October 23, 2047.

A year had passed since Haruyuki first met that person.

He spent countless hours in a squash game, trying hard to escape from his shitty reality. But then, an extremely beautiful butterfly princess appeared before his view, leaving an indelible mark in his heart as though the whole moment seemed magical to him. She had beaten his score with a record that even he couldn't imagine was attainable by an ordinary person, and engaged him with words that even now still echo in his mind:

"Do you want to accelerate even further, boy?"

Essentially, she was inviting him to come with her to a faraway world, one that seemed out of his reach at first.

Little did he know, this princess was extremely troubled herself. An ordinary human like him who had gone through various deals of suffering, embodied through the blades in her hands that cut through anything. He had sworn to be her knight and repel anything that might ache at her heart, a heart that longed to hold someone.

Three weeks ago, the princess had her own chance encounter with a goddess that changed her forever. She gave her the light of hope, one that could overcome anything in her path. After that, she never doubted herself and sought to overcome her mental wounds, desiring to gently hold others with her bare hands, never to hurt them again, but instead protect them. Doing this allowed her to reach the coveted Level 10 and discover its true potential.

"But what about me? I may have gotten stronger, but… I still cannot reach her. It's not because I'm afraid of her, but perhaps because I'm afraid of myself. After all, she sought for strength from the darkness in her heart to protect the ones she loves. I worry that I'll end up doing the same one day, which is why I've sealed off the hole in my heart with my metal shell."

And yet, in spite of that, through the way she overcame her scars, she was telling him to not be afraid of himself and face forward with his head high so that they would walk together. She promised to duel him once he reached Level 9, the highest point of a normal Burst Linker. She had something she wanted to impart to him and wanted to make sure he was ready to face her in earnest, not limited by a Sudden Death Rule.

"Senpai… what is it you want to tell me?"

As he mentally voiced this question, he pressed on to beat her record, clearing all doubts from his mind, hoping to finally find his answer. Meanwhile, the same butterfly princess whom he admired was watching him from atop the entrance.

"Hime, what's wrong?", Megumi asked this question to Kuroyukihime who appeared to be lost in thought.

After finally getting herself together, she responded with another question:

"Say, Megumi… do you want… to see her again?"

"See who? You can't mean…"

The her that Kuroyukihime spoke of was unclear, but Megumi instantly realized who it was. Her one and only Brain Burst Parent, Saffron Blossom.

"Yes. The truth is, I have something I'd like to discuss with her, and with Falcon as well."

"But how will you get them? I mean, they've long since retired as Burst Linkers."

"Not to worry. If we follow the logic of Red Rider's memories still residing in his Enhanced Armament, then those two should still be there in their player home. We just need to… invoke their spirits again."

"Oh, then should we call those two from Okinawa? If I remember correctly, they were shamans, correct?"

"No, no, that won't be necessary. If you want, we could bring in all the Flowers."

"Mmm, sounds good!"