The Counter
○ 8:15am.
He lay motionless on his back atop his futon with a blanket messily scattered over him.
The ceiling was empty —— that's not what he was staring at. What he was looking at were the images pulled out of his thoughts.
It couldn't quite be called daydreaming, since he hadn't yet gotten out of bed and it was still dark due to the tightly shut curtains in his room.
—— Perhaps you could call it ''fighting back waking''.
???:「Uhh, I wonder what today has instore for me, not that I even know which day it is… 8:15?, guess I woke up too late again...」
He lifted his upper body up as he twisted himself to a sitting position on his bed. After a long yawn, he rubbed his nasty looking eyes and rose to his feet.
Off the rack on the back of his door, he pulled out his black and white tracksuit jacket, patterned with long orange stripes around the sides. It was his favourite outfit.
The house was unusually quiet today, his loving parents weren't home. They had left to visit his grandparents early this morning, something he felt bad for refusing to tag along.
It's not that he hated them, he loved his grandparents, he just knew that he would be bombarded with a thousand questions; like how he was doing with ■□■□■□, and in all honesty —— he was too ashamed to face it.
???:「EHH?!! What the hell is this! You overdid it Mom, you know I hate this!」
As soon as he finished washing his face and paced back down the corridor, his gaze was forcibly captured by the mountain of green peas, covered behind a film of plastic, glaring at him from the corner of his eye on the kitchen table. Beside it was a jar of mayonnaise and a piece of folded paper.
The humongous pile of greenery turned his lips blue and eyes even scarier —— Just when he had thought he might have an ''ordinary'' morning without any surprises.
He walked in the room and grabbed the letter he had noticed set upon the table.
???: 「A note?」
''I hope you had a great morning. I've prepared your favourite food for breakfast so dig in! — yeah right — We'll be home for dinner, but I've left some money in the kitchen drawer for you to grab some lunch. Knowing you it'll probably be pizza or something unhealthy, just don't overdo it — Yes! You're the best Mom! — Anyways, stay safe while we're gone and remember, we are just one call away if you need anything… P.S. Your Father says you'd better finish the green peas or he'll be ramping up the morning workouts. — hhkk! — Oh yeah and one last thing Subaru, could you please be a good boy and take out the trash, it's been piling up this week so it's long overdue... Love, Mom.''
Subaru:「Guess I have no choice then! ..... yikes, I give up!」
After folding the letter, his eyes reengaged with the monstrous tower of green as he strengthened his resolve to scale it. After a few moments of staring down the ogre, Subaru quickly scurried forward, grabbed the tub of Mayo, rushed to the drawer to swipe the money and dashed back to his room; slamming the door shut behind him.
Subaru:「Phew, that was a close one!」
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Feasting on a jar of mayonnaise for breakfast wasn't exactly a fulfilling healthy diet but was one which was tradition in his household. Perhaps their veins were filled with mayonnaise instead of blood with the amount they would consume. It just perfectly aligned to their taste buds and after years of cultivation, they had managed to make the supreme homemade mayo.
It wasn't the first time the idea of starting a business and mass-producing mayonnaise had crossed his mind. They would be filthy rich before they knew it and global too in a matter of months.
'' 'Natsuki Mayo!'… no, what about 'Homemade Mayo from the Natsuki family!'… damn it, that doesn't work either. Ugh I give up, it would be too much work anyway, plus Mom and Dad aren't really into material things like that. Oh well, guess we've saved all those companies from being put out of business!''
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Subaru:「Time for work, I'll make this quick!」
Subaru, with his scary eyes, flung open the door of his home with his right leg, whilst holding two full bags of trash in each hand.
He set himself a challenge. His destination — the dumpster at the alleyway on the end of the street, his mission — to dispose of it and return home in under 5 minutes.
Although seemingly a small figure from the outset, Subaru was surprisingly well built with impressive fitness. His mandated daily home workouts and stick swinging didn't go to waste. But even then——
''What the hell have we been eating to make so much rubbish! This is heavier than I thought, tch''
Subaru began sprinting down the street, his veins popping out of his arms as steam poured vehemently from his fuming nostrils. Instead of making multiple journey's he was set on trying to hit two birds with one stone and make it back sooner, not that he had anything to rush back to.
''Tch… just… a… little… further.''
Subaru:「——Finally!」
He crouched whilst grabbing his knees as he aggressively panted, having flung the bags over into the dumpster. Catching his breath and feeling the pins and needles stinging his numb hands subside, he opened his eyes.
They settled on something beside the dumpster. A cardboard box with a shabby sealing, making its contents slightly visible.
Subaru's brash personality meant that sometimes he would do things with little thought —— such as rummage through the contents of a shady box placed beside the garbage dumpster.
Subaru:「Wait… this is —— a Nerve gear?」
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> 5 days later.
○ 8:17am.
???:「SU—BA—RU!!!!!」
Subaru:「KEEP QUIET YOU NOISY TRAIN! IT'S THE MORNING——Arghhhhh!!!.」
???:「KAAH! You let your guard down once again! Don't you know that giving your first ounces of energy to exercise is the key to a long healthy life! That includes exercising your vocals. LA-LA-LA-LAAAAAAA——Arghhh… That's… the… spirit…」
Subaru:「Someone misinformed you! The key to a long life is avoiding getting elbowed in the stomach first thing in the morning, now keep quiet!」
After settling their morning brawl and making enough noise that the entire street would have surely awoken, they sat side by side on the bed catching their breaths. These were the mornings he was very much used to, despite being caught by surprise nearly every time.
Subaru:「You're so loud, why can't you just be normal!」
Dad:「Normal? Most ''normal'' people don't appreciate mayo like we do, why would I want to be normal?... Speaking of which, I see you're in need of a refill. HA-HA, the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree eh?」
"——Hkk…, If that were true then maybe I wouldn't be such a loser..."
His Father's unusual reasoning with the mayo was very usual of him. It was unusual to say the least, just like the overly exaggerated tap on his back as he released his booming laugh just now.
Subaru:「By the way dad, I've been thinking?」
Dad:「hmm?」
○ 8:33am
"It's too late to make it now anyway"
Subaru:「Never mind…, it's nothing.」
His mean eyes slowly closed after inspecting the hands of the clock, an object he would often spend his mornings glaring at in thought.
Dad:「Oh?... Anyway, what's in that box you've been hiding under your bed, don't think I haven't noticed it ——wait! Don't tell me it's...!? I'm not ready to have this sort of conversation with my Son!」
Frantically squirming across the floor, his Father disheveled his already messy hair, yelling once more.
Having put two and two together Subaru's face gave a panicked shriek as his face became flushed with embarrassment.
Subaru:「——Ekk!... Calm down! It's not like that! It's just... something I picked up the other day! It's just some… VR thingy."
Dad:「Oh, VR? As in virtual reality…, interesting. I didn't think you were into that sort of thing Son?"
Subaru:「Wait, so you know what it is???」
Subaru paused for a moment, his eyes quickly turned towards the man who spoke so casually about VR, almost as though he was already familiar with it and specifically; the whole commotion caused by the nerve gear——
Dad:「Nope, not a clue.」
''——Phew''
Subaru:「Well… Yeah, I might give it a try, aren't you the one always telling me to ''Keep trying new things and push past your limits, that's the best way to live a fulfilling life with no regrets'', blah blah blah.」
Dad:「HA-HA-HA. That's right Son! Give it your all!」
''Ouch!... Yeah.''
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10:32PM.●
△▼△▼△▼△.
???:「——Tch」
His array was lit up with the flurry of ice shards and the dancing spectre of a silhouette skillfully gliding around the air. Any one hit from the luminous projectiles would pierce her skin and erupt into a case of ice to swallow her whole.
Kirito felt as though he had walked into the dungeon of the final boss in his first couple of hours in the game. That was the extent of power being displayed before him, a power he felt even the『Black Swordsman』wouldn't be able to defeat alone.
But he wasn't alone here, beside him was the Silver-haired elf named Lea. That was the name he had heard her called by from the spirit Puck before his untimely disappearance into the strange crystal at her chest.
She was fighting with all her strength to ensnare the black snake that had plagued her surroundings so venomously.
Elsa:「Is this all you can do? I'll admit these ice shards could be troublesome, but they are starting to get dull. I'm bored.」
Lea:「——」
The situation didn't look good, especially now that the woman's diagonal evasions were beginning to inch closer to them as she began anticipating the elf's attacks with more precision.
Kirito:「—Watch out!」
This wasn't the first time he had seen this move today. The slight pause, shift of body, then leap attack straight for the enemy. The woman has cut down both the Old Giant and the girl named Felt using that maneuver.
As soon as Kirito noticed it he shifted in front of the elf, with his huge shield planted in front of him, to confront the crossing slash of her two daggers.
The clash of metal ringed sharply in his ears.
Elsa:「Oh! My daggers… it seems this Loot House does have a few things of worth to warrant the name.」
The dark woman's weapons were shattered in two from the impact with the great shield. Despite this, she didn't look dismayed nor was she scowling; rather she was smiling with delight. It soon became clear why.
Kirito:「Tch —— She has more weapons.」
Two fresh pairs of curved daggers were drawn; reflected in them the similarly sharp daggers that were her eyes.
Elsa:「Let's see how long that shield of yours will last!」
A flurry of strikes splintered the great shield as sparks flew furiously above his head. The relentless strikes of the daggers against the shields blunted their sharpness, but Kirito was being pushed back with such immense force; all he could do was hold on with all the strength he had.
Finally, the daggers snapped once more.
But that wasn't all. The weight of the shield felt as though it had multiplied tenfold.
No longer able to hold it in position, it fell to the ground as his arms sank flimsily, like sheets of paper.
Elsa flipped her body upside-down into a handstand, whilst spinning her legs around in a whirlwind, striking Kirito's body and sending him flying backwards to the solid wall.
His body felt weightless as the gust disposed of him effortlessly.
Elsa:「Disappointing, I had hoped to leave best until last… Not to worry, I'll clean things up quickly here too so that it remains fresh to revel in its beauty.」
Lea:「Black Swordsman!!!」
Kirito lay still with his back against the wall as his dazed head tried to capture the vague sounds coming out the moving lips in front of him; he noticed the beautiful elf was screaming.
''What is she saying?''
Moments later, a flash of dark shadow crossed in between them, severing their eye contact. The bare back of the『Bowel Hunter』eclipsed the beautiful『Moon』before him. As though the world around him began to move in slow motion, he watched as her right arm moved diagonally from across her body up to the pointed corner of the room.
Red splashed across the walls as the smell of blood filled the breeze.
The sound of inanimate weight crumbling to the floor echoed in his ears.
The dark shadow, becoming increasingly less visible, now turned towards him.
He could no longer hear the steps that began approaching him. At the tip of her foot, something glistened in the moonlight.
A sharp point stuck out. Its tip was trickled in blood.
He looked down towards his body where that foot had struck him.
It was colourful.
—— He was dead.
△▼△▼△▼△.
■
Kirito:「——」
''Royal Guard building, receptionist.''
''Strange creatures, carriage, man.''
''The Slums.''
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Kirito:「ELSA!」
''Rom. Felt. Lea.''
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Dead.
■□
Kirito:「——」
''Royal Guard building, receptionist.''
''Strange creatures, carriage, man.''
''The Slums.''
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Kirito:「We have to leave. If we go in we will all die——」
''Rom. Felt. Lea.''
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Dead.
■□■
Kirito:「——」
''Royal Guard building, receptionist.''
''Strange creatures, carriage, man.''
''The Slums.''
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Kirito:「Not.. again…」
''Rom. Felt. Lea.''
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Dead.
■□■□
Kirito:「——」
''Royal Guard building, receptionist.''
''Strange creatures, carriage, man.''
''The Slums.''
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Kirito:「——」
''Rom. Felt. Lea.''
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Dead.
■□■□■
Kirito:「——」
''Royal Guard building, receptionist.''
''Strange creatures, carriage, ——.''
??? :「Hold it young master!」
Kirito's blacked heavy eyelids suddenly widened. It felt as though he had been staring at a stagnant electrocardiogram and following the same straight line for hours on end before a sudden blip sparked.
Just like that ''life'' returned to him and the curse of an endless limbo was lifted.
He stopped in his tracks.
In front of him were the two reptilian creatures and the carriage they were attached to. The voice however, came from behind.
??? :「You don't look well young sir, are you in need of some assistance?」
''What?... This man…?''
It was the same person he had been crossing paths with every time he rushed out of the Royal Building as he sprinted for the Slums. Not once did he stop to look at his face.
It was an old face, though it was held together with strength. A light moustache and beard over a powerful jaw. His clear blue eyes were that of the summer sky and his long white hair stretched down his back elegantly.
His attire was pristine. Not a single crease on his shirt or long blazer. He wore stainless white gloves and a perfectly tied bow. His voice was commanding and assertive yet laced with delicacy and respect.
''Is he a Butler? Why is he suddenly stopping me now? What assistance is he talking about?''
Kirito's eyes grew sullen as he began to weigh the extent of ''assistance'' he needed to overcome his current fix; it was immense.
Butler:「Those eyes… Ahm, you seem troubled with something, I see you've come from the Royal Guard building, did something happen? If you'd have the patience to explain it to this old man I might be able to help in someway.」
Glaring at the boy's sharpened screw, the Butler mumbled something under this breath before continuing his attempt to begin a conversation.
Kirito:「—Use—less, tch��� Those damn Knights are useless!」
''It's useless trying to explain this to those people, especially that stuck-up Knight. This is why I hate knights; they follow the rules to the letter and never stop to do any thinking for themselves. It's the same with the『Knights of the Blood Oath』and even the『Aincrad Liberation Front』 , so focused on the mission, following their orders like a script, that they lose sight of what was right in front of them; like failing to notice that their true enemy was right beside them the entire time, commanding them like puppets on a string.''
'' ——But… if that person was with us, then maybe we could stand a chance against the『Bowel Hunter』…''
His mind was drawn to the figure he had seen on his first attempt at this sadistic game. The Knight with the crushing aura of a tidal wave that drowned the air around him and blazing red hair of a raging furnace that swallowed the darkness.
Butler:「——」
Despite the sudden remarks made by Kirito, the Butler seemed undeterred, looking at Kirito with those same eyes of the calmest waters.
Kirito:「There's someone I need to save, but no matter what I come up with I just can't save her. Maybe… it's hopeless… maybe I should just… give up.」
Butler:「Give up? That wasn't the spirit I saw in the boy rushing down the road just now, nor did it seem in your character to fold over when things get tough.」
Kirito:「I don't want to give up!... It's just, it's too… hard」
He meant that word in the sense of a game's difficulty; assuming there wasn't a level beyond that.
Butler:「Nothing worth having was ever attained with ease. That is what gives your actions purpose, the effort and hard work behind them. It's what builds you up——」
Kirito:「What… builds me... up…?」
Kirito's responses were barely intelligible at this stage, every word sounded bitter in his mouth. It was in complete contrast to the man who stood before him whose words were firm; each one underpinned by certainty. As he repeated the man's final words just now, he was reminded of something he was once told before.
It was in another world, during another life, by his closest friend. Perhaps his first friend in that place; albeit not realising it at the time.
''Klien:「They say your character is built by life's challenges, so keep soldiering on young man」''
The image of the foolhardy man projected across the screen in his mind. He would probably give him a real earful if he saw him like this right now, telling him to not take on everything on his own and to not blame himself.
Butler:「I may be old and well past my prime but there must be something I could help with?」
Kirito's eyes were amazed. His chest was filled with admiration for the selfless Butler who had shaken him from his despair and cleared his head to see the right path once more.
This was already his 5th attempt after having first been killed by the『Bowel Hunter』, he had been stacking his tries like counters; all ending in the same result.
It proved true that if you kept tackling a problem in the same way then the result would always be the same.
He needed to take a step back and rethink his strategy from the beginning.
With that new resolve —— the counter was finally reset.
■
''Think from the beginning… My fixed constraints are? – that's it.''
—— Time.
His biggest enemy was the tight timelines he had to work within.
Before him was the Butler, what he had with him was a carriage and two reptilian creatures. He could greatly reduce the time constraint using them as transport and arrive well in advance at the Loot house.
He learnt that the insignia was extremely precious to the elf from his already failed attempts and that no matter what he tried, he wouldn't be able to dissuade her from entering the snake pit in pursuit of it.
"Yes, that's it! If I can get the insignia and return it to her before she arrives at the Loot House then she has no reason to step foot inside. I can save everyone!''
Instantly, his eyes lit up as the full force of his gaze shifted sharply onto the Butler who had ignited his train of thought.
Kirito:「Sir! Could you please take me to the Slums using this transport!」
Butler:「——Hmm, the Slums? That is no short journey… my Master is currently here on official business and may require my services when the meeting is concluded. I fear my taking you might result in me being remiss in my duties… Hmm, perhaps——」
Kirito rushed forward with his request. It made perfect sense in his mind, but he had put the cart before the horse in regard to his expectations. The Butler wasn't oblivious to this and didn't want to crush his hopes entirely having seen his face brighten. The man's sturdy expression tightened in thought, but his thinking was abruptly interrupted.
???:「Nyow I see what's going on here. I thought it strange that old man Wil and this boy were speaking. You're trying to hitch a free ride aren't you!」
Suddenly, a high pitched voice intruded their focus belonging to a small figure garbed in a white and blue dress. She blinked attentively as she leaned forward and looked up at him from below.
''Cat ears… and a tail. Damn, too close!''
As he noticed the twitching ears of fur rustle from between her brown hair and long tail sway from her hip, his face turned red. He could literally breath her elegant fragrance from how close they were.
Kirito:「That's… not… what's happening here.��
???:「Nyo? Well what is happening then? My ear's miss nyothing, I heard you ask old man Wil for a ride, you can't trick me.」
Wil:「Master Felix. Please calm yourself. It's as the boy says, he wasn't trying to swindle me for my services, rather… it was I who offered him my assistance.」
''Was this the master he was talking about?''
Felix:「Ohh? I'm not sure I understand everything old man Wil thinks but I do trust your instincts. So…, will you accept?」
Wil:「Hmm, the situation is difficult. I'm afraid I cannot neglect my duties to the Master, so——」
Felix:「Nyot to worry. I can attend to the Master while you go, in fact I look forward to spending some alone time with the master, kukuku~」
''Wait? What's up with this girl? Why is she pulling that face, what kind of relationship does she have with this master!??''
The erratic young girl once again jumped in on the conversation, this time taking the arm of Kirito as she began blushing. Kirito's face was no different, it was uncomfortable, but he didn't dare to break away from her grip.
Felix:「Ferris is a good friend you see… but don't think you won't owe me for this old man Wil…, nyom.」
''That's not what friends do! ——ouch, why the hell is she biting me, I'm not even part of this conversation anymore.���'
Wil:「Very well, I will be in your debt. Thank you.」
As the girl with the cat features spoke, she tiptoed upwards and snagged Kirito's left ear with her tiny fangs before releasing her grip. As Kirito reflexively grabbed his ear, which felt both warm and wet, the Butler gave an elegant bow before turning towards the carriage.
Kirito:「Wait, so how does this even solve anything? How will your Master get around if we take the carriage.」
Wil:「I'm afraid you are mistaken sir... We won't be taking the carriage.」
As the aged Butler said this, he sprung loose the restraints that had tied one of the creatures to the carriage and launched himself atop it's back before extending an arm out to Kirito.
Wil:「We'll travel like this, I hope that's agreeable with yourself young sir. We should be faster this way. —— I, Wilhelm Van Astrea, shall deliver you to your destination.」
The Jet black reptilian elegantly poised itself as it's crimson eye's reflected Kirito's astonished expression. In that reflection, the image of his face soon turned into an eager smile before taking the hand of the man named Wilhelm.
Kirito:「I don't know how to thank you Wilhelm——」
Wilhelm:「——You can start by giving me your name young sir.」
Kirito:「Kirito… Kirito Kirigaya.」
The two figures rode off into the distance at the speed of a gale. What remained behind was the lone figure of the peculiar ''Cat girl''. Her woolly face took on a sharper frown as her yellow eyes tightened.
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Felix:「There's something strange lingering on that boy…. Yes… that it —— it's the smell of the Witch. I hope you know what you're doing Wil.」
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End of chapter.