A fireball wrapped in red-hot flames struck the boulder thrown by the Sandfurmon, causing a massive explosion. With a roar, the rock mass split apart from the center and fell into the surrounding sandboxes, turning into fragments of various sizes. Countless rock fragments of various sizes, raising thick clouds of dust everywhere, gently blocking the sunlight again.

In the middle, dust covered Lilan, but he trembled like a dog or a wolf, shaking off the dust that had attached to his body. Of course, my body shook in the same way, but I leaned against Lilan, trying not to fall off his body.

I've been doing this process since SAo Lilan, so nothing happened.

"Well, I thought I could do so much, but I never thought I would actually do it."

"That srang only used brute force. How about using your brain more? \"

"He's just a monster. He's not just a monster, he's different from you. But he's not as smart as you, so I think he's going to be much easier to deal with. ”

"Don't put me with that guy."

"When Lilan was about to be put together with Sandfur, he looked dissatisfied." Lilan has hated being around those monsters and the AI they carry since she entered SAo, but it's been a while since SAo cleared ALo, and that hasn't changed.

After feeling a sense of relief from such an unchanging Lilan, the sand immediately swirled.

I saw the dust being torn and I focused on that place. Among them are Rain, a red-haired girl who has just joined the team, and Alice, a dark-haired woman who has never shown any signs of fighting.

Lilan, like me, was running with a sword in both hands, and Alice was charging towards the Sandfur with a longsword that resembled a katana. When the two arrived, Sandfur raised its arms and waved it down towards the second man.

A loud tremor accompanied a roar as the Sand Beast's thick arm hit the ground, and a thick layer of dust rolled up in the air, and directly behind the Furry Behemoth's right hand, Alice took a position close to the sand—on the Furry Beast's ass, and almost at the same time, her weapon was covered with light.

"Oops!!"

"Look!!"

With a flick of her sword, Lilan slashed the right arm of the sand-haired beast in front of her into an X-shape, and then slashed it to the base of its tail. When both the two-sword sword skill "Cygnus Onslaught", which unleashes a powerful slash forward, and the sword skill that rolls forward to slash enemies, the Sandfurmon's HP increases. will increase, gradually decrease.

It's hard to believe that the two of them are attacking at the same time, and I found that their racial proficiency and attributes are quite high. When we weren't viewing or logging in, they may have improved their racial proficiency and skills. - Just as I was thinking this, the sand beast suddenly turned to me and Lilan, kicked the ground and ran.

In such games, when the player sets the aggro value to a certain value, the monster will change its target during the battle. This hatred value,It's basically an invisible value.,The more you attack the monster.,The more the hatred value increases.,Eventually you'll become the target of the monster.。

"But why would the sand beasts target me and Lilan when they didn't attack me at all?" Perhaps, he has a skill that can increase his aggro all the time, lock onto targets, and lure monsters - I was thinking about it when a voice sounded in my head.

"Inevitably! I'll protect you! \"

"Ahh

As I listened to my partner's "voice" and nodded, and grabbed his back hard, the face of the rushing sand-haired beast appeared in front of me.

The silhouettes of gorillas, dogs, squirrels are combined in intricate ways, and there are postures that jump towards you. Perhaps because of the proximity, I could see the movements and gestures of the sand-haired beast, as if the world was in slow motion.

（！！？ ）

"At that moment, something popped into my mind." And it instantly affected my vision, covering the appearance of the sand-haired beast in front of me, forming a shape.

The scene in front of us is a sand-haired beast attacking, then he is wearing a black hat, a black fur sweater, gray trousers, and the picture switches to a skinny middle-aged man, white-eyed, strange big companion, and now jumping towards us.

"Ahh

The next moment, the heat in my whole body disappeared, my fingertips and toes suddenly became cold, cold sweat ran from my head to my face, and I couldn't move as if I was paralyzed. Even when I tried to twist my thoughts, my head stopped turning, as if there was noise flowing through my head, my heart was filled with black water of inexplicable fear, my body involuntarily froze, and I started running again. Hair suddenly weakens. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't grab Lilan's hair, like I forgot how hard to push.

When I can't dodge monster attacks and have to take them, I usually use Lilan to take a defensive stance, so I only take rough damage, but I can't even do a defensive stance. The entire body of the sandfur beast slammed into its body. Just then, I was thrown out of Lilan's body and flew into the air.

\"—Quack!! \"

For a moment, a strong painful sensation spread throughout my body, and my body flying in the air slammed into the ground and bounced several times before stopping. Perhaps it was the impact so strongly that the roar of cicadas in my ears robbed me of my hearing, and the pain of suffocation welled up in my heart, and my eyes were spinning. - He was not only taken aback, but also rolled his eyes.

\"Kirito!! \"

\"Kirito-san!! \"

Within seconds, I heard a voice that had never sounded in my ears before. Shino and Asuna, who were in charge of the defenders among us, also came over. When the two of them came to me, Asuna immediately chanted and activated her healing spell, enveloping my body in a warm green glow.

By the time I stopped, the dull pain that ran through my whole body was gone, and as the pain disappeared, I was able to breathe normally and exert myself. At the same time, the clutter in your mind disappears and everything around you becomes normal.

\"Kirito, are you alright? \"

"Oh oh, I don't know"

"Kirito, what are you doing?" \"

"Just couldn't block the attack. But thanks to Asuna, I was saved. \"

Immediately after, the wolf dragon Ruiru, who had been riding on his back, ran in front of me and made a "sound". Looking at his face, I could tell he was worried.

\"Kirito, are you alright? \"

"I'm sorry, Lilan, for worrying you."

"You said you wouldn't let go if you rode me, what's going on?"

Behind the anxious Lilan, everyone fights while dodging the attack of the sand-haired beast. The sandfur looked like a strange human, but now it had the form of the sandfur Ratatorsk. The confusion in my mind like before is gone.

"I just slipped a little, let's do it again."

With that, I casually jumped onto my partner's back, straddled him, and firmly grasped the place I had just held, realizing the unity of man and dragon. However, Lilan, who seemed to start acting immediately, just turned her gaze to me behind her, and did not show any movement.

"Hey, Lilan, what's wrong?"

"Nothing. Moreover, the sand orangutan also looks weak. In that case, you should be able to get through it. \"

"Yes.

With that, Lilan finally moved, turning to face the sandfur beast. Surrounded by everyone, the sand-haired beast was still under attack, and before you knew it, its health had dropped to the first, and its number had been reduced to less than half. If you add a little attack, it seems that it can be destroyed.

"Let's go, Lilan!!"

At my command, Lilan roared violently, kicked the sand beneath her feet, and sped forward at a high speed, finally rushing in front of the sandfured beast. The sand-haired beast that was hit by the wolf dragon with the same mass as itself roared and was blown away, but immediately regained its position in the air and landed.

He turned his body towards us and made a gesture to jump into, but when the sandfur tried to fly away, the people around him suddenly added all their strength to the sandfur. Sword skills towards the city. The multiple sword skills of multiple attributes on the legs of the sand-haired beast were huge, causing a rainbow-colored explosion, and it suddenly lost its balance and fell to the ground on the spot, falling to the ground for a long time. Sometime..

"He's already on the ground, and he's running out of health." What else can I say if this isn't the best chance to defeat the boss. Lilan must have known this, and pounced on the fallen sand beast, biting its big tail hard.

\"Kirito, your hands can't slip anymore this time!! \"

I nodded to Lilan's "voice" echoing in my head, and the next moment I firmly hugged his back, and Lilan under me bit the tail of the sand-haired beast, took a vigorous step, increased its speed, and began to spin. The sandfur beast shook its body and made a cooing sound, and the sand was rolled up, forming a simple sandstorm centered on Lilan.

In the sandstorm, Lilan let go of the sandfur beast's tail and threw it into the air, a thick pillar of scorching light pointing directly at the sandfur.

The tip of the scorching light scorched the sandfured beast's body, turning into ashes and soot and rushing into the sky, exploding when it reached a height almost invisible to the ground. A corner of the desert sky was engulfed in the flames of the explosion, and a hot wind blew, but it didn't take long for the flames of the explosion to be blown away by the wind.

The scorching light that had caused the explosion pushed Sandfurmon up into the sky, but even if the flames dissipated, it was impossible to identify the Sandfurmon being pushed. Then, just a few seconds later, we heard a loud bang, and we looked up again in the direction the sandfur was flying from. "Congratulations!! This is proof that he has successfully subdued the boss.

By looking at these texts, we have found that we have successfully subdued the three divine beasts that rule the Sandfur Beast Vergood, Latatosk.

We managed to defeat the regional leader of Vilgand, Ratatosk.

Ratatosk's system is very large, and he is a guy who launches powerful attacks, but he has defeated all kinds of boSSs in SAo, and he has also defeated dozens of boSSs after coming to ALo. Judging by the defeat of Herasvirg, the boss of the steppe floating island, there is nothing to worry about.

After the defeat of Ratatosk, I also received the same gem as Hrasvirg as the captain, which was stored in the valuables folder of my inventory. As a result, I was left with only two jewels, and only one was left, and everyone had a deep look of concern in their eyes.

In the battle with Ratatoskur, I was Yui one by one who received a lot of damage. Keep fighting. The reason was that my mind had become sluggish due to extreme fatigue, and I was not in a state where I could fight normally.

In fact, he was attacked in a battle with Ratatosk. Although I felt dizzy before the battle, I was injured by attacks during the battle that I would not normally receive, so it was natural for everyone to be worried.

"As soon as I got the orb, everyone advised me to go home and rest." Of course, I justified that I didn't want to go back because the New World would be liberated and I could see new elements, but because Shino, Alice, Lilan and Yui were also among them, I couldn't argue, and I had no choice but to withdraw from the fairy world and not see the New World.

And when I came back to the real world, I fell into a sleepiness, as if I suddenly felt tired. Is what Alice said true? Before I could think so, I took off the Amusphere, lay down on the bed, and closed my eyes. It didn't take long for me to fall into the world of sleep.

"And today, the day after tomorrow." I regained my composure completely, logged into ALo as usual, and tried to travel to the New World, where everyone was already going, but on the way, I joined everyone and ended up being stopped there.

According to everyone, with the liberation of the New World, Tiandu Rhine will hold a large-scale festival for one day, and it seems that they have decided to go to the New World after they have had enough. I never thought there would be a festival, so I was more interested in this than Shinsegae, so I decided to attend this festival. I decided to enjoy the festival to the fullest.

"Daddy, how's your yukata?"

"Ah, it's an activity equipment, but it's as comfortable as everyday clothes."

When I logged in to ALo, the Tiandu Line was spreading, but the scenery and appearance had completely changed. Usually there are only a few stalls in the city, but there are many more stalls than usual, and the players who go there are all wearing yukata of various colors and patterns.

Yes, the Sky Capital Line now recreates the scenery of Japanese festivals almost perfectly. ALo is a game based on Norse mythology, so even if we're going to have a festival, I think it's going to be something overseas, and that will be a European or Nordic based festival. It is a national festival in Japan and the Far East from a Nordic point of view.

I had heard of this festival, but I didn't expect a Japanese festival to be held on the Kuto Line.

"I want to know Lilan. It's a yukata, though. ”

"I see, I wear this kind of clothes during festivals in Japan. I wasn't taught this. ”

And we all wore yukata robes, just like the runners who went into the city. According to Yui, when I went offline yesterday, Shino and Yui both got yukatas, and they also got yukata for me and Lilan, and he gave them to me.

I walked around the festival grounds wearing the loose, easy-to-wear black yukata that Yui had given me. As for Yui, who gave me a yukata, she wore a yukata with a pink flower pattern in white fabric, while Shino wore a yellow and blue morning glory yukata with the same black fabric as me. She wears a yukata with a morning glory painted pattern. on top.

Speaking of Liran, the yukata she was wearing was painted with white flowers on a red cloth, presumably a gift from Shino. However, for Lilan, perhaps it was the first time he had seen Yukata, and he continued to stare at the yukata wrapped around him with curious eyes, twisting his body from time to time to look at his back.

"As for the color, I don't know if it's okay. I can't think of a color you'll like. ”

"Well, nothing is a problem, but if you don't mind, it reminds me of Heathcliff's armor. \"

Lilan answered Shino's question. Indeed, during the SAo period, the casual clothes and armor of Heathcliff, the former head of the Knights of the Blood Oath and the last boss of the SAo world, were based on red and white. Come to think of it, the yukata that Lilan was wearing now was very similar to the clothes and armor that Heathcliff had worn before.

"Well, that's okay. You and Heathcliff are parents and children. You wouldn't mind wearing clothes similar to your father's color, would you? ”

"yes, don't you have to worry about it?"

"yes, don't worry about unnecessary things today, just enjoy the festival. Even if it's Lilan, it's the first time you've seen such a festival. ”

In response to Shiina's inquiry, Lilan nodded. Indeed, Ryan has been fighting within Ayn Grant. ta。 And since he came to ALo, he's been hanging out around town with Yui and them, doing missions with us, and fighting all the time, so he's staying away from the so-called festival activities. This is not an exaggeration.

"Of course, this is my first time attending a festival like this.

"Haha, it looks like you like it, so it's more important than anything else. So, where should I start? But Yui Lilan, don't go too far. There are a lot of people, so you're going to get lost. ”

\"That's right. Yui, don't leave me. \"

Hearing her sister's words, Yui nodded "yes". Of course, Yui will listen to what we say, but she will also listen to what Lilan has to say. Although the two are daughters and don't have much in common from the outside, it turns out that they are proper sisters after all. Otherwise, Yui wouldn't listen to Lilan, and Lilan wouldn't care about Yui.

As we looked at Riran and Yui who were walking in front, Shino, who was walking next to us, looked around softly and whispered to us.

"Come to think of it, I wonder how Strea is now.

One of our companions, Strea, who talks casually and goes on a mission, is also an mhcp like Yui and Liran's sister. And since Strea is a more innocent girl than Yui, if such a festival were held, she would probably say that she would go shopping with Lilan and Yui first, but strangely, Strea is not here.

However, Asuna said that she would gather the girls to walk around together before the party disbanded, so she probably joined them and was enjoying the festival. Surprisingly, it's easy to imagine other girls being dangled by Streya.

"Strea is also Strea, and I think it's time for her to enjoy the festival with everyone.

"Probably.

I looked around as Shiina's words. More than fifty stalls, surrounded by countless crowds of players. No, it's always impossible to count the number of players, but it feels like the number of players gathered in Tiandu Line today is many times more than usual.

"Maybe, but the players who usually live in the ALo continent have also gathered.

"Of course you can, but I don't feel that bad today."

"Uh, why. Shino doesn't like crowds, does she? \"

So Shino turned to me. Shino always had a disgusted expression in the crowd, but now she didn't have that expression on her face.

"Because of you, I'm so happy to spend this holiday with you like this."

I don't know if it's because of the lights around her, or because of Shiina's own emotions, Shina's cheeks are slightly red, and when I open my eyes a little, Shiina's memories come to my mind.

Until now, Shino hadn't really enjoyed the festival, and even if she had, it was mostly with her mother, grandfather, and grandmother, not with her friends, and I didn't touch anything at all, and I almost had a tendency to retreat. Most of all, I'm sure I have nothing to do with this kind of thing.

But now, I can enjoy the festival with my best friend Liran, my daughter Yui and my husband. Shino is extremely happy that her true wish has come true. - Knowing this feeling, I felt a certain happiness, and my cheeks began to rise slightly. No, I've been happy ever since I learned that Shino, Yui, and Riran were able to go to the festival together.

"Yes.

"But it can feel a little lonely."

"Are you lonely? Why? ”

"Look, because I want the people who created these two to be with me."

Shino said as she stared at Yui and Riran, who were walking in front. The creator of these two people is Shino's exclusive psychiatrist, Alice. Since it's Shino's business, Alice probably wants to join us and come to such a place, but Alice didn't log in today, either because her schedules overlap or because she is too busy with work.

"So the Alice that Shino wants to see is not here. "This must make Shino feel lonely.

\"yes. It might have been more interesting if Alice San had been there, but Alice San hadn't logged in yet. \"

"yes. Is the plan bad? ”

"Maybe so."

Then I immediately turned around. I was talking about it when Alice wasn't around, when I suddenly heard a voice behind me, and when I looked back, Alice was there. Still, I was nowhere to be seen. Sure enough, Alice didn't come into this world today.

After confirming this, I turned my head to Shino.

"There's no way around it. It's just us today, and Alice Sand's share will be enjoyed. \"

"Ugh"

As we nodded to each other, a familiar voice came not far away. Turning his head, he and Yui stood side by side, staring at something with interest. Out of curiosity, I looked further and saw a slightly chubby, brown-skinned dwarf NPC making fried noodles on an iron plate.

"Yui and Lilan, what are you looking at? \"

"Kirito, I've heard that the yakisoba eaten at festivals is very special. However, the chow mein made here is the same as the chow mein I often see at home, is there any difference? \"

I laughed, and the two AI sisters looked at me curiously. Of course, the chow mein made here is made in the same way as the chow mein made at home, and the seasoning is almost the same. However, the reason why the yakisoba made during the festival is so delicious is because you feel the excitement of eating it at the festival.

"It's an exciting feeling. Eating it during festivals will make chow mein delicious.

"Yes!"

Yui replied happily, while Lilan looked at me with glowing eyes. Maybe, but the two couldn't help but wonder, is the fried noodles they ate during the festival really better than usual?

"I can't help it. Shina, what are you going to do? Do you eat chow mein? \"

"I don't mind, I want to eat something different, is that what you say?"

"I wonder if it's the same for me.

With that, I walked over to the yakisoba stall where Liran and Yui were staring and talked to the owner. According to the owner, a serving of fried noodles costs 200 yuan and is seasoned with sauce. I was a little touched by the fact that the price was close to the price of yakisoba at real-world festivals, so I gave it to Yui and Lilan.

Yui happily took it, and Liran took the fried noodles with a curious expression.

"Thank you, Dad."

\"Thank you, Kirito.

The two thanked each other, opened the bowl, broke the disposable chopsticks, held them in their hands, and began to eat fried noodles. Shino glanced at the two of them who were making very familiar voices while eating yakisoba, and then shouted at them.

"Please, Yui. \"

"It's delicious! I've eaten a lot of fried noodles, but it's better than the usual fried noodles! ”

"I agree. That story is not a lie! This is good. ”

"I mean, Lilan, where did you get this information?"

According to Lilan, it was Lisbeth who told Lilan and Yui about it. Lizzebet really likes bright events like festivals, so even if she says she knows a lot about them, she doesn't feel out of place. Or rather, I feel a bit like Liz Bet.

"Also, I heard that there are a lot of delicious things at the festival. It's not just fried noodles, right? \"

"Well, most of the food stalls here are food stalls.

"I'm fine, if I still want to eat when I'm full, I'll go to the wild and become a wolf dragon, so it's okay."

I later learned that Lilan in the form of a wolf dragon seemed to be hungry easily. It seems that this is because when Lilan's body becomes a werewolf, it becomes huge, and the digestion capacity of the stomach increases dramatically. So, when Lilan wanted to starve, he turned into a wolf dragon and went on a rampage in the fields. - I want to ask if digestion has anything to do with AI, but Lilan's biggest feature is that she doesn't lie, so these aren't lies.

"I see, your body is very convenient."

"Oh, talk a lot, but you don't have to worry about the money for food, you don't have to give money."

"Really? Then let me do it. ”

At this time, Liran and Yui were emptying the fried noodle bowl in their hands. It's been like this since I was at SAo, but maybe it's because both of them are AI and eat a lot faster than us. When we ate at Ayn Grant's house on the twenty-second floor, Shino would often warn Yui to eat slowly, but to be fair, Yui's eating speed had completely changed since she came to Ayn Grant, not much has changed. Shiina, who seems to be curious about this, catches Yui's attention.

"Yui, you're telling me to eat slowly, right?

"I'm sorry Mom.

"I'm the same, we're going to have dinner our way, but not as slowly as you say."

"They all complain about the same thing." It's possible, but Yui and Lilan may have been programmed by Alice to speed up their eating. I don't understand at all why such a feature was added, and I'm not sure if that was really the case in the first place, but I can only understand what Alice can do.

"Well, isn't that great? People who eat fast also work fast. Now, where are you going next? ”

Kirito didn't eat anything, he just walked around. \"

"I put my hand on my chin." When I was in elementary school, when there was such a festival, I used to come with Naoba, and we used to eat shaved ice at that time. Maybe it's because when you think of festivals, you think of the image of shaved ice, so when you come to the festival, you want to eat shaved ice. However, I have to fulfill Shino's wish here, not my own.

"Shiina, do you have anything you want to eat or what you want to do?"

"Me, maybe I'd like to eat tortoiseshell candy."

"Tortoiseshell candy, right? It is also a popular holiday food.

"Wait a minute, Kirito. I haven't heard what you want to eat. Say, what you want to eat, take a look. \"

\"Huh? I don't mind. And that's not all—\"

Then, Shino turned her body towards me, grabbed my hands, placed them on my chest, and wrapped me up. Recalling the softness and warmth of touch that only Shino possesses, I looked up and saw Shino's face with a gentle expression.

"Today is a special day of events, not just for us, but for you to enjoy it too. Come on, tell us what you want to eat and I'll buy it for you. ”

"Well, the shaved ice is delicious. I want to eat blue Hawaii. \"

When I looked into Shino's eyes, I spoke in detail the name of the food I wanted to eat. After all, I have a strong desire to eat shaved ice. Hearing this, Yui immediately made an expression of what she had thought of.

"If it's a shaved ice stand, I saw it before I came here."

"yes. That means I'll have to go back for a while. ”

"But there seems to be a stall selling tortoiseshell candy in front of me."

"The road has been beautifully separated." In order to get what I wanted, I had to go back from here, and in order to buy what Shino wanted, I had to go further. Just when I thought it was going to be troublesome, Shino turned around.

"So, let's split up here. Kirito and Lilan went to buy tortoiseshell candy, and Yui and I went to buy shaved ice. We'll come back here when we can all buy something. That's it. \"

"Is that okay? Even if everyone takes turns."

"Here you can spend less time shopping for things. Every minute and every second is wasted right now, so let's do it in a way that doesn't take as much time as possible. ”

"It's true that we don't know when the next festival will take place, so this time is very precious." If you come here with Shino, you will have a lot of time to enjoy the festival.

"Okay, then you go, Lilan and I are going to buy some tortoiseshell candy, and after shopping, we will gather in front of the fried noodle stall."

"Yes. Let's leave it at that. ”

"Alright, let's go, Lilan."

After hearing Lilan say "Understood", we split up and walked together. It used to be the same, but there were players in yukata everywhere, as if they were in an artificial forest. Well, thanks to the noise, I quickly understood that it was not a forest.

"Tortoiseshell candy, I'm looking forward to what kind of food it will be."

"It's not so exaggerated food. Or rather, you've gone online and seen a lot of things, so you probably know tortoiseshell candy. ”

"Of course, I knew it existed, but I didn't understand what it tasted like. The internet has taught me a lot, but it doesn't tell me how it tastes. ”

"Of course, you don't know until you've tasted it. Or that if they sell tortoiseshell candy, then they seem to sell apple candy as well. ”

At this time, Lilan looked at me with a strange expression. Those ruby eyes shone with an inquiring light. It's a scene I've seen a lot since SAo.

"Candy apples? What is Candy Apple? Do you mean apple-flavored sugar? ”

I was a little surprised to find out that they knew about tortoiseshell candy, but not appleshell. Someone explained. At the end of the day, Lilan looked very curious, her eyes twinkling.

"Oh my God, an apple coated with tortoiseshell sugar!? You must eat that! ”

"Oh yes. Or rather, you look happy. You love apples, don't you? ”

"Of all the fruits, this is my favorite food. Yes, I loved it before I went to Al Aingrant. \"

"Before going to Ayn Grant"

"At the time, I thought. That's right, before Ayn Grant implemented Lilan, he was raised by Akihiko Kayaba, ate all kinds of food, and learned all kinds of things. During that time, he may have eaten an apple with Kayaba.

"I see, so for you, apples are the food in your memories with your father?"

"Yes, Akihiko gave me a variety of foods, but among them, apples were the most delicious. Since then, apples have become my favorite food, and I completely forgot about it when I was in Ayn Grant, until I had reached the 100th floor. ”

"Lilan looks a little nostalgic." Akihiko Kayaba is regarded as crazy by the world, but in Lilan's opinion, he is Yui's father who can understand this by looking at her face one by one.

"But now you can remember everything. I'm the daughter of Kayaba, and I love apples. ”

\"Ah, let's go find my favorite sugar apple, Kirito. \"

"I'm looking for tortoiseshell candy, not apple candy, I mean, they're already here."

Before we knew it, we had arrived at the tortoiseshell candy stand. The shelves were filled with translucent candy sticks of various colors and shapes, among which was a sugar apple as red as Li Ran's eyes. Seeing this scene, Lilan let out a cry of joy.

"Is this what you call candy apples?"

\"Ah, yes. Shino seems to have something she wants, so it's just right\"

I stared at the candy lining up next to Lilan's smiling face. Candy comes in the shape of dogs, cats, birds, and other animals, flowers, and colors, including red, blue, green, yellow, orange, purple, gold, silver, and light colors. Blue. 200 yuan, unified. Among them, I found something and picked it up.

It was a light blue cat-shaped tortoiseshell candy that seemed to have the characteristics of Shino's ALo avatar. If I bring it back to Shino, he'll be happy.

"Okay, give me this."

I handed the 200 yards to the clerk and turned back to Liland. Lilan's ears twitched, her tail wagged like a dog, and her eyes were fixed on Applecandy. Maybe you are confused about which one to choose.

"Miss Lilan, don't you have anything you like?"

"It's not like that! We handpick which ones are the brightest, which ones are the biggest, and which ones look the best. ”

"They all look the same"

"They're all different! Strictly speaking, they are different. Or rather, don't talk to me now, because it will distract you! ”

"Hey, hey. Let me know when I'm done. I'll wait until then. ”

I can't go to Shino and Yui alone, but if that's the case, Lilan might get lost, and most importantly, Lilan might get angry and bite his head, so I'm not going to do that. No.

With this in mind, I left the tortoiseshell candy stand and looked around. Perhaps because of the festival, players who don't usually see each other come and go, and there are Japanese-style stalls that you can't see in ALo's world view. Who would have thought that such an event would be held in a world reminiscent of Northern Europe?

"No, I guess that's why so many people come together to enjoy the festival because no one could have predicted that." And since it's a Japanese-style festival, it's not surprising that the festival will be held next time that mimics either Northern Europe or Europe.

At that time, the four of us didn't want to, and if we could, we wanted to have fun with Shino.

"No, it's useless without Yui and Lilan. \"

After muttering, I looked around again, and just then, I saw something. You can see it in big festivals in the real world, and it's very popular in festival games.

There is a shooting table where you can shoot targets with a toy gun and get prizes.

"Alright, that's it! Hey, give me this. ”

Among the large number of sugar apples lined up, Li Run picked out a particularly bright and large candy, picked it up and paid the owner 200 yuan. In the real world, sometimes people say that apples look like jade, but the sugar apple in your hand sparkles like a real jade, and the sweet aroma of candy and apple mixes together and comes to your nose. It looks so delicious that I want to take a bite.

\"It's decided, Kirito. Now, let's go back to Shino and Yui. \"

After saying that, Lilan turned around, but was suddenly dumbfounded.

"I didn't see Kirito. "He should have said he would be waiting there, but he could not be seen either near the store or a little farther away.

\"—Kirito? \"

"Yui, hold on to it. Dad will be sad if you drop it. ”

"Yes, Mom. It's for Dad, so I'll protect it. Mom, please take care of your sister. ”

Shino listened to her daughter's words and nodded. Now, Shino and Yui have left the shaved ice stand and are walking towards Kirito and Lilan's meeting point. Shiina's hands each hold a cup-shaped bowl filled with shaved ice coated with cucumber syrup, and a bowl filled with shaved ice coated with white milk syrup. On the other hand, Yui holds in both hands a piece of shaved ice stained with blue Hawaiian syrup, which is characterized by the color blue, and another piece of shaved ice with milk syrup, which is also used in Shiina's.

"Why is shaved ice for everyone, not just Kirito?" Because although Shino and Yui went to the shaved ice stall to feed Kirito's shaved ice, they were driven by their desire to eat shaved ice along the way.

When they arrived at the stall, they first ordered blue Hawaiian shaved ice for Kirito, then shaved ice with milk syrup for Shino and Yui, and finally shaved ice with cantaloupe syrup for Lilan. As a result, they were given four pieces of shaved ice, and they had to hold them in both hands.

"Even then, we never thought we'd end up eating shaved ice."

Mr. Liz said that the chow mein eaten at the festival was delicious, but the shaved ice was also delicious.

Before I came to Tokyo, and even before I got involved in that incident, I used to eat shaved ice and tortoiseshell candy when I attended the town's summer festival with my mother, grandfather, and grandmother. The shaved ice at that time should not be much different from what was sold in the nearby store, but I still remember how delicious it was. That's why Shino often thinks that if she participates in an event like a summer festival, she will definitely want to eat shaved ice at that time.

"Of course, the shaved ice eaten at the festival is really delicious, but Yui does eat a lot of it. \"

"My sister and Alice always said that in order to grow, it is important to eat a lot, so I eat a lot."

"That's what humans are, but uh, Yui is human too, so there's nothing wrong with that. However, eating too much is not good for the body, so do it in moderation. \"

"Yes"

Shino looked at Yui and nodded, sighing softly. Yui, Lilan, Strea, and Jupiter. These people are all AI created by Alice, but they all have certain characteristics. - This is in order not to gain weight.

Yui, Strea, Lilan, and Jupiter are set up like this from the beginning, they have a lot of appetites, but they eat digital data, they don't consume nutrients and fats, no matter how much you eat, your heart is satisfied, your body shape will not change or you will gain weight, on the contrary, if you don't eat much, you will not lose weight.

Shino sometimes envies her daughter for being able to live without worrying about the disadvantages of human beings.

As I walked along with these trivia, I saw a player run up in front of me. What kind of fighter are you in this kind of event without a sprint component-Shino and Yui looked at them in amazement.

The identity of the player running towards us is a girl with long blonde hair, platinum wolf ears, and a tail growing from her hips. What I've always wanted to see is Yui's older sister, Reirun.

\"Shino, Yui——! \"

"Re-run?"

"That's my sister. \"

"There's no running component, so why should you run?" Just as I was thinking this, Lilan suddenly came to the two of them and stopped. Maybe it's because she's used to running, and her physical skills have improved a lot, but on the other hand, Lilan isn't tired, just a little uneasy.

"What's wrong, Lilan? Are you in such a hurry? ”

\"Didn't Kirito come back to you? \"

"Is it Daddy? Dad hasn't come back yet, sister, you went with Dad to buy tortoiseshell candy, right? ”

When the two took turns answering, Lilan immediately said, "What!?" A look of great surprise appeared on his face. Shino was a little surprised by this excessive expression, but at the same time felt that she understood what was going on, so she asked Lilan again.

"Maybe Lilan and Kirito got separated. \"

"Ah, when I took my eyes off him, he suddenly disappeared.

"If \'rebirth\' just shakily disappears, I can still understand it. However, Kirito, who is already a high school student, leaves without saying anything to Lilan for no reason, and it can only be said that it is an impossible story.

(never)

At this moment, Shino suddenly felt a chill in her back, and the power in her fingers seemed to disappear. I've been in this situation before. At this moment, a man in a black cloak—their nemesis, Vašak Casals—dragged them into the shadows and punched and kicked them.

And this time, Kirito suddenly disappeared. Could it be that Kirito was also like himself at the time, attacked by Vashak Casals and dragged into the shadows? If that's the case, Kirito would have been messed up in the shadows by Vashak Casals by now

\"Kirito won't you, in Vashak Casals!? \"

\"Phew!?

\"Because when I was attacked before, it was really sudden, maybe Kirito was like this at the time!! \"

I could feel myself shaking, I could feel the cold sweat running down my head. Even if I try to stop it, I can easily imagine Kirito being attacked by Vashak Casals, and I can't stop him. What should I do, what should I do- At this time, Yui, who had been silent, spoke.

"Sister, I have something I want to ask you."

"What's the matter, Yui? \"

"Girls used to go to tortoiseshell candy stands, didn't they?"

"Oh, yes, yes, what's the problem?"

"Did you find anything nearby?"

Questioned by her sister, she immediately remembered the path she had traveled with the owner of the black yukata and the people she had met near the tortoiseshell candy stand, but perhaps because she had unconsciously continued walking, she couldn't remember. I remember a lot, I don't remember. Maybe it's because I'm engrossed in talking to the host.

"No, I don't remember."

"Then let's go there, maybe something."

\"I—I don't have time to do that, Yui. Now I have to find Kirito. \"

"Mom, please wait a minute, I have something I would like to confirm."

"My child attracts me with a majestic look." Obviously should know that it is his own child, but Shino superimposed the figure of the former teacher Alice on the current figure of his own child. Although they don't look like each other at all, Yui feels a lot like Alice when something like this happens. Each time, Shino reaffirms that Yui is an artificial intelligence created by Alice.

"Yui, what do you want to confirm?" \"

"Anyway, mom and sister, let's go to the tortoiseshell candy stand."

"I understand"

After listening to Yui's words, the three of them walked towards the tortoiseshell candy stand. While walking through the noisy city of countless players in yukata, Shino wanted to talk to Yui, but Yui's expression was serious, so she didn't say anything, and I simply couldn't say enough.

Although she is a girl who can usually talk casually, it is sometimes difficult to talk to her, which is somewhat similar to Alice. Yui is still the daughter of Alice's creation, after all.

With this in mind, I continued to walk, and before I knew it, a tortoiseshell candy stand appeared in front of me. There was a tortoiseshell candy stand that I used to see when I was a child and went to festivals, and there were many sweets of different shapes and colors lined up on the shelves, but Shino didn't pay much attention to it, and I was looking at Yui. All the time.

My daughter, who is my son, didn't pay any attention to the tortoiseshell candy stall and just looked around. As usual, there was an aura of difficulty in talking all over my body, and I guess I wouldn't talk to him. But Yui doesn't become like this for no reason, so Yui becomes like this is a sign that she is looking for something—and something quite serious.

\"Hey, Yui\"

When I finally moved my numb mouth and called out to my daughter, she suddenly stopped moving and was facing in a certain direction. Just as I was wondering what had happened this time, just as I was about to call him again, Yui turned to Shino and opened her mouth with a serious expression.

"Mom, let's go find Daddy."

"Uh, Yui, did you find anything?" \"

"yes, then let's go find Daddy."

Although the specific reason is unknown, Yui must have noticed something. He didn't say anything because he realized something he hadn't noticed. And when Kirito's found, Yui may tell him everything - that's all Shino knows, and decides to swallow Yui's request.

At the same time, Lilan, who had been keeping her mouth shut, suddenly spoke. I was curious what it was this time, and when I looked back, I saw that it had pricked up its ears and tail, as if it had found something.

"What's wrong, Lilan?"

"Found it. Kirito is here. \"

"Got it, Kirito's whereabouts. \"

"Ahh This way! ”

As soon as these words came out, Lilan walked briskly. Even I, Kate Sis, who had chosen various sensory organs set higher than the other races, noticed things I didn't notice. Thinking that now she can only trust her own words and deeds, Shino walks with her children and the partner of her loved one.

"Uh-uh"

Kirito is located in a corner of the back alley that can be called the back of the festival venue. Kirito sat in the dark, where there was no human trace, no light, and he seemed to have forgotten how to throw all his strength into it.

"Damn it, damn it"

Kirito sat helplessly on the ground with his head propped up in one hand. When I went to buy tortoiseshell candy with Lilan, I accidentally looked around and saw a "shooting" stall. A few prizes were lined up on a shelf not far away, and a player was aiming at the prize with a toy spear, and a scene flashed through my mind.

"There was a man lying in front of me with a hole in his forehead. In his hand he held a pistol, which was stained with blood and red in color.

Kirito was inadvertently surprised at the time because it all came out of nowhere, but now that he had already experienced it, he felt that he could do something to suppress his inflated emotions. In this way, I managed to control my emotions, but at the same time, I couldn't control the nausea that rose from the depths of my stomach, and I couldn't help but fall into trouble. Back alley.

I ran frantically through the damp and dimly lit passages, which were the exact opposite of the festival venue, and when I got to the point where there was no one??, the nausea gradually disappeared, but at the same time, my body was suffocating, I lost all my strength and could not move.

"Why is this the case?"

Kirito clenched his fists and punched himself in the forehead. A faint pain spread through my fists and forehead, and a slightly stronger impact made me shake my head.

"What I saw was a toy gun." No, not only that, but even the model guns I saw earlier could not be loaded with real gunpowder, and could not even spit out bullets from the muzzle, they were nothing more than toys.

However, when I saw the unique shape of the same color as the sword in my hand, a strange vision suddenly flooded my mind, and nausea and numbness came from the depths of my stomach, and I couldn't move. It's time to go back to the real world, and depending on the intensity of the nausea, it can become unbearable and vomit. Although I don't look at it.

I discussed this with my psychiatrist and was told how to deal with it, but it didn't help at all. - No, it's not that it doesn't work, but it hasn't been completely suppressed, and there are times when it doesn't work.

"Isn't this okay, I really can't do it?"

Kirito whispered into the darkness, took a deep breath, and looked up.

"I can't be like this forever." I left Lilan at the tortoiseshell candy stand and didn't keep my promise to buy tortoiseshell candy for Shino. Even the tortoiseshell candy I bought before must have fallen on the road. Also, I have to go shopping.

First of all, all three of you must be worried that you have suddenly disappeared and will most likely call everyone together for the holidays and start looking for them. In order not to cause such a serious incident, I must return to the three of them as soon as possible.

"Hurry up, don't come back"

\"Kirito! \"

Just as he stood up, a voice came from the passage on the right, and Kirito turned his head in surprise. Three girls in yukata are long black hair, long blond hair with wolf ears and tails, and long light blue hair with cat ears and tails. This is Yui, Liran, and Shino, who have been thinking about whether to come back in the future.

"Well, all three"

"It's just the right time" - thinking so, the three of them immediately rushed towards Kirito, and one of Shino shouted to Kirito. Sure enough, an extremely worried expression appeared on his face.

"Okay, why are you here?"

"No, I'm a little uncomfortable but I'm fine, I want to go back now"

"Daddy"

After answering Shino's question, Yui quietly approached. I thought she was the same as Shiina, with a worried expression on her face, but Yui's face was not a worried expression, but a serious one.

\"By the clothes? \"

"Dad, I have a question for Dad, can I ask?"

"It's fine, but what's going on"

The girl, who has a serious expression that she doesn't usually show, bows her head slightly, meets Kirito's gaze again, opens her small mouth, and confides her words.

"Dad, why are you feeling uncomfortable? It was fine just now. ”

"Why suddenly. I suddenly felt sick.

"Isn't it because I saw a shooting stand near the tortoiseshell candy stand?"

Hearing this, Kirito was stunned, while Shino and Lilan's eyes widened. Yui, who said this, also closed her mouth and fell silent. There was a heavy silence around them, but they were controlled by Lilan for a few seconds.

"Yui won't, you"

"Sister, as we feared. Daddy\"

Hearing her sister's words, the wolf-eared girl widened her eyes, sighed deeply, and shook her head gently. At the same time, the tail hangs down completely.

"I see, I guess that's it. I just have a bad premonition\"

"Worried? Uh, uh? Wait a minute, Yui, Lilan, what are you talking about? ”

Shino looked at Kirito and Yui alternately in confusion. Yui didn't care about her mother, she stopped moving as if she was frozen, and just looked at her father, who blinked in shock and tried to open his small mouth, but somehow hesitated. I didn't say it again and again. Words at noon.

Soon, when Yui made up her mind and spoke seriously, the older sister next to her put her hand on Yui's shoulder.

It must be painful for you to talk about important things about your family. I'm thinking the same thing, so I'll just talk about it here. \"

When Yui whispered "sister", Lilan released her hand from Yui's shoulder and turned to face Kirito, who was motionless. Then, after taking a deep breath, he opened his lips.

"Kirito, do you remember what you did before Ayn Grant fought Sugo? When Kirito Shino's brain is connected. \"

"Ahh

Kirito immediately remembered when he was still in SAo. In order to heal Shino, who was destroyed by Alberridge, the "fugitive" on the 100th floor of SAo, Kirito fuses his consciousness with that of Shino with the help of Yui and Lilan. It was at this time that Kirito touched Shino's memory and brought it into his mind, and by understanding it, he was able to hit Shino's shattered consciousness with his voice, successfully restoring Shino's consciousness.

After that, Kirito was able to separate his consciousness and memories from Shiina, and was able to safely return his consciousness to the body of that place. From that moment on, Kirito's memories and Asada Shino's memories began to exist at the same time, and as long as Kirito's brain was conscious, he could recall Shino's memories.

"I told everyone around me about it, and they were amazed at the amazing thing that was about to happen." - Kirito recalls this series of events and nods to Lilan.

"I know what happened. That's why I have Shino's memory. Even now, I can remember. \"

\"However, Yui and I have been thinking about it. You've stuffed Shino and your own memories into your head. Is that okay? \"

Kirito kept his mouth shut completely. Seeing this, Lilan closed her eyes slightly and whispered again.

"As I thought, it seemed to work. No, not an effect. ”

"No impact, I'm fine."

"Then why do you get disgusted when you see something related to guns? Why have you become like this now? There is a shooting range nearby. And you have the habit of looking around whenever you have time. "Didn't you see it at the time?"

Kirito shook her head, but Lilan showed no signs of stopping.