"Shino"

My wife, who had an unusually neat atmosphere, called me a little awkwardly.

"I—I don't know if it's for you?"

Shiina's voice trembled a little, and she seemed a little confused, perhaps because it was too different from her usual clothes, or maybe because she was wearing clothes that she had never worn before. However, I didn't care about any of this, and quietly approached Shino and stared at her.

I thought Shino was a bit neat and tidy, but this outfit and hat took that to the extreme, and it also brought out her age-appropriate cuteness. And these glasses also play a role in making Smart Synon stand out. Whether it is suitable for you or not, the answer is clear at a glance.

"Really for you. Shino really looks good in neat clothes. \"

"I—I think so"

"Ah, I think anyone who sees it will say that it suits you very well, and it's really beautiful."

When I spoke my mind, Shino looked very surprised.

"Strange, is it pretty?"

\"yes. Shino, it's beautiful. \"

Shino didn't expect me to say this, and let out a \ah\" sound softly.

I didn't know if I should say that when I looked at Shino like that, but the glasses she was wearing caught my eye. I never thought she would come out with glasses, and I haven't seen Shino wear glasses, so it feels fresh. But what will Shino look like now when she takes off her glasses? In fact, most people who wear glasses have a different beauty after taking off their glasses. Curious, I shouted to Shino again.

\"Shina, etc.\"

"Huh?"

Gently reach out to Shiina, gently hold the frame, and take off your glasses so that you don't touch Shiina's skin. At that time, I moved my eyes to look around Shiina's whole body, trying to think about my opinion of Shiina's appearance without glasses now, but Shiina's blank expression when she suddenly took off her glasses was so cute that I immediately stopped thinking and stared into her eyes.

\"That Kirito? \"

\"The cutest Shino I've ever seen. When I heard this, I came back to my senses and didn't know how to answer for a moment.

"Air"

"What's wrong with you taking off your glasses all of a sudden?"

"No, no, I want to see you take off your glasses right now Well, you're so cute"

Shino's face was slightly red, and she lowered her head and did not speak. Seeing this, I realized that I had just said things like "pretty" and "cute" to Shiina. Now, I'm completely confused about not being used to being called cute or beautiful Shino.

"Wow wow, sorry sorry! You're going too far, uh"

Shino moved her mouth in a bit of a panic, and her voice became swirling.

"Ah, thank you"

"Ugh"

Shino raised her head slightly.

"To be honest, I don't have confidence. I can't even imagine what they would say. So I'm really happy to hear this......"

As soon as I saw Shino's face, I felt her love, and as soon as I saw that face, my heart and body suddenly heated.

\"Okay, Shino. I have to buy this. \"

"Well, it's worth it even if you buy it separately"

"You're so cute, I'd like to see you more, okay?"

Shino turned her face away with some embarrassment, but immediately squinted at me, and the corners of her mouth moved slightly.

"Well, since you say so, I'll wear it."

Shino replied awkwardly. "Her look and the feeling of her face are still very cute, I unconsciously wanted to hug her, but sure enough, I couldn't hold back, I shouldn't do such a thing in this kind of place."

At the same time, Shino shouted to me as if she remembered something.

\"Ah, I see, Kirito. \"

"Yes?"

"Which is better, me with glasses or me without glasses?"

"I was taken aback by the sudden question." Shino without glasses or Shino with glasses, which one do you prefer? Shiina, who doesn't wear glasses, is the usual Shiina, and she is very familiar and attached to her.

On the other hand, Shino with glasses is a very fresh side of Shino that I saw for the first time today. If you ask me which one I prefer to watch, I prefer to watch the latter because of its freshness.

"Both are good, but I'm glad you're wearing glasses. This is something I've never seen before. ”

"If you want to"

“？”

"I suppose I'll wear glasses all day, if you will?"

"I'm dumbfounded again." I thought Shino with glasses was also good, but I thought that at most I could only see this moment.

However, Shino said that she would wear glasses for a long time today, so I had to ride it.

"Uh, is that okay?"

"It's okay, don't say it, let me play quickly."

I looked at Shiina's glasses in her hand, then turned my gaze back to Shino.

Seeing her staring at me motionless, I realized that Shino wanted me to put on her glasses, and my body started to heat again.

"Got it"

I gently held the ends of the glasses on one side of the lens, slowly approached Shino, and placed it on Shino's ear, which was slightly covered by hair. I touched the ends of Shiina's hair with my fingers, and by the time I pulled my hand out, I was back at Shiina's side, wearing the same glasses as before.

Seeing the return of her glasses, Shino gently opened her closed eyes and turned to me with a smile.

"Thank you, Kirito. \"

Her smile was so lovely that I could only blush and nod. That's when I realized again what a lovely girl my wife was.

The effect of Shina's change of clothes, or rather, the gaze around her has completely changed. As we left the clothing store, we passed by friends who were walking together, and couples who were walking together.

However, Shino suddenly fell silent after leaving the clothing store and did not say anything more. Even when I shouted at him thinking that his condition might have deteriorated, he just replied, "Because it's okay." Shiina, too, will reveal any details.

Alice could have done something about it, but I'm not a psychiatrist and can't understand Shino at all. However, I knew that if this date was something I didn't like, I should stop it immediately, so when I tried to tell Shino, Shino listened to me and reacted in shock.

I was surprised that Shino's expression was so serious at the time, but I remember that this time we were going to give priority to a date with Shino - a walk to recuperate - so I accepted Shino's request and continued dating.

However, even so, Shino didn't say anything too much, and continued to walk around the city, and even when it was time to go into the restaurant for dinner, she would order something safe and eat it silently.

My money wasn't that tight, so I told him I could ask for something better, but he just said, "It's okay, that's fine" and didn't try to change anything. And, except when eating, Shino never let go of my hand.

"It's nine o'clock in the evening." After seeing the night view from the 80th floor, we returned to the house on the 22nd floor and immediately entered the bedroom. Even when I got home, Shino still held my hand and refused to let go, and even when I sat on the bed in the bedroom under the moonlight, it was still the same as when I was on a date.

"How about today's walk and shopping?"

Shino, who was sitting next to me, bathed in the moonlight, still holding his hand tightly and did not answer. If she let go of her hand, Shino would seem a little fleeting now, and even disappear somewhere.

"Maybe it's not fun? Do you hate it? ”

Shino shook her head, but still didn't say anything.

"I suddenly stopped talking, but what's wrong?"

Shino stopped reacting.

"Don't you understand?"

"Don't know?"

Shino lowered her head and continued.

"I'm very happy to go shopping today, I'm very happy to buy such beautiful clothes, eat such delicious food, and most importantly, to be praised by you for being beautiful, this is probably the happiest and happiest day since I came to this world, no, I'm happy, it's a very happy day."

"But I can't believe it." Even if I wanted to believe it, I couldn't believe it. ”

Shino's words surprised me. Today, after Shi Nai wore this dress, she was a little depressed, and she kept a state where she didn't answer much. From this point of view, I feel that I hate today too much, but it doesn't seem to be the case.

"Can't believe it?"

Shino nodded and continued to look down. I can't even see the side of my face.

"I always thought that there were no pistols in this world, that guns did not exist anywhere. I think if I were in this world, I wouldn't have been shot in.

"No, it was brought by the 'Broken Man' and did not exist in this world in the first place."

"Shino did not respond to my words. Not only that, Shino took off her shoes, put her feet on the bed, and sat down in a triangular position. However, I never let go of my hand.

"The gun that came up at the time, I think it was something that was trying to wake me up from my dream."

"Woke you up from your dream? What the hell are you talking about? ”

Shino curled up.

"Do you remember that time you were with Crane?"

"Ah, I thought you had a wife and a daughter because you were possessed by a simulated experience parasite"

I was taken aback at the time, and I felt as if I understood Shino's thoughts at the moment, but I swallowed it for the time being and took it deep into my body. Then Shino continued.

"Am I really in this world? Am I really your wife and Yui's mother? Is this moment with you real these days? \"

"As expected," I thought to myself. Now Shino is unconscious from a seizure and doesn't know where she is.

It's about Shino, she thinks very well of me, probably always be, but with her, she tries not to worry me and closes herself off all the time. Because I said I was beautiful, it got too big.

"Hey, hey, hey, what are you talking about? It must be true, right? You must be here, Yui's mother, and my wife. That hasn't changed. \"

"Yes, I think so.

"Maybe I didn't come to this world from the beginning, but I've always been in the real world, I've been dreaming, I've come to this world, I've met you, I've had happy days, I've been hallucinating I shouldn't have thought about it, but I know it's impossible, but I can't stop thinking about it"

Until now, Shino has also gone through a lot of hardships and has never had a happy life. \"However, Shino suddenly came into this world and met me.

And since then, Shino has become calm and calm, but gentle and calm, and looks very happy. No, I've heard you say many times that you're actually happy.

By now, such unbelievably happy days have become commonplace for Shino and become a daily routine. The dark and cold world is finally over, and the warm world and happy days have become the daily routine.

Thanks to this, Shino's wounded heart is healed and she is no longer afflicted by trauma and PTSD. I no longer worry about the sins I have committed, and I can spend every day with me and Yui. - That's how it should be by then.

"The gun that the 'fugitive' brought out." An abominable pistol that scarred Shiina's heart. Seeing this scene, the wound in Shina's heart instantly cracked open and began to bleed. Moreover, a monster called Trauma appears, tearing apart the scars in her heart and turning them into something bigger.

As a result, Shiina's heart is in turmoil, and she begins to suspect that her days with us are just her own dreams and fantasies. Moreover, the existence of "pseudo-empirical parasites" tormented by Klein and others is furthering this.

The happy days she spent were probably fake experiences she created to protect her tired self. As far as I can tell, such doubts and uneasiness seem to be growing in her heart, and they are growing gradually.

She is now trying to return to the cold world she has always hated.

"But it's a big mistake." Shiina's days in this world are undoubtedly real, the fact that she met me and lived with me, the fact that Alice gave her a physical check-up, the fact that she had tea with Asuna and them, the fact that she enjoyed shopping with Yui, and the fact that the whole family was together, everything was real.

In fact, Shino and Shino Asada existed right in front of my eyes. Her existence is undoubtedly the same as her real life, not a dream, not a hallucination, not a pseudo-experience.

And the world she sees, the days she spends, are real. This is not a dream

"I'm no, I'm not no, I'm afraid, I'm afraid"

As if back to a child, Shina's voice trembled, and she finally cried - she temporarily let go of Shiina's hand, pulled her body closer, and hugged her tightly. Shiina's body gradually trembled, but I gently stroked Shiina's head to eliminate the trembling.

"It doesn't matter, everything you see and feel is real, you are not an illusion in front of me, you must be here, by my side."

"Didn't you mean?"

"Oh, indeed. We're on Lilanne's side, and we have Mr. Alice's excellent doctor, so the chances of him being hit by the pseudo-empirical parasite are almost zero. And you've been with me for more than half a year.

Shino stopped talking and put her ear to my chest. The biometrics of our players are sent here completely, and if we put our ears to the player's chest like this, we can hear the sound of the heart, and if we put our hands on our necks or wrists, we can even feel the pulse.

"I can hear your heartbeat, your heartbeat"

"If you're not alive, if it's not real, you shouldn't be able to hear. If you can hear the voice in my chest accurately, then you must be right in front of me in this world, and you are listening to me. ”

Shino no longer put her ears to my chest, but she continued to rub her face against my chest and buried her face in my chest.

"But I'm scared, I'm scared, I can't control it"

Even as I gently stroked her hair and head, Shino's trembling still didn't subside. It's also possible, but Shino seems to have been attacked by something called great anxiety and fear now, though not as severe as it was then. Yes, the small seizures that Alice spoke of were in Shino's body.

Then, the next moment when she didn't know what to say, Shino began to operate the window with her empty right hand. What appears is a window of options, and with each repetition of Shino, it gets deeper and deeper, and finally stops somewhere.

It's a place where ethics can be turned on and off, and Shino hurriedly closes it and closes the window. Normally, when Shino cuts off moral norms like this, my heart trembles.

Then, in order to answer Shino, I also opened the options window, went deeper, opened the same place that Shino chose, and closed the code of ethics. Now I'm in a state where I'm able to accomplish what Shino originally asked.

"Song, no, that's good"

When I spoke softly, Shiina, burying her face in my chest, replied.

"That's all there is to it. Now, if I'm with you, I'll be able to forget about the past, the bad things, all those worries and fears. However, I can only overcome this feeling of being sorry if you do it. ”

"No apologies, I don't mind."

Shino didn't say anything, and gently pulled it away from my arms, revealing her face. A face that had just cried bitterly, and the tear stains were clearly visible. Shiina's face whispered her words.

"Another request?"

"Tell me if you have anything"

Shiina, with a slight hesitation, lowered her head, then raised her head.

"I want you to tell me your name. Not your name in this world, but your real name. ”

"When I heard those words, I was taken aback." By now, I have told you my old name, and continue to fight and live as a black swordsman, a mid-level black dragon swordsman, Kirito. The name Kirito is a temporary name for activities in this world, and it is different from the real name.

And after hearing Shino's voice, I found that my body and mind were awakened again.

Shiina, who first told me her real name, because she didn't know that the world was in a SAo game, but I never told her my real name. No, maybe I forgot my real name and felt that life outside of this world was something else.

"I know it's rude, and I know I'm going to make you feel bad. But today, when I contact you, I want to call you by your real name. No, I don't know."

Shino's way of speaking doesn't make you feel confident at all. Of course, as common sense in this world, there is a rule that you can't reveal your real name, but from our current perspective, it doesn't matter anymore.

I listened to her wishes, and as I pronounced her name, I gazed into the eyes of the woman I was in this world, no, the love of my life.

\"Kiritani Kiriya and people. This is my real name, Shino. \"

As I did so, I felt another version of myself—not the Black Dragon Swordsman Kirita, but Kiritani Kazuto—slowly unfolding within me. And it felt warm, just like the warmth Shino gave her - and she began to be driven by the desire to warm Shina's cold body.

"Kiritani and people, Kiritani and people, that's your name." \"

When she didn't say anything and nodded, Shiina's eyes widened slightly, and then she smiled. It was as if he could hear what he had always wanted to hear, slightly surprised by the content, and at the same time satisfied.

"Kazuto Kiritani, your last name is "Kiri", and your first name is "to", "Kirito"?

"Well, that's it. Simple, isn't it? ”

As she smiled softly, a tear slipped from the corner of her eye, and then, the tears overflowed more and more. But there was no sadness or frustration on her face, but an expression of joy, as if she felt immensely joyful.

"It's too simple, but it's kind of like you"

Shiina, who gently reached for my cheek, placed her palm on it. Shiina's warmth spread from her hands to her cheeks, and then spread throughout her body, gradually warming her body from within.

\"Then I beg you and people. \"

Before I nodded, I covered her cherry-colored lips with my own.

In less than a few seconds, she gently closed her eyes, wrapped her hands around my back and the back of my head, and began to stroke my back and hair.

It didn't take long for me to take off all my gear from there before she accepted me.

This is the first time that Shino Asada admits that I am Kazuto Kiritani, and she also admits that I am Kazuto Kiritani.

Asuna and the others were at home watching Yui, Lilan, and Jupiter. During the day, both Yui and Lilan are upset that they couldn't go to Kirito and Shino, but Alice plans a route to avoid encountering them as much as possible.

Originally, I was going to attack with Ariki and other Knights of Blood Oath today, but I couldn't refuse Kirito's request, and most importantly, Jupiter was glad that Ariki and Lilan were there. Judging by these things, Asuna didn't feel bad about taking a break from today's capture.

Even so, Asuna learned from messages from the other members that the arrest was progressing steadily, so she didn't have to worry.

After dinner, Jupiter rested her head on Asuna's lap, and Yui fell asleep with Yuki in her arms. Asuna and Yuki whispered as they stroked the children's heads.

"It's progressing really well, isn't it?"

"Yes.

"It looks like we don't have to force ourselves out, everyone else has become very strong."

Asuna nodded to Yuki. Yui, Lilan, and Jupiter received messages from elite guilds other than the Blood Knights such as Crane and Diabel, all of which were messages about successful captures such as "successfully conquering the wild boss", "discovering the maze and entering", and "completing the maze and preparing for tomorrow's boss battle".

Asuna originally thought that if she didn't participate, the capture would be delayed and the players would be hurt unnecessarily, but Asuna realized that her worries were unwarranted and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I thought it would be the Blood Alliance Knights who would be able to continue the attack, but everyone is getting stronger.

"I don't know, the boss on the 100th floor is the final boss of this game, isn't it? Sure enough, it's hard for everyone to beat it alone. ”

\"Indeed. When the time comes, Kirito-kun and Lilan will definitely fight a tough battle, so we have to be prepared. \"

Just as Ariki was smiling bitterly, Lilan, who was sitting at a nearby table, suddenly turned her head and made a "sound".

"Well, wait. When can I reach the 100th floor? Do you really want to get to the 100th floor? \"

"I—Is that so? Because our ultimate goal is to reach the 100th floor. ”

"Things aren't going to move that fast. Is it okay for me to delay a little longer? \"

Lilan looked slightly confused. Ariki witnessed this scene as if he had never seen it before, and tilted his head and asked.

"Run again, what's wrong?

"Yes, yes, but now, it's different. The monsters that came out were extremely powerful people compared to what we had seen so far. If you're in too much of a hurry, something bad can happen.

Asuna tilted her head. So far, Lilan has often said this out of concern for them, but what Lilan is saying now seems to be telling them not to continue the arrest. So far, they all say that their goal is to reach the top of this castle, and they push the captives who are working hard to achieve this goal to the back.

For some reason—just as I was thinking this, Asuna noticed something and couldn't help but be taken aback.

"We've definitely made it to the 96th floor and will soon be on the 100th floor." And if they can successfully defeat the boss on the 100th floor, they will be released from this world and return to the real world.

"But what happens in the world after that?" According to Alice, Yui's body exists in Kirito's local memories so she can bring it back, but that's not the case with Jupiter or Lilan.

When the player disappears from this world, the inhabitants of this world, AI, no, what will happen to this world? Asuna realizes that she is neither a programmer nor a creator and understands nothing, and immediately calls out to "Lilan".

"Hey, Lilan, what will happen to you when this world is cleared?"

Lilanne looked surprised and turned to face Asuna.

\"When was this world cleared? \"

"yes, on the 100th floor, we can go back to the real world. But what will happen to the world after that? What will happen to the world when we're gone? ”

\"After you're gone\"

"It's like a summary, you can recognize that the world is a game world.

Seeing Rirun's pale expression at that time, Ariki was very surprised.

I see. Asuna: They can go back to the real world, and we can go back to ALo. However, both Lilan and Jupiter are people who have been in this world since the beginning, what will happen if we are released? \"

Liran stammered in a low voice, but seeing this action, Asuna had the illusion of a cold wind blowing down her spine. Lilan's stuttering means that Lilan and they are bound to be unhappy, and they are not happy

"No, after this game is cleared, you will have to die!?"

Ariki and Lillen's pale gazes focused on Asuna. - When Lilan realizes that this is a turning point, Asuna feels a strong surge of emotion from the bottom of her heart, and when she puts it in her mouth, she turns it into words.

\"That's right. By the way, Lilan!? After this game is cleared, will Lilan be dead!? \"

Lilan shook her head tremblingly.

"No, no, I don't know. When the world is emptied, we don't, first of all, I am\"

When Lilane lowered her head, Asuna raised her voice slightly and shouted to the silent Lilane again.

"Tell me, Riron, what will happen to you once this world is emptied? Isn't it because you're going to die? ”

Ariki whispered with a sad face.

'We've really come this far to clear this game.

Asuna turned to face her son, who was sleeping on her lap.

Once you reach the 100th level and clear the world, you will no longer be able to see Jupiter that is now under your knees. - Jupiter is dead. As soon as I thought of this, tears welled up in my eyes and my eyes were twisted.

"I—I don't like it! Although I can always be by your side, even when I go back to the real world, I always want to be with Jupiter, but when I reach the 100th floor and clear this world, I don't want to die yet."

Yuki shouted to Lilan as she looked at Asuna, who was crying.

"You just said that you want to slow down the capture because you are afraid of death for replays?

The wolf dragon stared at the two of them with a suspicious gaze.

"No, no. I'm not afraid of death, I'm not afraid of death, I'm not afraid of anything, I'm not afraid of anything, no, I'm just afraid, hahaha, I'm afraid

Hearing this strange and sudden remark, Asuna stopped crying and turned to look at Lilan with a suspicious face. Lilan opened and closed her mouth several times, making a "sound".

\"I'm afraid, I'm afraid of my death, my death.

\"R, run again!? What's wrong!? \"

"Wait a minute, is there a bug!?"

When I'm in the real world, I don't play games at all, so I don't quite understand what a bug is, but I know that bugs can sometimes cause fatal damage to games. There is such a dangerous bug in Lilanli? - Asuna is taken aback and shouts to Lilan again.

"Re-run, hey re-run!"

Lilane gritted her teeth and turned her back to Asuna and the others. What really happened this time? Before Asuna could ask, a "voice" sounded in the minds of the two.

"That's it. I was afraid of death, but not my own death.

"Ugh"

When the two were surprised by Lilan's sudden recovery, he turned his body to Asuna and the others again. Her face was different from before, calm and back to her usual Lilan.

"What I fear is your death. I'm scared you're going to die here. I hope you guys are more than usual?? Be careful, more than usual?? Proceed with caution. That's why I say

"Is that so?"

In response to Asuna's inquiry, Lilan nodded.

"Even so. Your death is more painful than my own.

So I hope you can challenge the path to the 100th floor with solid preparation and mentality, and challenge the 100th floor. That's why I say that.

"No, re-run."

Hearing Araki's clear voice, Lilan and Asuna turned their heads. Yuki stared at Rirun with a slightly serious expression.

"Lilan, you have changed the subject, what we want to hear is not Lilan's fear of death, but Lilan and the others after the end of this world. If your death is confirmed after the world is emptied, what about us? ”

Just as he was about to say this, Lilan suddenly interrupted him.

"Get angry, Yuki"

"Ugh"

Lilan turned her head to face the surprised Yuki, the expression on her face was as grim as Yuki just now.

"You don't need to worry about these things. You've come all the way to get back to the real world. I stepped over the sacrifice and ascended to this castle.

"Now that you've come to this point, do you want to stop attacking?" Do you want to put our lives first and let all our efforts go to waste? \"

"It's not like that..."

Lilan must have turned to face Asuna.

"Asuna, I'm so glad you think of us like that. But you shouldn't stop here. We will live until the end of time, and eventually escape this world and become the world we should be in. I have to go back. I've been reaching out to you guys to do that.

Lilan's originally cold expression instantly became gentle.

"So, more than us, you should make it a priority to reach the 100th floor and take down the last enemy. You can think about us after that or before that.

Asuna gritted her teeth. Of course, I knew that I should prioritize the final destination of the capture team (including myself), which was the Jade Palace on the 100th floor, over Lilan them.

However, we have been able to get this far because of the guidance of Lilan and Jupiter.

Because Lilan became their ally, and its leader, Kirito, also became the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, the strategy group centered on the Knights of the Blood Oath was able to come this far after the battle on the seventy-fifth floor, no matter what accidents they encountered, and there were no casualties.

If by the time they reach the 100th floor and clear the game, the irreplaceable existence that has been supporting them may disappear, then their return to the real world will be tantamount to a death sentence for Lilan and the other inhabitants of this world.

If it means sentencing the death penalty to my comrades who have fought to this day and executing them, I would rather stop attacking them than kill my son, who I take care of like a mother.

No, instead of attacking, the first task should be to find a way to save Lilane and Jupiter and bring them back to the real world alive. It's definitely too late to get to the 100th floor.

"I won't give up, Lilan, I'll definitely go back to the real world with you."

Lilane looked at Asuna in surprise, and Asuna continued.

"We're going to Miss Alice tomorrow during the day." Teacher Alice is the creator of this game, as well as Jupiter and Martell. I'll let you teach me how to bring Lilan and them back to the real world. \"

Yuki said with a slightly confused expression.

"But Asuna. Teacher Alice also said she didn't know what Lilan had done. Isn't that bad? \"

To be honest, the person who knows the game inside out is Akihiko Kayaba, so I wanted to ask Akihiko Kayaba himself. However, Kayaba suddenly disappeared and didn't just appear in front of them like that, so they couldn't ask Kayaba questions anymore, and I don't think Kayaba would have answered such a thing in the first place.

However, Alice is one of Kayaba's closest assistants and probably knows more about the game program than anyone. The last time I asked Alice, he said he didn't know either, but he must have known what to do with Lilan and them, and he hid it. If you keep asking, I'm sure they'll tell you.

"Not bad. Sometimes that person will try to hide something, and like I said earlier, Ms. Alice is the programmer of this game. I guess there's nothing about programs in this world that I don't understand. So I'll ask you tomorrow, do you really know? \"

At this moment, Lilane's face became as if she realized something, and she looked at Asuna and Jupiter alternately.

\"Then again, Asuna, what are you doing with Jupiter to Alice? \"

"Huh? Well, come on. ”

"Don't you know what Alice is doing to Jupiter?"

From then on, Alice began to order that Jupiter be brought to her every time she crossed a floor. When Alice followed his instructions and took Jupiter with her, Alice led him into the church and kicked him out.

Alice said it was maintenance for Jupiter, but I don't know exactly what they were doing, and when I asked Jupiter, he only replied that he had just slept in a church bed. So, what Alice did to Jupiter is completely unknown.

"I don't know this, when I occupied Jupiter, Professor Alice entered the church and told me to go back and capture that even if I wanted to enter the church, the church was locked from the inside, and I couldn't get in."

"I can't help but suspect that you're doing something wrong. \"

Yuki gently folded his arms.

"We don't know much about Teacher Alice either. But she's the creator of Jupiter and Martell, whom we defeated, and she's Yui's biological mother, so if I tell her what happened, I'm sure she'll understand. At least, she's not a bad person. \"

"Yes, at least Alice is trustworthy. Let's meet Kirito for the time being—\"

Just as she was about to speak, Lilan suddenly stopped moving. Asuna was a little surprised by the sudden interruption of the "voice" and shouted to her.

"What's wrong, Lilan?"

Lilan stared at the ceiling, but soon his face turned pale and turned to face Asuna and Yuki.

\"Something's coming!! \"

"What's coming? What, what? ”

"Since this is a city within the safe zone, monsters won't appear, and monsters won't be able to enter at all." So, if something comes, it can only be considered a player.

"Anyway, I'm going to run away with Jupiter and Yui, you come here-\"

At the moment when Lilan hurriedly made a sound, the wall in front of Asuna exploded with a roar without warning. Before Asuna and Jupiter, Yuki and Yui could be surprised, their bodies were knocked against the wall, and Asuna let go of Jupiter and fell to the ground.

Why did this happen when the town was a safe place? Asuna felt a strong discomfort similar to pain and moved her body to check her surroundings.

The room, which had been calm just a moment ago, was now in chaos, as if it had been hit by a tornado, shrouded in a thick layer of dust. Inside lay Yuki, Yui, and Lilan.

"Yuki, Xiaoyou, Lilan!"

Asuna found that her child, Jupiter, was not there, and looked around with a pale face. Due to the messy furniture and wall fragments, as well as smoke effects, you simply can't see the finer details. No way, I was caught up in the explosion just now

"Jupiter, Jupiter, Jupiter!!"

Driven by uneasiness, Asuna coughed and shouted Jupiter's name, trying to hear clearly with her hearing, which was disturbed by tinnitus, but nothing responded.

However, within a few seconds, a tremor like a restored Lilan spread from her feet to the depths of her stomach, and Asuna was surprised to discover the cause of the trembling, but the next moment the dust cleared, and he found the cause of the trembling and explosion.

At the junction of the inside and outside of the collapsed house, there is a lilan. No, to be precise, it had the same wolf face and head as Lilan, wrapped in a shell reminiscent of armor, with shiny claws and fangs, and a thick tail like a great sword.

At first glance, I thought it was the same person as Lilan, but since Lilan fell near Aruki, I quickly realized that he wasn't Lilan.

The appearance of the wolf dragon is black and silver, the carapace is covered with golden lines, and instead of the four wings of a bird of prey, the back grows long arms, wrapped in hair, and the carapace is reminiscent of humans.

Although it is clearly a different species from Lilan, it is similar to Lilan, with large swords reminiscent of sacred swords floating around it. Then a teenager with long silver hair in his mouth gave a sense of foreboding, and Asuna immediately shouted.

\"Jupiter Jupiter——!! \"

"Who the hell is that wolf dragon?"

"How did you break through this area?"

"Why are you occupying Jupiter?"

Before thinking of this, Asuna, driven by a very strong animal instinct to help the child she had captured, moved her body with a faint pain-like discomfort and drew her sword.

I've been using it ever since my best friend Lisbeth made the soft light for me until I came to this level. At this time, it contained a fierce purple light, and with a flashing speed, it was about to bite into the body of the black silver wolf dragon.

She was still a little surprised to be blown away, but now Asuna was full of anger beyond the limit, all absorbed by the sword in her hand and turned into light. A terrifying ray of rage—aimed at the throat of the abominable black silver wolf dragon that produced it, Asuna stabbed it with all her might, single-handedly.

An intense purple light lit up the darkness around it, and a roar sounded like an explosion.

In the area where the code is activated, no matter how many sword skills the player uses, as long as they do not engage in a duel, their health will not be reduced.

Thanks to this spec, even if Asuna is attacked by this wolf dragon, even if Asuna attacks the wolf dragon, she will be protected by an invisible barrier and will not lose health, but will still be knocked back.

If he continues to give him a strong blow, the wolf dragon will definitely let go of Jupiter—Asuna thought in her angry head and hammered out her sword skills.

However, no matter how long it has been, the reaction that shocked the other party has not returned. No matter how many invisible barriers there are in the way, after the sword skill is hammered, the reaction will be the same as when the sword skill is fired at the monster on the field.

Even so, it didn't come back now, and not only that, but a violent impact like hitting metal or thick stone came back to my hands. - When Asuna sensed this, she finally realized that the sword in her hand was not blocked by an invisible barrier, but by the wolf dragon's mental weapon, the holy sword.

"This ah,

The anger was so intense that his eyes were stained red. Asuna roared as she continued to infuse her sword with power. Accepting Asuna's angry sword, the purple glow became even more intense, and in a few moments, both Asuna and the wolf dragon were dyed purple.

"Give Jupiter back to me."

"Give me back my son."

"Give me back my Yuichi's child."

"Give it back, give it back, give it back to you, give it back to you, give it back to you, give it back to you!"

"Give Jupiter back to me——!! \"

Accepting all of Asuna's feelings and anger, the rapier "Darklight", as if answering her master, tried to burst out of the light-

"Barkin."

The next moment, the sound of metal being cut sounded, and at the same time, the purple light disappeared all at once, and Asuna regained consciousness. Asuna wondered what was going on, and something reflected in Asuna's eyes.

It was the sight of a giant holy sword stuck in the crumbling floor. On the other side of it, there was a small metal piece that looked familiar.

Suddenly, Asuna felt only a tingle in her angry head, and slowly turned her gaze to her hand. - A silver rapier that doesn't move whether it's being attacked by monsters or piercing armor or carapace, Lambteteth.

The blade has disappeared from the middle.

“A”

At that moment, Asuna noticed that the metal piece flying from the other side of the sword was the top half of the dark light.

"You lost?" - The next moment I thought so, the black silver wolf dragon grabbed the huge holy sword growing from his back with both hands and swung it towards the girl who was in the way. The sword did not slash the girl's body, but the impact caused the girl to fall to the ground.

"Egu"

The sword skills unleashed by the player are as powerful as if they had been stung by a bug. Despite such a blow, Asuna's health showed no signs of decreasing, but the overly strong impact swept through Asuna's entire body, taking away her freedom. A loud roar in my ears echoed through my body again, my ears were completely blocked, my eyes shook violently, and my eyeballs swirled.

Just as her sight and hearing were about to be destroyed, Asuna stretched out Yui's moving left hand to the child in the wolf dragon's mouth.

“Yupi… te… ru…”

Everything else became blurred, even the figure of the wolf dragon became a little blurred, and the figure of Jupiter in Yui's mouth was clearly visible. Whether asleep or fainted, Jupiter just lay on the wolf dragon's mouth and did not answer Asuna's voice.

"Jupiter..."

Ignoring the girl's muttering, the wolf dragon spread its arms on its back. Immediately afterward, the floating holy sword was draped in red light, converging around it and turning into wings.

When the surroundings were dyed red by red light, the wolf dragon spread its light wings and flapped its wings, blowing away the surrounding debris while rising into the sky.

Just then, Asuna's body was blown away again and hit the wall. A strong shock swept through my mind, and my consciousness drifted far away at once. Asuna said the name as she imagined the figure of the player in front of her, dyeing her gaze the same dark color as her surroundings.

\"Kirito-kun\"

After that, it didn't take long for my consciousness to go completely dark.

After finishing the day with Shino, when I woke up in the morning, Shino was there as usual.

When I spoke to Shino Health, she was completely different from yesterday, she said that yesterday was a very fulfilling day, so she felt a little unrealistic, but after hearing my real name, she stopped thinking about it so much.

At that time, Shino's face was not as anxious as yesterday, but as satisfied and energetic as ever.

After Shino's breakfast for me, I decided to go to the first floor to check out Alice for a while, but just before that, there was a knock on the door.

When I opened the front door in confusion, I found Argo, the informant, as well as Filia and Lifa, who had been involved in the arrest recently.

"Good morning, three. What have you all been busy with since this morning? ”

As I shouted as usual, Argo suddenly shouted.

"Kibo, why did you oversleep! Something terrible has happened!! ”

"Hey, hey, hey, it's so sudden."

Lifa pushed Argo and Filia away and jumped in front of me.

"Ernie sauce, you're in trouble!"

What all three of them have in common is that they all have expressions of frustration and anger on their faces. Argo, who had always been calm, also showed this expression, and I sensed that something emergency was coming.

Shino, who had just come back to her senses, seemed to sense that the situation of the three of them was so urgent, so she stood beside me and shouted to the three of them.

"What's wrong with you three?

Filia nodded, gesturing to the village's portal.

\"Kirito and Shino, what a disaster! The fifty-sixth floor, where Asuna and her sisters live, has suffered a disaster! \"

Hearing this, I felt a chill run down my back. No, he must have really felt the chill.

Speaking of the 56th floor, as I said earlier, Asuna they have lived since yesterday, and Yui and Lilan have also gone there to sleep.

"What !?"

"Disaster!? What kind of catastrophe is it? Where is it? ”

Argo said with a pale face.

"That's Mr. A's house and its surroundings.

The next moment, I felt my face turn pale. There was a catastrophe in Asuna's house—if it were normal, I would have turned pale from what had happened to my dear companion Asuna, but my face must have been paler than then, and I felt a strong chill.

If there is a disaster in Asuna's house, then Yui and Lilan will definitely be implicated. Asuna and Yuki are the same, are Yui and Lilan okay?!?

\"Then again, what about Kirito, Lilan, and Kokki? Why didn't they come out? \"

We all exclaimed when we heard Filia's question.

"Lilan !!"

"Yui!!"

"My children and partner are in danger"

"I have to make sure he's safe"

Driven by an instinct-like impulse, Shino and I pushed the three of us out of the way and ran to the twenty-second floor in our private clothes—while Shiina, who was still wearing her hoodie at home. I entered the 22nd floor, a town small enough to be called a village, and activated the portal.

He immediately chose the 56th floor in question, landed in the city, and immediately resumed the sprint, heading towards the residential area where Asuna's house on the lakeside was located.

"Hurry up, get up early, wake up early."

"In that case, I should have set up a cloister crystal in front of Asuna's house. \"

Thinking about this in frustration, I turned a few corners and continued down the straight path - and after a few moments of repetition, I realized that the path I was about to take had been blocked by a human wall.

Every time there is a big festival or event, there will be a large number of players, armies, and legions, as if they are all rushing to the venue. I understood at a glance that they were all onlookers, and they would all gather to see the scene of the incident.

If I'm on my way to a fun venue, I'll consider making a U-turn and taking another path, because there are usually multiple paths to take, but there's only one way to Asuna's house.

"We're going to pass through here anyway, but we can't go on because of the onlookers."

- I immediately turned around at full speed, quickly activated the equipment window as I ran, equipped a set of armor "White Series" to attack the leader of the Knights of the Blood Oath, pulled out the black "Crazy Ruler", and stabbed it out.

"I'm Kirito, the head of the Knights of the Blood Oath!

As he let out a battle-like roar, the onlookers turned in surprise and stopped on the side of the road. Like the sea cracking, a path appeared and we ran over.

It felt like the onlookers were raising their voices, but we didn't have time to listen.

We rushed through the path opened by onlookers, into familiar residential areas, and finally reached the scene of the incident - we were speechless.

Asuna's house is surrounded by the so-called high-class residential area, which is a gorgeous place with luxurious houses that cannot be compared with the houses of the surrounding towns.

The vacant houses for sale there are staggering in price, but they are crushed and turned into miserable figures, as if they have been hit by a major earthquake or tornado.

"What the hell is this?"

When we couldn't hide what we saw, we heard voices calling us. Unfolding is the ruins of Asuna's house, in front of which familiar female figures are gathered, among whom Yui, who worries us the most, is waving.

\"Yui!! \"

We rushed to her side, and soon the two of us embraced our beloved daughter. At that time, Shino's eyes were already full of tears.

"Yui, Yui!

"Mommy, Dad!"

"I'm glad if something happens to you, us!"

When we confirmed that Yui was still alive, we heard a voice calling out to us again.

In the blink of an eye, I saw Asuna sitting motionless on the ground, Lizzebet, a pink-haired girl snuggling up to comfort Asuna, Celica, who was brown-haired and dressed in light red, and a purple-haired girl Yuki.

My partner, the White Wolf Dragon Ruiran, seemed to blend in with the crowd, and I immediately realized the present