[Invitation]
Souta stood in front of the door of class 2-B. He had just left the teacher's lounge after receiving his student account to log into the school's network.
With homeroom currently in progress, all that he had to do is wait for the signal his Neuro Linker will receive and enter.
"..." He ran his fingers along the device. A gift from his family because the previous one "he" used to wear was damaged beyond repair.
This would be the second Neuro Linker he himself wears, the first being one issed by the hospital while he was there.
He spent almost a year in that place, most of that time he was in a coma and the rest was for rehabilitation, both physical and mental.
While thinking about it, the signal came. Souta took a deep breath and opened the door.
"Excuse me." Souta stepped into the room, closing the door behind him and walking towards the teacher.
As he walked, his new classmates entered the range of his peripheral vision, but he kept looking ahead. Stopping a few steps away from the teacher, he turned to the black board.
The Neuro Linker interacted with the device embedded in the blackboard activating the application.
Though his fingers held nothing, Souta moved his hand, writing his name on the virtual blackboard.
"Takeno Souta" was written for everyone to see.
As he finished, he turned around and spoke plainly, "Takeno Souta, nice to meet you." and bowed slightly.
~~~~
The first weeks at the new school was fairly uneventful. He spent most of his free time learning his way around the school, and remembering the new faces.
Having poor social skills and giving off an aura of apathy, it was hard for him to talk to his classmates and vice versa.
The only time he could relax was during lunch break. He'd have a quick meal then sit down and dive into the local network of
Toshima district’s Yoshino Middle School where Souta is.
"Direct Link"
His consciousness faded away and was transported to the virtual space that looked like a village out of a fairy tale. Apparently this is used as a template by most middle schools throughout the country...the previous school's network he attended at the Nerima district had a similar layout.
Out of the selection of default avatars avaliable, he chose a black cat wearing old fashioned boots. Then customized it a bit to fit him and added a red handkerchief from the optional equipment, around the cat's neck.
Running past other students that had also logged in, he was about to take the usual shortcut when he noticed a lot of people gathered at the village's square.
Curiosity got the best of him and went for a quick peek.
But because of his avatar's short stature, he couldn't see what was a attracting so much attention.
Fortunately, trees and houses can be climbed. Going up a nearby tree, he sat on a branch and looked down at the square.
There they stood, near the fountain at the middle of the square, the members of the Student Council.
As usual the Student Council President used his gaudy avatar dressed up in fine clothes as if he were a prince.
Compared to him, the other two Student Council members weren't as flashy.
As for what is going on, it seemed that the Student Council is answering questions the regular students asked.
This didn't interest him. Souta prepared to jump off the tree when he felt like he was being watched.
Looking around, he noticed something move at the roof of a house on the other side of fountain.
(It's been happening a lot lately), he thought. He looked around some more, but didn't see anyone suspicious.
Lately, Souta has had the feeling that someone is watching him, be it the real world, or virtual...but he has yet to actually see that person.
Checking the clock at the corner of his vision, there was still plenty of time, he headed to the edge of the village.
Souta often used the remaining time of lunch break to play games at the "Recreation Zone", a tall tree with several floors, each with a different type of game.
~~~~
Stopping at the basketball floor, then chose single player - 1 on 1, first score wins. Adjusted the opponent's difficulty to the level he had unlocked yesterday, level 58.
The field lit up, and a virtual player materialized. While the CPU opponent had the height of a professional basketball player, the black cat avatar is a little over 1m tall.
Despite the CPU-controlled opponent being taller, the game grants the player something else to compensate, in his case, mobility and high jump...but how well they use it is up to the player.
Countdown begins, he focused on the time as it got closer to zero. The NPC and Souta prepare themselves.
The moment the timer reached 0, a basketball materialized mid-air and fell between them. Souta jumped with all his might, his reaction time faster than his opponent.
Both aiming to catch the ball first with their right hands, Souta quickly switched to his left hand, blocking the NPC's catch and taking the ball.
After landing, he dribbled the ball at a quick pace, switched it to the right hand as he kept his eyes on the virtual opponent.
The giant tries to steal the large ball from the cat, but Souta notices the pattern in the NPC's movement.
Making the ball bounce at a low angle, it slips between the NPC's legs and rises into the air, at the same, the black cat rolls sideways and runs to where the ball will land.
By the time his opponent finished turning around, Souta was already halfway to the ball location.
The black cat jumps, catching the ball in the air. He aims at the basket on the opponent's side, and shoots.
Hitting the square area on the basket's blackboard, the ball bounces back, and goes through the hoop.
'You Win!' appears the moment the ball passes the hoop, the NPC falls on his knees and disappears, followed by the message 'Level 59 unlocked!'
Letting out a sigh, Souta relaxes for a second then prepares to challenge the next level.
But before he could finish, he notices someone at the entrance.
A female avatar with fiery red hair, clad in long clothes and with large fox ears on her head.
He recognized her face...she's from the same class, but he has yet to remember his classmate's names.
In silence, Souta stared at her while thinking of what to say.
"You're good. Have you ever thought of joining the Basketball club?" She breaks the silence.
"Not interested." an instant reply.
"Then why do you play this everyday?"
The black cat's eyebrow raised slightly. For her to know this...could she be the one that's been watching him?
Dismissing the thought, he activated 'Free Throw' mode, a basketball materialized at his feet.
Picking up the ball, he aimed at the hoop. "No reason. It's just how I spend my time." he replied before shooting.
The ball passes through the hoop and disappears with a '+1' message. A new ball appeared.
"Is that so?" She paused, closing her eyes for a moment, then opened them, "Did you know? Every ten levels in this game, the difficulty increases more than normal."
"......So?" he repeated the previous action, another point is added to his score.
"Most students that play here only make it to level 20, 30 at best." She replies.
"I see..." He shoots again, his total score at 8 with no misses.
"To make it as far as level 59...means you have good reaction time and mental reflexes." she explains.
"I see." he repeats, his score at 12.
"......" She stayed silent as he kept shooting at the hoop without fail. "You...are you really normal?"
"Huh?" He stopped and looked at her.
The girl at stood all this time at the entrance of the room, finally entered, took a few steps and stopped.
Staring at the black cat shorter than her, she spoke, "Are you a Linker?"
In confusion, the cat blinked a few times, "...Linker?"
Seeing his reaction, the red-haired girl asked again, "You aren't a Burst Linker?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." the cat looked at the time displayed on ther corner of his sight, 8 minutes before class.
Setting the ball on the floor, he turned the game off. He walked towards the exit, but the girl stood in his path.
"...Really? You really don't know?" She insisted.
"Yes." He replied. "No matter how many times you ask, the answer won't change."
"Then..." She pauses, "Let me confirm it."
"Confirm?"
"After school, come to the roof." She looked at him seriously.
"...Okay."
Hearing his reply, the girl nodded, "Then, after school." She waited a moment, "Link Out!" spoke the log out command and her avatar disappeared in a golden light.
~~~~
After school.
The conversation Souta had during lunch break with the classmate whose name he didn't remember continued to play in his mind.
It left him with a curiosity that did not go away...so after school as agreed, he went to the rooftop.
Opening the door, there she was...she looked just like her avatar, except for the loose kimono and fox ears.
Crimson shoulder length hair, round golden eyes. Average height for a girl her age, but compared to him, she's shorter.
She stood near the fence, looked at him and spoke, "You came."
He walked up to her, keeping a reasonable distance between. "So...what was the earlier conversation about?"
The girl simply nodded, "To be honest, I've been watching you for a while, here and on the virtual side."
"Yes, I noticed."
"Gh..." She hesitated when she heard his response, "Anyway, during gym class, your reaction speed is above normal. At first I thought it was just coincidence, but it happened too many times that I had to confirm it."
"That I'm a...Burst Linker?"
"That's right."
She reached for the pocket of her uniform, from it appeared a bundle of cable. Taking a plug at one end, she connected it to her Neuro Linker.
"I know it's strange to ask this, but I want to be sure." She held out the other end of the cable to him.
Souta remembered reading about this in his Neuro Linker's manual. Direct Connection. Both sides' Neuro Linker would become connected, with no firewall or anti-virus protecting them.
"...Are you sure?" He asked.
"I told you, didn't I? I've been watching you. Based on your actions these past few weeks, I can tell that you're not a bad person." She paused, "And even if it all was but an elaborate ruse, I have no intention of losing without a fight."
The classmate in front of him, whose name he can't remember, glared at him to show that she is serious.
Souta remained silent. He took the plug, connected it, completing the link. A warning message popped up, but disappeared in a second.
The girl moved her hands, sliding windows that only she can see, and going through folders.
<...It's surprisingly empty.> She communicated mentally. <All I see is default software, and a hanful of normal applications.>
<I've only had this Neuro Linker for a month, the previous one broke.>
<I see...> She replied while poking deeper into the device's memory.
A minute later, she sighed, "Nothing. You're not a Burst Linker..."
"That's what I've been saying all this time......What's a Burst Linker anyway?"
"Do you want to try?" She asked. "I can't guarantee success, but there's a fair chance that you can become one."
"Is it okay?"
"Actually, I spoke of it, so I have to take responsibility..." She moved her hand in a way that corresponded with moving away several windows, selecting a file and preparing to send it.
"This has been kept secret for 7 years...If this fails, then forget that I talked about this."
Seeing Souta nod, her hand that was waiting near her Neuro Linker moves, pointing towards him.
During that motion, a spirit-like fox runs along the cable connecting them, bringing a file with it.
Upon reaching him, a 'B' icon appears, along with a message window.
[Execute BB2039? YES/NO]
<If you choose to accept this application, your view of reality will change completely, unable to return to a lifestyle considered 'normal'.>
He immediately pressed the YES button. «BRAIN BURST» appeared and exploded in wave of flames. Though, he reacted mentally, he reminded himself that those flames were an illusion.
<...That was fast.> She comments.
<I have nothing to lose...>
<I see...>
As they spoke, the install progress bar continued to fill--then suddenly stopped at 73%.
When Souta was about to speak, it resumed the installation, reaching 100%.
The progress bar vanishes and new words appear in front of him.
<Welcome to the Accelerated World...> He read them.
<It's a success. You're now a Burst Linker.>
<How does it work?>
<Let's see...> She looked around, trying to find something, but then turned to the track field below them. Members of soccer team were practicing.
<There. The moment the person down there kicks the ball, say this command: Burst Link>
Souta nodded, and looked down at the field. The soccer player set the ball on the floor, walked back a few steps, and ran to gain momentum before kicking the ball.
<Now!> her voice echoed in his mind.
""Burst Link!""
~~~~
In a flash, the world turned blue.
When Souta opened his eyes, what he saw was his own back. He looked down at himself and realized he was moving as the black cat avatar.
"This..."
"We are now under the effect of Brain Burst's function." The foxgirl avatar spoke. "We have accelerated."
"Accelerated..."
She nods, "Through the use of images from the Social Cameras of the surrounding area, a 3D replica of the real world is created. In this world dyed in blue, our thought speed is multiplied by 1000."
"1000??" The cat's eyes widened to express Souta's surprise.
"Though it may seem that the world has come to a halt it is still in motion...look, down there." She turned to the track field.
Approaching the fence, he followed her gaze.
Because they Accelerated at the same time as the student kicked the ball, he was frozen in a kicking position.
"Focus on the ball." She said.
He looked at the soccer ball, floating in the air...and it was true. It was moving at an extremely slow rate.
"From our prespective, everything is 1000 times slower. A mere second in real life equals 16 minutes and 40 seconds while Accelerated."
"...That's a lot of time." He commented.
"Yes. With that much time, one can avoid making mistakes by thinking carefully on the avaliable options. Of course, this is only an example, Acceleration uses are only limited to the user's imagination."
"Is that why it is kept a secret?" He asked. "Because this ability can also be used for bad thing..."
"Yes...It may be one of the reasons. But the main reason is that the only ones who have access to this ability are at best, 15 year old or younger."
"Why is that?"
The foxgirl points to her slender neck, "The Neuro Linker. Its first generation was released about 15 years ago. One of the requirements for Brain Burst's successful installation is the use of the Neuro Linker since young age."
"Then...there are no adults?"
She nodded. "So even if one speaks of Brain Burst, it won’t be believed by the adults.”
"I see."
"Well, this should be enough for today." She paused, "I'll continue the explanation tomorrow."
"Why tomorrow?"
"You still have one last thing to go through before becoming a true Burst Linker."
"...?"
"Until we meet again tomorrow, don't connect to the Global Net, and don't remove your Neuro Linker when you go to sleep. You must follow that faithfully!"
"Yes. I will." He nodded.
"Then, let's leave." She paused, "Burst Out!"
Souta repeated the command. The soccer ball, as well as the whole surroundings that were moving slowly began to accelerate until reaching 'normal speed'. He had returned to reality.
Picking up her school bag, she turned to the door leading downstairs and said, "See you tomorrow, Takeno."
"Wait." He spoke up. "There is still one thing I have to ask."
"Sure. What is it?" She looked at him.
"......W-What's your name?"
"..................Ha?" The girl let out after a long pause. "Y-You..."
"I'm sorry. Apparently, I'm not very good at remembering names." He apologized.
"...Asagiri. Asagiri Renka. Be sure to remember it. I'm your 'Parent' after all."
"Parent?"
"The term 'Parent' is used on Burst Linkers that recruited a new player into Brain Burst, and 'Child' are the ones that receive the program."
"Ah...I see."
"Well then, until tomorrow, Takeno. Don't forget what I said." She reminds him, and goes inside the building.
"...Yes." Even after she left, he replied.
Doing as told, before leaving the school's boundaries, he disabled his Neuro Linker's connection to the Global Net, and headed home.
Little did Souta know, that he would have an agonizing nightmare that night...
~~~~
--Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
In the darkness, the many faceless people continued to repeat that question over and over.
They desperately held onto Souta, each with a different voice, asking him who they are.
--Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
Grabbing his hands and arms, they surrounded him, asking the same question.
--Who am I? Who am I? Who am I? Who am I?
Unable to take it any longer, Souta shouted, "I DON'T KNOW!!!"
The faceless figures remained silent.
--Then, Who are you?
"Eh?"
When he looked at them, they all had faces. He recognized them, they were his family, and classmates from the previous school.
--Who are you?-- A girl next to him repeated.
Hearing that he brought his hands to his face...gone. His face was gone.
--Who are you? Who are you?
One by one, they grabbed him, asking the same question.
Souta struggles, trying to escape them. But someone grabs his leg and he falls.
The white faced people begin to crawl over him, grabbing his arms, neck, torso, waist and, legs.
Each time, the weight on him becoming heavier as he dragged himself on the floor.
He looked up and saw an opening in the darkness...the sky, a clear blue sky.
In it, floated a single cloud.
While struggling, he manages to free his right hand, raising it towards the sky.
"Where? Where is it? The proof of my identity!" He asks.
At that moment a flash is seen from the cloud, and something falls from the sky, landing in front of him.
...a blue sword driven into the ground.
Seeing it, he continues to drag himself towards it.
--That's not you--Won't let you--Don't do it--Why--Don't go-- they say repeatedly.
He tries to shake them off, but they keep latching on to him.
"L-Let me go!!" He screams while desperately crawling towards the sword.
When Souta gets close enough, he sees his face reflected on the polished metal.
Stuck under the pile and unable to move, he reaches out.
"I...I want it!!! Both my old self and the new me...I want to take it all and turn it into who I am!!!!"
<iS ThAt YoUr WiSh?>