing to hear himself say it out loud, seeing as it was a name that was such a big part of his life.

He looked at Momiji with a confused expression on his face, as if he was thinking about whether or not they have met, or maybe confused at the fact that she couldn't remember.

@ADamnFiddle

Reimi's calm response to his suggestion allowed for Shin to calm down a great deal, That's right, nothing to get embarrassed or flustered about. We're just two friends having a private conversation, that's all, nothing more than that. he thought to himself, picking up his end of the cord. He felt around for the slot and inserted the connector once he located it, opening his window and dragging the document he had typed up to the linked icon, placing it there and sending it to her. "Before we discuss anything, you should read what I just sent you, it has the relevant information on something I've never told anyone before. You will be the first one I've ever told, so please keep what you read between us..." he paused here, his eyes looking away and down into his drink, "...nobody else needs to know." he added, his voice now sad. He remained silent, the only movement that came from him was when he went to sip his drink; even then, he kept his eyes focused outside on the rain. It mirrored how he felt inside. He figured Reimi was just about done reading the document when he finished taking another sip, his eyes finally meeting hers again, though the usual joy that was once in them had been replaced by the sadness his voice held minutes ago.

"I think that's probably why you and I get along so well, Reimi, we both know what it's like to be hurt." he told her. He sighed out loud, propping the side of his face up with his hand, "The game I mentioned, I actually stopped playing after all was said and done, I really didn't want to run the risk of seeing her again. It's also why I don't connect to the net outside of home or school anymore, it's too risky for me as I still have the program installed, so anyone could challenge me at any moment." he paused for a moment. He pointed at her, "And before you ask me, the answer is no, I have no interest in ever going back to that place. Even though it's been six months, the memories still linger there, especially the one involving the last time she and I saw each other. I never imagined in my life I would have to fight her, yet she had no qualms about it. I don't want to go through that again." he told her, lowering his finger. Despite what he said, there was a message between the words. He wanted to go back, he was just afraid he would have to face her, to relive the pain all over again. That scared him. More than anything in the world, did that one single thought alone, scare the living daylights out of him. Even as he tried not to let it show, his left hand shook ever so slightly, and the look in his eyes were that of fear. The accelerated world was his nightmare, and soon, his school life would become one as well.

Kaoru Morita

"Y-yes! Thank you so very much!"

Thanking the person at the desk profusely, Kaoru Morita was on her way back home from the local convenience store. Her parents had sent her out to pick up some rice, some small snacks, and various sweets of no use outside of Kaoru just munching on them all through her day off from school. The bags tucked securely in her arms, she was currently running down the sidewalk, getting absolutely soaked from the rain.

Not the best way to start off a day, she had to admit.

But she just wanted to get home, first and foremost. Away from the world she found so daunting. Have a few snacks, log in for the day, and just have some fun. Perhaps she would log in as her K-chan persona for a while. It would give her something to do that didn't have to do with Naturia either way.

...Ish. She usually used her K-chan persona to promote Naturia.

Either way, she tried to speed up her trip home. The quicker she got out of the rain, the quicker she could find something else to do with her time.

Shizuka was completely lost in thought, waiting as the files to download and barely even noticing the mechanical movements of her spoon being lifted so she could take a bite. The spoon half the time would just hover still full before being placed back down into the bowl since the owner was to busy to focus on the task before her. The alert on her NeuroLinker was enough to jostle Shizuka from her thoughts and causing the girl to flinch just as the spoon went into her bowl. The action causing quite the mess as the contents of the bowl spilled all over the surface of the desk causing Shizuka to mouth a curse and look up at the ceiling for a moment as if asking it why since she would now of the redo the paperwork on her desk. She grabbed a towel, slowly cleaning up her mess and frowning as she thought once more what game the Red King was playing at by setting this up. It was obvious that there was some alternative motive but if she just didn't show than she wouldn't ever know what the other had planned. It felt like a trap even though she trusted the other girl, something was just...off. She worked on drying and salvaging what she could from the chaos of miso soup before plopping on the bed once more. Her body relaxed as she opened up the files, diving into the Virtual World that Keiko had created and waited for her avatar to load up. The player spawn lit up on the balcony, the avatar being formed slowly and when it had the small bead like black eyes opened to view a very blank room. There were only weapons of every kind, shape and size but most were grey meaning that they could not be in play yet and most likely needed to be earned or weren't actually ready yet. Her eyes were drawn away from the weapons, onto the actual player and watched as he was in stance across from the AI as the counter was almost to the end of its round.

3,2,1....FIGHT!