Its tail and ears are usually furry and comfortable to touch, but now every hair of its hair may stand up like a needle and is no longer something you can touch. - Lilan's vigilance has increased to this level.

I shouted to Lilan, who was in an unusual state.

"Hey, Lilan. How do you feel? ”

"Like last time, somewhere hidden, someone is watching us."

All of a sudden, everyone raised their voices in unison and expressed their surprise. There was a time before when Lilan told me that someone was spying on us, and I was wary. I was surprised to find that the exact same thing was happening to Lilan again, but at the same time I felt a chill down my spine.

Billylan first sensed the presence of someone later, but there was a person who followed us and eventually reached out to us. - Just as I was painting the image of a man in my mind, Shino, who was standing next to me, shouted loudly.

When I was invited to face him, his face began to turn pale.

\"Uh, it can't be, Vashak Casals!? \"

"No, not his vicious aura. But it's weird. Something but Vašak Casals must be watching us from the shadows. \"

Shino regained her composure with the words that came out of Liran's mouth. Shino is a vicious man - because he had just gone through a difficult time because of his old nemesis, Vashak Casals, he immediately remembered Vashak Casals when someone told him he was being watched.

However, since Lilan's words are basically true, it seems certain that it is not Vashak Casals. In fact, I know about Vashak Casals' outrageous presence, so if Vashak Casals was there, I could tell by its presence, but I don't feel anything like it right now.

"There doesn't seem to be Vashak Casals in this square."

"What are you doing with those who are watching us? Why? ”

"You know what?

Hearing Lifa's words, Lilan walked towards the portal in a creepy manner. Indeed, the field is vast, and if we catch it, immediately take to the skies, any stalker will lose our tracks. That's what I've done before, getting rid of the guy watching us from behind, so I should be able to do it this time.

"By the way, everyone, hurry up."

As soon as I said this, everyone nodded, followed Ray, and walked towards the portal. Together, when we activated the portal that was set as the teleportation destination of the newly released New World, the blue effect that was almost the same as in SAo spread before our eyes, and in a few seconds, the landscape that spread in front of us changed from Rhine City to a desert area with strong sunlight and wind.

Since it was a hot desert area, I felt like I started to sweat a few seconds after entering, but when I tried to use the heat-resistant items I purchased in advance, the sweat disappeared all at once. I didn't feel the heat that made me faint anymore, and it wasn't much different from when I was in the Tiandu line.

Immediately after, we spread our wings and flew into the sky with a hot wind. There, I lined up next to Lilan, who spread her red wings and flew.

"I didn't expect to need heat-resistant items."

"That being said, the volcanic belt layer during SAo requires a heat-resistant beverage. \"

Hearing Lilan's words, he smiled bitterly. Of course, even in SAo, there are definitely volcanic areas and desert areas that require a heat-resistant drink to traverse.

No, it's not necessary, although I can overcome it without a heatstroke drink, but the hot weather makes it impossible for me to think normally, and it is difficult to cope with the attack of monsters.

In the SAo era, it's a game of death, and the end of the game means death, so security always comes first. Therefore, when traveling through volcanic areas and desert areas, I always use heat-resistant items to be able to respond to monster attacks at any time.

"Well, that's true. In other words, VRmmo is a common element in this type of game. \"

"Yes. I hate the heat. I want to stay in the shade forever. ”

"But Lilan seems to be okay in the cold. If he is deformed, he will become furry. ”

Lilan turned around and saw Asuna flying from the side, lined up.

You must know that there are two forms, the werewolf form and the wolf dragon form, but when the wolf dragon form, his whole body is wrapped in extremely soft and warm fur. Perhaps that's why, no matter how cold Rerune is in the form of a wolf dragon, in the absence of cold-resistant items, it works calmly, burning the monsters of the cold regions with arrogant flames.

On the other hand, they sweat profusely in hot places and can't move properly, so they need heat-resistant items, and they don't try to take the wolf dragon form at all.

"It's true that Lilan's fur has a cold-proof function and can't be taken off in hot places, so it can be hard.

"Understood. Don't forget to drink some antipyretic drinks before the fight, though. If I become a dragon, I won't be able to use items on my own, I'll have to rely on you. ”

"Understood, it is also the duty of the beast trainer to understand the weaknesses of his beast master."

Battles and boss fights in desert areas, terrain features, and required items. Just as my partner and I were about to unfold the story that was almost identical to the previous story, Shino was already on my right.

"The animal trainer reminds me of where they've gone.

"Think about it, how far have you come?"

"Maybe they'll sneak into a dungeon or something. Or they will go to places where there seem to be rare monsters.

Listening to Asuna's words, I looked around. Although some people are not like this, the usual members of the capture seem to be envious of me, and they are very eager to get the "magic".

Due to the proximity to the portal, it is impossible to confirm the appearance of everyone, so it is likely that they have already advanced a considerable distance.

"So, why don't we go inside?" When we meet, let's go find the "Demon" and do a great mission-\"

"Ahh!!h

I was just about to speak when I heard a loud voice mixed with the wind. The people around me must have heard the same sound, so they stopped flying just like me. Everyone had a look of surprise on their faces.

\"Kirito-san, what was your voice just now!?" \"

"It's a scream. But where did it come from!? ”

"Over there!"

After looking around slightly, he turned his gaze in the direction that Lifa was pointing. There was the figure of a player, surrounded by a group of scorpion-like monsters with crystal-shaped body parts.

If you look closely, you can see that she is a girl with long red hair and black clothes, and she has a lot of damage effects on her body.

"That's a girl, is that girl the source of her scream!?"

"Oh, what should I do if I'm attacked by a monster, can I help?"

"Come and help, everyone is ready to attack!"

As we nodded at Shiina's words and prepared our weapons, Lilan suddenly jumped in front of us. Asuna shouted in surprise to Lilan, who was suddenly blocking her way.

"Wait a minute, what's going on!?"

"There's nothing worth your use of weapons."

While muttering, Lilan spread her hands slightly, closed her eyes, and began to gush. Lilan's body was engulfed in light, and the words were lined up in front of him, and just as she finished reading the last word, Lilan opened her eyes and stretched out her hands.

"That's enough!"

At the moment when Li Ran's high-pitched voice sounded, a huge red magic array appeared above the scorpion monsters around the red-haired girl, and from there, several meteorite-like flame bombs appeared, and just like that, they fell straight ahead. A group of scorpion monsters.

The flame bombs rained down, like the scene of a meteorite falling in a space science fiction movie, and as soon as they reached the scorpion, it erupted into explosive flames and engulfed the scorpion in the blink of an eye.

"Meteor Explosion" is a powerful fire magic that can only be used by salamanders, summoning a meteorite-like flame bullet to rain down and cause a large explosion that blasts enemies to pieces.

When the thick black smoke cleared, all the scorpions disappeared, and only the attacked girl remained.

We flew to the girl, and she must have been surprised to see the sudden explosion, all the scorpions were blown away and landed near her. I walked over to the girl, who was almost completely covered in injuries.

The girl had long red hair with purple ends and orange eyes, Asuna said to her.

"Are you alright? Didn't you just get attacked? ”

"Ah, thank you."

"Sorry. The girl who attacked you just now, she shoots magic at monsters even when the player is nearby, and she's really ruthless. \"

Lifa apologizes in Lilan's place, but Lilan doesn't say anything and just looks at the red-haired girl. Normally, I would have some reactions, like getting angry, but I just kept staring at the girl.

Asuna ignored Lilann and continued to question the girl.

"Hey, you can't believe it, you're alone in this field."

"Ah, no, I'm not on a mission, it's just a person flying around the field, and I got lost, and I ended up encountering a horde of monsters like this"

"The girl reacted a little awkwardly." He seemed overwhelmed and restless, but perhaps the commotion of the enemy's explosion and disappearance just now had not gone away.

Asuna continued to speak to the girl.

"That's dangerous, this field has just opened, and there will be a lot of monsters that I haven't seen yet, so it's dangerous to be alone again."

"Yes.

"Yes, of course."

Asuna said this, and a smile appeared on the girl's face, but at this time, Lilan's face became a little serious. Sure enough, Lilan stared at the girl motionless, without even saying a word, and I finally stopped her.

"Lilan, what's wrong? You've been staring at this girl for a long time. ”

At this time, Lilan finally took a step closer to the girl and spoke slowly. The girl looked a little surprised, and turned to face Lilan.

"You look like a goblin."

"Uh, ah, yes"

"The goblins are essentially a race unfit for combat, and the goblins of this race run alone on the field without companions, which is a rare story and a dangerous behavior. Why are you doing this? I am

"Uh, uh"

As Liran said, the girl is a goblin who specializes in crafting items rather than fighting.

Some leprechauns can fight like Liz Bes, but basically they are not very good at fighting, so they tend to team up with friends such as attackers and defenders to act under protection. But the girl said she was acting alone.

Novices can't do this, and it's common to not understand the principle and wonder if this girl has just started playing this game.

"Are you a newbie? Are you just starting to play this game? ”

"Uh, ah, yes"

"That being said, the gear you're wearing is the one you can get unless you put in a lot of effort. It's goblin-only equipment, not for beginners. \"

I was amazed at what Lilan and the maiden said together. Of course, if you look closely, the equipment that the girl wears is exclusive to goblins, and it is not something that can be easily obtained by solo novices.

"Ah, no, that, I happened to be playing alone today"

"And the aura emanating from your body is the same as the aura I felt before and just now in the shadows of the Rhine in Tiandu, it must be you, the stalker, who is watching us."

At this moment, everyone was taken aback, and they all turned their heads to look at the girl. Lilan's ability to detect signs is really strong, he basically can't make mistakes, and Lilan herself is extremely honest, so he never lies. That is, this girl is!

"So this girl is a stalker who is following us!?"

"Yes.

When Lilan replied to Shino's surprised voice, the girl whispered an "ah", and then showed a wry smile that caught her off guard.

"Aha, I didn't expect it to come out so soon. He is worthy of being the "messenger" of the SAo hero Kirito-kun, and his memory and perception are excellent! I didn't expect him to remember my existence and guess it! \"

"Do you know us?"

As expected, Lilan didn't expect this, and so did we. The girl has now clearly uttered the word SAo, my name, and Lilan is my enchanter. None of this is incomprehensible without knowing SAo.

"You know us? Why track us? ”

"Don't show such a terrible expression~ I just want to see how strong the hero team is~"

Asuna, who has always been friendly to the red-haired girl, joined the conversation with a slightly serious expression. We have to be wary of this girl who seems to know us in SAo.

"Knowing that we shouldn't have that many players, where did you get the news?"

"Miss Asuna, I don't think as many people know as you think. After all, your profile is usually posted on the back-office sites that I frequent. \"

I couldn't help but be surprised by this sentence from the girl. We are so-called SAo survivors, but information about what we did during SAo is considered highly classified and is managed by government officials.

"So, it should be unlikely that the average person will know, but this girl clearly knows that we are SAo survivors. Where the hell did this girl get this information-just as she thought to herself, Shino, who had been silent, finally spoke.

"Hey, you said you wanted to see our strength, but what exactly do you want to do?"

\"Shino-san, please don't show such a terrible look~. I don't have many friends, and I don't want to join the guild, so I wondered if I could get close to someone who could do it. \"

"If you need a temporary team for capture, recruit in the square. Isn't it why us? ”

Hearing Lifa's question, the red-haired girl's face showed impatience, and her palms stood up.

"It's kind of related to my private life, so I can't say it so easily~"

“”

After seeing the girl's reaction, everyone fell silent. Knowing that we don't have many players, it's doubtful that such a site exists.

His current state is not very trustworthy, but he doesn't seem to feel the kind of "malevolent presence" that Lilan feels when she perceives a dangerous person, so he is not a dangerous person.

"Okay, follow me if you want to."

\"Hey, Kirito!? \"

Shino came to the neighborhood in surprise. Maybe she was surprised that I decided to take this girl with me so easily. Then I straightened up and whispered in Shino's ear.

"I haven't fully trusted you yet. Let's swim a little longer and see how it goes. ”

"This girl, are you really okay?"

"Just as this girl is trying to discern us, we are discerning this girl. We need to take a closer look at the purpose of this girl when she approaches us. What is it. Because they know that we are SAo survivors. ”

"Okay then, but it looks like you'd have to be careful."

"Yes. That must be true. ”

After telling the story without being noticed by the girl, I turned to face the red-haired girl. I just realized it, but I hadn't heard the girl's name at all. I don't know what the name of the girl who knew us was - I asked her expectantly.

"By the way, I didn't hear your name, what do you mean?"

"My name is Rain."

"Okay. Then Rain, it's up to you in the future. ”

When I say this, Rain smiles and says "nice to meet you". When he came to us, I didn't know anything about what he had in his belly, but now, we have to see how things go.

"Alright, let's go back to the city first, and then we will meet you all."

It was 7:30 a.m. the day after I met a mysterious girl named Rain.

A holiday morning like no other. When I woke up, I immediately came down from the second floor and went to the restaurant. The morning sun shone in through the window, and in the bright dining room, my sister Naoha, who got up earlier than me, was preparing breakfast as usual, and I said hello to Naoba and sat down in a chair after greeting.

On the table in front of him was a light meal that had appeared in ALo and SAo, a glass of milk, and a plate of what was supposed to be a half-cooked omelette.

My breakfast with my brother-in-law Naoba, nothing special. Just as I was about to eat a meal that hadn't changed much, Naoba turned on the TV, and as soon as I saw the show, I couldn't help but stare at it.

A lively news program on Sunday morning, with multiple announcers reading the news in a television studio, watching a video of the news and commenting on it by multiple commentators around it.

Every Sunday morning, the usual spectacle unfolds on the LCD screen of the TV set. Naoba, who was sitting in front of me, shouted at me, because I was staring at something so inconspicuous, it must have seemed strange or creepy.

"Brother, what's wrong? I'm so scared when I watch TV. \"

"Because it's a news program. If you say a news program, you probably understand. ”

"That's right, 'The Fugitives\', indeed, it's often on the news.

Naoba said my name. According to Naoba and the Internet, attacks by "fugitives" that should have collapsed in the face of SAo's collapse but still exist and threaten Japanese society often appear on news programs. And I saw the moment with my own eyes. It's mine.

At first glance, the news program I'm doing now is as casual as usual, but that was after I watched that moment, so I don't think the "fugitives" will be around again as they were then. I think so.

However, no matter how much I stared at the TV, I couldn't see any signs of a "Honkai" attack.

"I don't feel that way this time."

"Well, it doesn't seem to come out every day. When my brothers were at SAo, they came out almost every day. \"

"Do you show up every day? Sugo also behaved very well. ”

"Well, that's for that. I'm sure it's really fun to attack TV stations. ”

That's what Sugo said when he was still alive and told us everything. Perhaps, Sugo repeated it many times, because it was interesting and enjoyable to attack the television station with the techniques he might have received from Hannibal. Sugo's state suddenly popped into my mind, and somehow, I felt a little sick.

"I don't think so, but who is the 'Broken Man' right now?"

"It's a mystery too, isn't it? At least I know a villain like Sugo-\"

As soon as Naoba was about to speak, the expressions on the faces of the announcers on the TV brightened slightly. Maybe the theme has changed.

\"The next news is that Dr. Shichiro, a doctor who is popular all over the world, suddenly came to Japan. \"

\"Doctor of the Seven Colors!? \"

"With Naoha, I'm surprised."

Dr. Naneiro. His real name is Naneiro Arshaping. This is the real name of the popular idol No. 7 in ALo, and the owner of Clover, which we have been following. This came out of the mouth of the announcer, and Naoba was similarly staring at the TV.

There, a venue where a typical celebrity often holds press conferences, with a number of reporters and announcers, and a little girl surrounded by adults is confirmed.

With silver hair, white clothes, reddish-purple eyes—the girl, who looked exactly like Dr. Nanero in the magazine, looked at the camera with a smile as a female announcer approached her.

"Dr. Nanairo is studying computer science and is also a singer in the Japanese VRmmoRpG ALo, with the character Seven. \"

So, when the announcer shouted and pointed the microphone at him, Nairo took it and, after gently checking the condition of the microphone, opened his mouth.

"I'm a researcher and a singer at the same time. As an artist, that doesn't change. Both are the real me. To be honest, I'm glad I have someone to support me. \"

"There was a time when VRmmo was facing an existential crisis due to the SAo incident. What do you think about this? ”

The initiator of the SAo incident was Dr. Akihiko Usaba. What he did was undoubtedly inhumane. But VRmmo technology itself isn't to blame. I logged in to ALo to find out what the world he created called VRmmo was like.

Dr. Naneiro in ALo – What do you think about hearing that many of Seven's songs promote peace and coexistence? \"

At this time, Naneiro's face showed a slightly happy expression. Perhaps, he was glad that the anchor brought up this topic.

One of the main themes of the game in "ALo" is the struggle between races. But what is the ideal form of a networked society? I want to know more about you.

"Competition and coexistence". Just like capitalism and socialism, both are true and can never be divided. In order to understand the future of the online society, I would like to hear the reactions of players.

Her words reminded me of Alice starting a difficult conversation. I heard that Nanaro is twelve years old this year, and although her appearance is not important, her words and expressions are more than ten years beyond her age.

"VRmmo still often receives cold talk from the public, but it seems that some people mock Dr. Akihiko Kayaba and you are the darkness and light of the online world. \"

\"Woooooo I'd be happy if someone could get to know VRmmo a little bit through my songs. \"

When Seven's happy expression was captured on camera, my mind turned.

Indeed, the SAo we cleared was an event, and VRmmo was constantly criticized for it, and it was in danger of survival.

In such a situation, Shichishiro became the number seven and began to log in to the VRmmo world of ALo, which seems to give people light and hope, which is the opposite of Kayaba. Opinions found on the internet tend to be strong and error-free.

At this time, Naoba looked at Shichiseki and shouted at me.

"Perhaps, thanks to this ALo idol girl, the impression of VRmmo and ALo has become better."

"It's a so-called propaganda guy, I think it's a great existence for us players, but I owe such a little girl, I don't know what it is."

"But in the case of this girl, I feel like she's taking on the challenge herself."

"Well, it's really not something that someone else is doing, and it doesn't matter if the other person himself is positive. But I'd like to talk to him directly. I don't know what kind of thing I can ask this scientist—"

Then, when I turned my gaze to the TV again, the seven colors on the screen seemed to think of something, and I held the microphone again.

"Then again, that's not why you came to Japan. Actually, I have people I want to meet. \"

"Who do you want to meet? What kind of person is that?

"I can't name him because it's not good to say it directly, but he's an AI developer who worked on research with Akihiko Kayaba. His ability is already world-class, and he is even said to be Akihiko Kayaba's right-hand man. \"

"Such people. Do you know where that person is? ”

"I don't know. Like Akihiko Kayaba, he disappeared after the SAo incident, and no one knows his whereabouts.

"But there's no doubt he's alive, so if I can meet him, I definitely want to see him." It's going to be hard, but \"

After that, Nanashiki had a casual conversation with the announcer, but I couldn't understand it.

The AI researcher who worked on research with Akihiko Kayaba is said to be Akihiko's right-hand man. Usually, we search the web to find out who they really are, but we don't need to.

"Because one of our companions seems to fit that description." Previously, I worked with Akihiko Kayaba to make a demon game called SAo, and I realized it in it - I created a super advanced AI and is now my partner and my daughter's companion, but after the SAo incident, I stopped working as an AI researcher. A woman who managed to get out and was known as a beautiful psychiatrist.

Just as I was about to say the name silently in my heart, Naoba showed a surprised expression and stopped me again.

"Big brother, now this girl is an AI researcher next to Akihiko Kayaba!"

"Ah, there is no doubt about it. The artificial intelligence researcher that Dr. Nanashiki is talking about is Alice's classmate, Alice Alice. \"

"But why, why did Dr. Nainero know about Teacher Alice? Teacher Alice is one of Argus's former staff, but this information is supposed to be kept secret. \"

"I was curious, too, but I found the answer right away."

? After the SAo incident, Argus disbanded and went bankrupt. Among them, the list of people who develop SAo and the information are generally kept confidential and not public, although there is also regulation, but if you search the Internet, you will find that the regulation is not extended, but posts websites and personal blogs on the information.

Nairo may have used this as a hint to discover Alice's presence.

Also, although only a possibility, it is possible that Alice is already quite famous in the academic community and among scientists, so it is possible to know her normally. Even Kayaba, who is described as a madman, is a well-known figure among scientists, and information such as his background is easy to know, so I wouldn't be surprised if it were included.

"Probably, in Dr. Shichiro's world of scientists, it is an environment where it is easy to get information about Kayaba and Airi-sensei. Because he is a high-level artificial intelligence scientist, he must be famous. ”

But you are Akihiko Kayaba's right-hand man. Teacher Alice

"It's true that the skill level of that person is the level that created Lilan and Yui, and Kayaba himself was the first to mention Airi-sensei's name when talking about his subordinates. It could be that Airi-sensei was doing this.

"But what does Dr. Naneiro talk about when he meets Teacher Alice? \"

"Come on. I'll have to ask the person himself, but if I hear this, I'm sure he'll say Airi-sensei. \"

For some reason, it's easy for me to imagine Alice's reaction when she hears that the famous scientist Naneiro wants to talk to her. It's probably about Alice, and even if she tells the story, she won't back down unless something truly surprising happens. I don't be surprised or delighted, just laugh through my nose.

\"Ah, Ernie sauce.

"Oh, I see, let's eat quickly."

With that, we turned our gaze from the TV to breakfast, buttered the burnt toast, and began to put it in our mouths. From nine o'clock, everyone was going to gather and start talking, so we had to hurry as fast as we could—with that in mind, Naoba and I hurried to breakfast.

◇◇◇

"Hou. Is that what Number Seven said? ”

ALo Svart Alfheim Kuto Rhein Egil store at 8:30 a.m

Immediately after breakfast we logged in and arrived at the meeting point at the store in Egil before the agreed time. Egil hadn't arrived yet, but it could be used, so I decided to let him stay there.

The coffee shop managed by the owner, NPC, has only three customers, not Egil. It was originally developed by artificial intelligence researcher Airi Serizawa/Alice, who is said to be Akihiko Kayaba's right-hand man and one of Argus' former staffers, and Dr Nanairo said he wanted to see him on the morning news. It's a super advanced AI, and now it's my partner, and Shino, an exclusive patient of Alice and my lover, a psychiatrist.

As soon as we found the three of them, we had a casual conversation with them??, approached them, briefly explained how we got here, and then I told Alice all the news this morning.

I see. Dr. Seven Colors, who is very popular in Japan and even around the world, wants to meet Akihiko Kayaba's right-hand man. \"

"Yes. Alice Sang is the kind of AI researcher I can think of who works with Akihiko Kaiba, and is said to be his right-hand man, but what is it like in reality? \"

When I saw the news, Naoba \/Leafa and I immediately mentioned Alice's name, but this was just speculation, so I'm not sure if it's true or false. It could be Alice, or it could be someone else entirely.

But at the time, I couldn't think of anyone but Alice.

\"Alice-sensei, are you really Akihiko Kayaba? \"

After being questioned by his own patient, Shino, the black-haired former psychiatrist turned his gaze to him for a moment, then turned around and sighed deeply. Then, I picked up the cup on the table in front of me and gently put the tea inside into my mouth before opening my mouth.

Kirito-kun was right. When I was in Agus, no, when I was doing research with Ashiba classmates, the people around me gave me a lot of praise, and Akihiko Kayaba is said to be his "right-hand man." I'm not bragging, but in the SAo development department of Argus, no one can compete with me when it comes to creating AI. Because of me, I am Martell...... Lilan. I was able to create quinella, Yui, and Strea in Yupibo.

However, Mr. Kayaba took away all the media coverage. The public's interest is focused on the director, Mr. Kayaba, so I've been in the shadows. ”

\"As I thought, Teacher Alice is such a person, but why didn't you tell me? \"

Hearing Lifa's question, Alice nodded. This is a habit that Alice often sees when she is amused by what she has seen since SAo.

"Because there's no point in talking about this. All I can say is that I am one of the developers of SAo, and I am the creator of Lilan and Yui. ”

"But if Alice Sand tells me—\"

"We were able to learn more about the kayama – is that what you say?"

"Because I could guess exactly what I was going to say, I couldn't help but shut my mouth in surprise." Alice gave me one look, then sat back in her chair and took another sip of tea. After taking a deep breath, he opened his mouth again and spat out a word.

"Indeed, I was a researcher, and even Mr. Kayaba's right-hand man, and had a long conversation with Mr. Kayaba in Agus. My relationship with Mr. Kayaba is probably the longest Argus has ever had. \"

The next moment, Alice lowered her head slightly. If you look closely, you'll notice a look of loneliness on his face. - This is a rare expression that Alice doesn't usually show.

\"But even for me, Mr. Kayaba didn't tell me anything about himself. No matter how much I tried to get close to him, he improvised a big wall and seemed to reject me. That's how it feels.

Even so, I was the one who created MHHP and MHCP from the cardinal system I created, so they still admired me, and in fact, they seemed to feel that I was their right-hand man. But because of that, he wouldn't let me get involved, and he never did. ”

As soon as Alice finished speaking, there was silence in the coffee shop.

Since Alice was the one who co-developed SAo and raised Lilan and Jupiter, I thought that the media and the mass media would not be able to get into Kayaba's head, but this was not the case, and I expected that I would hear a little more about the Kayaba being greatly betrayed. Well, I didn't think it would happen from the beginning.

However, at this moment, as soon as Alice looked up, she saw her daughter Liran, a girl with blonde hair and wolf ears.

"Lilan—no, Martell. What about you? Didn't you hear anything from Mr. Kayaba's father when you were growing up? In fact, you are the closest child to Mr. Kayaba. But "

“！”

Hearing Alice's words, Lilan's face showed a surprised expression, and her ears twitched. Indeed, before Lilan was implemented in SAo, he was educated with Kayaba as his father and Alice as his mother, and I heard that Kayaba also regarded Lilan as his own daughter. So, even if he doesn't know, it wouldn't be strange if he knew the kayaga that we didn't know.

However, after looking down and thinking for a moment, Lilan raised her head and shook her head.

"It's a pity that I don't know anything about Akihiko, and even if he's with me, he won't talk about himself. Intelligence on you people

"At the end of the day, what happened to the Kayama is still a mystery."

"yes, now that I think about it, he's such a mysterious father"

A similar expression appeared on Liran's face as Alice had just now. Maybe Lilan also wants to know more about his father, Kayaba.

However, Kayaba didn't say anything, and now it was almost impossible to see him again, and Lilan couldn't help but feel lonely now. Lilan is actually the daughter of Kayaba.

At this moment, Alice suddenly raised her head. He had a calm smile on his face, the kind of smile I'd seen many times.

"Even so, although Xiao Qi should know my name, I don't dare to say it.

So far, "Dr. Nanairo" is probably the number one search term, and the term "AI researcher" is the number two search term.

And the bloggers who saw it said, "Who is the AI researcher that Dr. Nanairo wants to meet?" "What's the name of Akihiko Kayaba's right-hand man?" , let's guess who the number seven is talking about. How many people can reach me? ”

"Yes?"

Hearing Alice suddenly say something strange, everyone was stunned.

Immediately after, Alice brought the cup to her lips, drank the tea inside, and emptied the cup.

"As I said earlier, I don't know anything about Mr. Kayaba, except that he's a physicist, SAo game director, and a mad scientist. I don't know what he wants to talk to me about, Dr. Naneiro. It's not good. "Mysteriously possessed. ”

"Well, Miss Alice, what happened all of a sudden? \"

Shino was surprised by the change in the story and asked, and Lifa nodded, I think I understood Alice's thoughts.

Neither Alice nor the others knew about the Kayaba, so even if they did, they would never be able to come up with an answer. Frankly, you're just wasting your time. Knowing this, Alice stopped thinking about the Kayama and started talking about other things, distracting everyone. - It seems to be Alice with a strange and pure side.

Lilan must have seen her mother's intentions as much as I did, and laughed.

"It's useless to think about my father anymore, I'm going to end this story."

After Lilan summed up, Lifa and Shino said, "Ah! Ground grimaced, as if aware of something. I'm sure he finally understood what Alice was trying to say.

As soon as Alice saw it, she laughed and clapped her hands.

"It's my eldest daughter, you're right.

Even though I'm a man, the girls around me, including Alice, who was supposed to be an adult, started the so-called girl talk and didn't care about me at all.

It lasted until 9:00 and everyone arrived.

"That's what I mean, if a girl named Rain comes to you, please get along with everyone."

This is the end of Asuna's story.

After talking to Alice, the usual members gather at Egil's shop. As soon as I said hello to everyone, I talked about the mysterious player Rain I met yesterday.

However, the fact that Rain knew that we were SAo survivors shocked everyone, and at this point, everyone raised their voices in surprise.

And when we were done, Crane said to me with a look of envy.

\"Kirito, why are you a female gamer hoihoi?

"You don't need women anymore because you're already a seven, aren't you?"

Crane said as he bit Egil, who was half-open, and then turned to face me.

\"That's it, it's so! Or rather, where is Rain-chan now? At least he's not around here. \"

"He's not here, no, I don't know where he is, I just said he could go with me and didn't add him as a friend, so I don't know." Where is Rain now. ”

At this time, Lizbet, a fairy of the same race as Lilan, whispered suspiciously.

"But I don't understand, Rain is a goblin. How can I say that, I can't believe it. ”

At this moment, Lilan, who was sitting in a chair and listening, crossed her arms and turned to Lizbet.

"Yes, according to Rain, they got our personal data from some hidden place, but that's a lie, and people can't do that."

"Well, that's right, Lilan."

"Yes, Lector's management has done a good job of safety management in this regard.

Even if Klein is infected with a strange virus on an obscene website and leaks his friends' information, he can immediately search for it, find it, warn the source, and delete it immediately. That's why I can say that Rain's backstage is a complete lie. ”

The metaphor of "re-running" that appeared halfway through the road drew laughter from everyone, while Klein himself looked around in surprise. Speaking of this, Alice clutched her stomach and laughed loudly, "Ahahaha".

"What, what kind of parable is this!? I'm not going to do that! Or, Alice-Sand, please don't laugh! \"

"Oops, sorry sorry, Lilan's metaphor is so hilarious, I can't help but laugh, Kuhahahaha!!"

Alice laughed funny, and just as everyone was about to laugh, Shino, who was not laughing at all, shouted at me.

"In other words, the personal data we register with ALo does not contain information that we are SAo players, how do you know?"

"Even if they don't, the virtual characters inherited from SAo do an exceptionally good job compared to ALo players, and you can see it from the atmosphere. You see, I'm supposed to be shorter, and I'm obviously more involved. ”

"Definitely"

Then, not wanting to laugh at Klein, Diabel shouted at me after Shiina.

"And how did that girl named Rein find out about us?

"I don't know.

"I'm really worried about this."

Next to Yuki, Kem folded his arms. Well, indeed, I'm going to say something very unusual, in fact, Kaim spends a lot less time on Lilan than we do. So I understand and it's hard to believe that there are signs of Lilan.

However, Lilan basically does not lie, and once he senses danger, he will have hairs standing up all over his body to warn him, so that he can know with one blow. - Lilan was on alert at the time, but not as on extreme alert as she was when she encountered a dangerous person like Vashak Casals.

Just as I was about to explain this, Alice leaned back with a smile, wiped her tears with her fingers, and said to Cam.

"Kaimu, if Lilan says so, it's true, Lilan is a girl who can't lie."

\"Is that so? But to be honest, I don't really trust the girl named Rain. She knew that Kirito was a survivor of SAo, and she lied that she had obtained information from a secret location. That's not something suspicious. \"

Of course, I don't know why Rain knew our information, why he always followed us and even lied to us. It's hard to trust Rain with uncertain information all of a sudden.

In fact, even if someone asks me if I trust Rain that much, it's doubtful - that's when Yuki next to Kem walks up to him. When Kem suddenly turned his head, Yuki reached for Kem's face, grabbed him by the cheek, and pulled him up. Kem's cheeks tensed, and the expression on his face was no longer the serious one he had before, but a twisted smile.

Kem's cheek was suddenly grabbed and lifted up with a surprised sound that stunned us. In it, Kem opened his mouth impatiently.

"Machi, Machi, Ariki, what are you doing? \"

"Kem, don't act so scared. Kirito and they all say that they are not your enemies, so Rain is not your enemies either. \"

"Wow wow, let's go."

Despite Kem's reluctance to express this, Yuki let go of that face. Kem made an indescribable sound and began to touch his cheeks with his hands, but Asuna, Lizbet, Lifa, Yuki, and Keim, who were watching, looked at him with yellow eyes and began to walk towards the group. When I saw it, I felt like I knew what the reason was.

First of all, when Ariki opens his mouth, he talks about captures, boss fights, and casual daily life, but other than that, he tends to talk a lot about Kem.

Most importantly, I don't think Yuki would do such a thing to Kaim, who only considers him a friend. Even when I'm stuck in the house, I'm always worried about Kaim.

There is no doubt that the relationship between Ariki and Kem is extraordinary. Just like me and Shiina. However, it is uncertain whether the people themselves (primarily Kem) are aware of this.

As for Kem, he doesn't realize that Asuna, Lizzet, and Lifa are throwing yellow eyes at him, and he feels a slight anger at Aruki. Moreover, Yuki, who was scolded, just laughed mischievously.

Among them, Alice, who told Kem about the situation to a certain extent, saw the communication between Araki and Kem to a certain extent, and then smiled.

"Well, anyway, why don't you decide to be some kind of careful about that girl named Rain? I'm telling you to be careful with Shamrock and Hannibal, but that's true of everyone you meet. Not them. ”

"Of course, the rain won't hurt us for the time being, maybe we just need to be careful."

After hearing Alice's words, everyone thought about it and nodded.

"We have a lot of people to watch out for." However, as suspicious as it is, I think it's too early to say that Rain is one of them, and I don't think everyone thinks so.

"yes, guys, I'll say it again, but Rain isn't the kind of player who needs you to be so careful.

After saying that, everyone looked at each other and nodded again. I made everyone less wary of Rain like Rain had told them we were SAo survivors for the first time. I figured it out.

"So, let's start talking about the next island here, do you know the mechanism of the next island or something?"

As soon as the conversation changed, I was immediately approached by Diabel Knight, a Wendina knight with distinctive blue hair.

According to Diabel, on the day they met Rain, they dispersed and flew over the floating desert island of Vilgood, searching and mastering the terrain in search of the monsters that inhabited it and those that could be tamed.

I found that the monsters that inhabit it are mainly scorpions, spiders, and shelled wyverns that adapt to the sandy terrain seen during Rain, and it seems that there are puppets this time. If you ask me if it's worth taming them, it seems to be worth it.

Virgond, on the other hand, also has ruins and caves like the floating islands of Walklind in the steppe, but in front of them there is a device that generates a powerful air current, and it is working at full strength, and it does not seem to be in a state where it can be activated. Accidentally approaching.

From this, the answer is that releasing the airflow generator and moving forward is related to the progress of the big task.

"I see. Does this mean that the flow is to stop the airflow generator and move on? ”

"It seems that this is the case, there will be plenty of time in the future, so let's go and find it."

I nodded at Diaberu's suggestion. Even if I heard about it, I didn't know what kind of state Virugood should be in and what kind of attack method should be used. So, if you want to master the strategy, Yuichi's way is to go directly to the map and check it out for yourself.

"Now that you've decided, let's start preparing for the attack right away. It's already 9:30, and I think it's okay to leave around 9:50. ”

When I made this suggestion, everyone nodded as before. I've kept the meeting a little short, but it doesn't seem to be too much of a problem for everyone. It may be possible to go straight to Viorgon without any preparation, but Vergonde is a desert area, and it is still an unknown area, so there is no way to learn more about the wilderness. It's wise to be prepared for emergencies.

"Okay, then let's disperse for the time being, and meet at the transfer gate at 9:50."

As soon as these words came out, everyone let out an "oh" and walked towards the exit of the café. Soon after, I tried to be one of them, inspect the items and buy them, but suddenly something happened.

I remembered and stopped.

"By the way, I have something on my mind." If I don't check now, I won't be satisfied. It's possible, but if you go out and catch it like this, you won't be worried, and it's not good to fight.

With that in mind, I turned in a certain direction. Standing there was my best friend Kem, dressed in a Japanese-Western combat suit, with long brown hair very close to black, and a sword hanging from his waist.

Just now, Kem was angry that Yuki forcibly grabbed him on the cheek, but now when I look at him, he doesn't look like that at all, and he speaks softly as usual. It seems that Yuki didn't bother him that much. As I approached such a Kem, I shouted to him.

"Hey Kem"

"What's wrong, Kirito? \"

"I'd like to go out and talk to you, is it convenient?"

"It's okay, but what's that?"

I guess he didn't expect me to talk to him suddenly, so when Kem looked confused, Yuki next to him immediately started talking, and the expression on his face was funny.

"Uh, what? If it's strategic, can I join? ”

"I'm sorry, Ariki. It's a bit of a personal vendetta.

"Is that so? What's the matter~"

Ariki looks a little disappointed, perhaps because he regrets that he has been abandoned. Keim glanced sideways at his cute expression and turned his attention back to me.

"Hurry up if you can, I want to prepare too."

\"I see. So, Yuki, I'll borrow Kem for a while. \"

Hearing Yuki's answer, I took Kem out of the coffee shop and eventually walked towards the streets of the Rhine, the capital of the sky.

After walking for a while in a place where a lot of players had gathered, I stopped and turned to Kem. As usual, there was a look of surprise on his face.

\"So Kirito, what are you talking about? \"

"As your true best friend, I'll ask you directly, Kaim. Do you like Araki? ”

"That's what I'm worried about." This is what his best friend Kem thinks about Yuki, who has always been by his side.

Before I went to SAo, Kaim used to play with me, but after I was stuck in SAo, he often played with Yuki when he was free, and I started talking about Sakuya and Yuki.

Well, first of all, Kem is Sakiya's close assistant in ALo, and he adores Sakiya so much that he calls him his sister. Therefore, it is not surprising that Kem keeps muttering the story of Sakiya in his mouth.

"And what about Yuki? "I heard from Asuna that Yuki has AIDS, an incurable disease. Moreover, it is resistant to therapeutic drugs, so the drugs do not make sense.

Yuki's lifespan was short and seemed hopeless, but when Kaim appeared with mutated immune cells, the situation changed completely.

Once Kaim's immune cells are injected into Yuki's body, hIV disappears from Yuki's body, and Kaim's immune cells begin to support Yuki's weakened body, allowing Yuki's lifespan to return to that of a normal person.

Yuki, who has no hope of surviving, unexpectedly lends a helping hand. From the moment Ariki received that letter, it seemed that an extremely friendly relationship began between Ariki and Kem.

After the story, Asuna said the same.

"If the person who saved my life was a boy my age, honest and kind, then I have no reason not to like him. I would stay with Kem. ”

Then there's the exchange between Ariki and Kaim, which I showed earlier. I can only think that Yuki and Kaimu are clearly in a relationship.

When he asked if the story was true, Cam's face flushed with a look of surprise.

"Hey, hey, what did you say all of a sudden!"

"No matter how you look at your communication with Yuki just now, you're the kind of person who won't do anything unless you're in a relationship with him. It's like my relationship with Shiina, your relationship with him. "Yuki. ”

"Yes, I don't really like Araki. Yuki only got along with me because he saved my life, even me"

\"If you only think of Yuki as a friend, then I don't think you guys will be together for so long, right? You're here, aren't you? \"

“”

Kaimu was silent. Her face was still red, and she looked like she was worried about something. Keep there, I shouted.

"I'm not going to make fun of you or anything. I'm just curious. You and Yuki and I are so similar to Shino that they look like friends or best friends, and that's not all. \"

"Don't tell everybody."

"I'm not going to do that.

“”

Kem closed his mouth again. Her eyes fell on the coffee shop where Yuki was waiting, and a warm glow appeared in her mind, as if thinking of someone who was important to her. This is very similar to what Yuki saw when he talked about Kaim.

After a brief silence, Kem's closed mouth opened slightly.

"When I was at ALo, Yuki was there for me. \"

\"Even though I'm Sakiya-san's assistant. \"

"Sure enough, I couldn't have been by my sister's side, but except for that time, she was always there for me."

So Kem turned to face me. The red on her face disappeared and returned to its normal color.

\"You should also know that I'm worried about Kirito being trapped after SAo. I think SAo might kill him. \"

According to Yuki, when I was in SAo, Kaim was always worried about me even when I was playing ALo.

Moreover, before we were trapped in SAo, we all played mmo together, although it was not so frequent, but it was a normal thing. Not only that, but I was trapped in a death game called SAo – it's not hard to imagine how Kem felt at the time.