"Hey, Asuna, what did you think of!? \"

"I'm sorry, you two, I'll go first!"

With that, Asuna kicked the floor open and left the restaurant. Then I went down the stairs to the hallway, I started walking briskly, and when I left the school, I started running again.

If you stop halfway, take out your smartphone and check the screen, which shows the time at 1:00 p.m. Shino's room in the apartment near the school used to cook together a lot, and Shino told her that it was time to go to the nearby supermarket to prepare dinner.

Shino lives alone, and after school, she goes to buy ingredients for dinner. And now that it's this time, you might be able to find Shino at the supermarket near the school. Shino couldn't have been locked up in her room for three days without eating.

No, maybe Shino will do it, but if you can't find it at the supermarket, the last resort is to go straight to Shino's room. That's all I'm going to do this time.

"Shino"

After whispering her best friend's name, Asuna ran to the supermarket where her best friend frequented. About two minutes later, on the sidewalk of a road with many cars passing, Asuna stopped running and began walking, but she was fast, faster than anyone walking.

The people walking in the town looked at the girl with chestnut hair walking briskly with curious eyes, and even glanced at her, but the girl did not worry about them at all and continued to walk briskly. Then after walking a little on the sidewalk, and after turning the corner, Asuna came to her destination - in front of the supermarket.

At dusk, when I went before, there were a lot of cars parked in the parking lot, and there were a lot of people shopping, so it seemed that there were fewer people. There are so many customers like trees in the forest, and it would be extremely difficult to find Shinai, but it should be relatively easy to find her now.

"I should be able to go now"

I muttered as I walked towards the supermarket door. The automatic door at the entrance of the supermarket opened, and out of it came a person, presumably a customer who had just finished shopping.

She has dark brown semi-long hair with sideburns tied with white ribbons, and wears a white hoodie with a black skirt below the knee at the hem, and the beige color seems to hold all sorts of things. Hands and look down deeply. It was the figure of a man who came out of it. As soon as Asuna saw the figure, she couldn't help but cry out.

\"Shinono!! \"

After walking a few steps from the supermarket door, the girl stopped, and the voice seemed to reach her ears. Asuna immediately ran out, walked through the parking lot, and walked towards the girl. When Asuna approached, she was relieved to find that the girl's appearance matched the person she was looking for. It seems that he can already go out normally.

"Shino, it's nice to meet you, I'm worried about you. \"

Shino, who was finally able to see him, just lowered his head and said nothing. Whether you don't want to see your own face, or you don't want to show your own face, you seem to be able to feel your feelings, but Asuna puts that thought aside and shouts to Shino again.

"Shino, are you okay? I'm worried about Shiina\"

When I asked this question, Shino's face finally slowly emerged, but as soon as it caught her eyes, Asuna was overwhelmed. Shiina's eyes did not have any light, and it was as dark as the bottom of darkness. And there are dark circles under the eyes.

Shiina's face was there, a face we hadn't seen since we were together.

"Poetry is not, non"

“... Tomorrow"

Shiina's name spat out of Shiina's unlit black eyes. Asuna could only look at her best friend's face, and within three days she had completely changed.

"Sorry to worry you"

After meeting Shino at the entrance of the supermarket, Asuna goes to the apartment where the SAo survivors live and enters Shino's room. It's still some distance from the supermarket, so I walked all the way here with Shina, but maybe because Shino was so atmospheric, Asuna didn't say anything. In the end, they couldn't open it, and neither of them spoke, so they walked to the apartment.

In front of Shino's room in the apartment, you can't hear the sound of daily life at all, probably because of the soundproofing equipment. Once there, Asuna thought it might have been wild, neat inside, with not too much placed or scattered.

Despite Shino's own problems, her room was clean. When I was stunned by the sight in front of me, Shino said, "Come up." After hearing this, Asuna finally went upstairs to Shino's room.

As soon as she entered the room, Shino feebly put her handbag in front of the refrigerator and stumbled over to the table to sit down while Asuna sat in front of her.

At this time, I turned my gaze to Shino in front of me, but Shino still lowered her head and did not raise her head. Shiina's hair is a little messy, and she has lost her usual luster, and she obviously doesn't take care of her hair anymore.

\"Well, Shino. \"

"Hmm"

"Are you alright? My dark circles are so terrible. ”

"It's okay, I've only slept a little in three days."

"Hey, that's not going to work! Why are you doing this? You didn't come to school at all."

Then Shino turned her face to the window. Asuna subconsciously understood that although Shina's eyes were reflected outside the window, the scenery outside the window would not necessarily unfold in Shiina's gaze.

"I don't want to do anything. Going to school, studying, playing games, I didn't want to do anything. I didn't want to eat at all. I have no appetite. ”

"Then why don't you sleep? If you can sleep, you can do it. ”

"I can't sleep because when I sleep, I have nightmares. That's why I don't want to sleep anymore. ”

"Never..."

"It's far from an unhealthy lifestyle." Eating not much, moving less, coupled with insomnia, Shino's body just thinks normally and is weak. If she continues to live like this, Shino's body will quickly weaken. Shino kept repeating things that she couldn't think of before.

"Why are you doing this? Shino, if you continue like this, you will die! \"

"Because I don't want to do anything. No one has come to check on me anymore. ”

\"Until now, even if something happens to Shino, I can say that she is fine. The reason is that Shino has an excellent exclusive psychiatrist named Alice. If Shino went to see her, she would be able to solve Shino's trouble immediately, but now Alice quit her job as a psychiatrist and went somewhere she didn't know.

In general, even then, they can talk to each other on the phone, but maybe Alice is too busy to take the phone. I heard Naoba say that before that, when Kazuto couldn't recover from the shock of Shino's goodbye, he tried to call Airi, but Airi didn't answer at all. It is no exaggeration to say that love is unreliable.

However, if Alice checked Shino now, she would be able to find out the reason immediately, and Asuna felt that she understood why Shino became the way she was.

\"Poetry must be a matter of harmony with Renjun.

At this moment, Shiina's body reacted with convulsions. It's the stars—thinking of this, Asuna continued to chant to Shino as if she had caught the light.

\"I told you, Shino, I have something I want to talk to you about. No one is listening here, so I'll talk about it. \"

Xiao Fei. Why did you break up with Renjun? Kazuto is not a person who knows Shino better than anyone else. But why-"

"Don't mention the name!!"

Shino, who had been silent, suddenly shouted, causing Asuna's body to shake and shut her mouth. Immediately afterward, Shino's body trembled slightly, and she spoke again.

"I'm an idiot. Falling in love with that guy and being with that guy is all a mistake. Like an idiot, get a girl close to you and fall in love with him. Even though there are many such people, they just look at me and do what I didn't ask them to do. It's disgusting to see through things!! ”

Asuna is attracted to Shino, who speaks so quickly and insults people that it is hard to believe that she is the same Shino. Shiina, as if she had forgotten that Asuna was nearby, continued to move her mouth.

"On top of that, you've been hiding a lot of secrets from me. This is certainly refreshing. ”

Then Shino raised her head slightly. The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and his smile distorted slightly, but it quickly returned to normal, and his dull eyes slowly turned to Asuna's maroon eyes.

"So what is he doing now? Did he come to school? ”

\"Uh-huh. It's been a long time since you've been here. You and Shino are in the same situation. \"

"Yes.

At that moment, Asuna coughed lightly. Shino's words just now were full of curses and curses, but they didn't feel the same as usual. I don't feel the feeling when I'm just telling the truth, it feels like I'm listening to someone lying all the time. I don't know if what Shino is saying now is true. It could also be Shino...

Thinking of this, Shino suddenly raised her arm and stretched.

"Well, it's been a long time since I've spoken to you, and somehow, I feel a lot better, after all, it's best to let others listen to your complaints."

“”

"I don't know if it's time to go back to school, he's gone. Ah, but before then, I'll have to do something about this dark circle, but I don't know how long it will take to heal. ”

“”

Shino's mood suddenly brightened. It looks like spitting out what has been accumulated, but none of the words are empty and don't carry any truth. I've been feeling this way for a while, but it's as if I'm trying to convince myself by making myself look like I'm telling someone else.

\"Then again, Liz and Celica and Keiko will come to school as usual, right? \"

\"Uh-huh. We're all worried about Shino. So, if you can, I hope you can come to the school\"

"I see, I did bad things to the two of them, I have to hurry to school, I can't deceive the teacher forever."

“”

At this time, Shino suddenly yawned loudly. Just as Asuna was surprised by this sudden event, Shino rubbed her eyes and whispered.

"I'm sorry, Asuna. I don't know why I'm a little sleepy. \"

"Are you resting? Shino. \"

"Yes.

"Okay, Shino, eat well, sleep well, and come to school early. \"

"yes, I see"

With that, Asuna got up, said goodbye to Shiina, walked to the front door, opened the slightly heavy door, and left Shiina's room. When I took out my smartphone from my bag to check the time, it showed 2:20 p.m. The time I entered Shiina's room was around 2:00 p.m., and it seemed that I couldn't stay in Shiina's room for too long, and I couldn't talk to Shiina.

"Shino"

Asuna stood still, her head bowed. In terms of Shino's state just now, it's hard to say that she's obviously normal, and she also says that she's living an unhealthy life. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't be so dizzy and I wouldn't have drawn such horrible dark circles.

Not only. Although she has been watching it for a long time, Shino's heart is now under a lot of pressure and she is quite tired. What if the already fragile and fleeting mind of the poem continues to be exposed like this?? In the near future, Shino's spirit will completely collapse. Moreover, Shino's body has weakened so much in three days, and it is estimated that she will die of exhaustion in about two weeks.

If this continues, Shino will die both mentally and physically.

"I need to do something soon."

“”

If I could, I'd like to talk to Alice, who I just thought of. I haven't heard from Alice so far, though, and I rarely log in to ALo, so it's useless to try to talk to her. In that case, I thought about discussing it with my daughter Lilan, but Lilan herself seemed to feel that the situation was out of control, and he seemed to be in trouble even when he was at school. Even if you consult them, they won't give you a good answer.

"And then..."

Asuna operated her smartphone, activated the phone book, and added an action to display a name as she walked. Jupiter, the same being as Ruiran, whom I met during SAo and became my beloved son.

Although Jupiter is younger than Liran, he has the power to heal people's hearts because he is a high-class type of mental health counseling program to which Yui and Strea belong, and he also has the same counseling functions as them. And Jupiter didn't get into the current situation like Lilan.

"I'm sure Jupiter will come up with some kind of countermeasure." Even if it is the same program as Lilan, there is no same thought circuit as Lilan.

With that in mind, Asuna pressed the start button and put her smartphone to her ear. As soon as the communication sound sounded, a voice came.

"Hello Mother"

"Jupiter, yes, this is my mother."

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Jupiter, may we talk now? I have something I want to talk to you about. ”

"What do you want to discuss?" Did something happen

"yes, actually."

Asuna walked around the apartment and walked down the stairs while talking to her beloved son about Shino's condition on her smartphone. By the time it was over, Asuna had already walked out of the apartment door.

\"That's so, Sister Shina, is that so?"

"Yes.

"This won't work! Sister Shina, if you continue like this, you will die! I can't do that! \"

At first, Jupiter didn't even know the concept of death, but now he understands the various concepts. So when Jupiter hears that someone might die, he reacts almost like a human. Although born later than Lilan, Jupiter is a "human" born in the computer world, on the same level as Lilan.

"I think so too.

\"Sister Shino and Brother Kirito have a very good relationship. But why with Brother Kirito\"

"That's..."

Then Asuna told Jupiter everything. There is no trace of what Lilan said, what is happening to people, and what people have become now. Jupiter listened quietly, and when Asuna had finished, he finally began to speak.

"Yes. Kirito Futa-chan now\"

\"yes. Therefore, Zi Nai seems to hate what others tell me about Renjun the most. \"

>

"But you know, it's kind of weird."

"Spooky? \"

"I don't know what to say, I mean, you don't have the heart to say bad things about you, I don't know if you feel like you're not telling the truth, I feel like I'm being convinced." So..."

"Did you tell yourself? \"

"Yes.

At this point, Jupiter's words suddenly stopped. Normally, he would reply immediately and continue the conversation, but Jupiter suddenly stopped talking. Could it be that something happened to Jupiter? Asuna said into her smartphone in a bit of a panic.

"Jupiter? What's wrong? ”

"Mother. I probably know the truth

"Uh, what did you find?"

"I'm going to talk from now on. So I would like you to convey it to Kirito-san. \"

\"For the sake of peace with people? So? \"

\"Sister Shino is—\"

"Eight o'clock that night."

Since the loss of his beloved Shino, Kirito / Kazuto has become like an empty shell, as if he has lost everything. I can't even swallow the food that Naoba and my mother Midori made for me. It's terrible to hang down like this. And the current state of the person can only be a waste person from the side.

However, thanks to Naoba and Midori's enthusiastic alms and support, he was able to eat, bathe, and sleep, but even so, he could not only use the computer and the Internet, but also activate the Amusphere. Even though I regained the will to eat, bathe, and sleep, I couldn't wake up and play with everyone as usual.

If you go to the VR world now, you will definitely be able to meet everyone, and you will be able to do tasks and fight monsters as before. Because there is no one left. Shino already hates herself so much, there's no doubt that she'll never be in the VR world she's in.

I don't care about a VR world without Shino - it's an idea that no one would have thought of until now. I can't even do anything.

That night, however, I received an email from Asuna. The content is extremely simple, "Wait at ALo's hotel". When I first understood the text, I thought I would ignore it because I wanted to see if he did a good job, or something like that, but I thought maybe there was something to say.

And the latter's thoughts grew within a few minutes, and finally I couldn't help but worry. In order to figure this out, it may be worth the first dive after a while - Kazu, who was curious from the beginning, as if driven by the idea, lifted his heavy hips and did not touch it at all. With Amusphere on his head, he entered the VR world, the world of fairies.

So, after three days with people, he became a Kiritto of the Sprigan tribe for the first time and went to the Rhine, the capital of the sky. Although it was only three days, Kirito felt as if he hadn't seen the sky capital line in front of him for a long time, and he couldn't move for a while. However, Kirito immediately remembered the purpose of his visit, and went to the hotel that he had made an appointment with Asuna/Asuna.

I didn't know what Asuna had to say - as I thought about it, I soon found myself in a hotel. Among them, Kirito found a girl with long light blue hair and a white and blue dress, and a teenager dressed in white. Long silver hair and a white hoodie. The people who emailed her were Asuna and her son Jupiter.

Kirito was a little surprised by Jupiter's appearance, as he thought that only Asuna was waiting for him, but he went to see them anyway. After meeting the two of them, Asuna first said that she was happy to meet them and invited them to my room.

I came here to listen to what Asuna said, so Kirito didn't nod or shake his head, and I walked into the room.

"So Asuna, what are you talking to me? \"

"Kirito-kun Well, I've heard a lot from Lilan. What happened to Kirito-kun now, and what happened to Shino when I told Shino about it? \"

“... I know everything."

“… Yes.

Then Kirito said "haha" and spoke again. If Asuna had known this story, she would have spoken quickly. I can tell you everything that happened and how it happened.

"It's all my fault. Shino was disappointed in me because she knew I had been hiding it. I'm not the kind of person who can take away the memory of Shino. I betrayed Shino, and Shino was betrayed by me. \"

"Well, so say"

That's why Shino left me, and it was only natural for her to cut off the relationship. I was supposed to heal her, but I hurt Shino's heart, that's why this happened. \"

"Yes, it's all my fault." The reason why it became like this is because I don't deserve it, because I did something that hurt Shino. Because I hurt Shino, she naturally hates me and rejects me. From the beginning, I didn't have the qualifications to approach Shino.

Kirito ignored Asuna's words and said as if he wanted to spit out all the impurities and toxins that had accumulated in his body. Asuna and Jupiter just listened quietly and didn't say anything, but when Kirito's words finally stopped, Jupiter, who had not opened his mouth, walked up to Kirito and opened his closed mouth.

\"Does Kirito's brother think the same way? \"

\"Ah, I think so too. It's all my fault. It's all my fault. It was I who hurt Shino. \"

\"So you think Shino-san is starting to hate Kirito-sama? \"

"Are you trying to tell me it's a mistake, Jupiter?"

"Yes"

Jupiter nodded purely. I'm talking about Jupiter of MHHP, who is the top example of MHCP whose mission is to heal people's minds and hearts. However, even if Jupiter cheers him up, this fact cannot be overturned.

"Don't comfort me. It's over. Shino has already disowned me. I've lost what I'm supposed to do, I've lost everything I'm supposed to protect. Now, it's all over. \"

"Nothing is over, Kirito-san. \"

\"How can you say that! Shino clearly said so!! \"

\"Listen, Kirito-san! \"

“！”

As he yelled at the little silver boy, his mother, the light blue girl, grabbed Kirito's shoulders hard, brought his face closer, and shouted loudly. Kirito didn't expect to be scolded, so he shut up.

"Do you know what Shino is doing now?"

"I don't know"

"Shino is embarrassed right now. Don't eat too much, don't sleep, you're emaciated. \"

At this moment, Kirito's eyes involuntarily widened. What's going on After breaking up with Shino, I'm in a good mood, and I haven't done any more bad things, so I think I'm healthier than before. How can breaking up with you make you haggard - Asuna moved her mouth first when she was about to say that.

"Kirito seems to think that Shino-san hates Kirito-san, but Shino-san doesn't hate Kirito-san. That was Kirito-san's preconception. \"

"Teeth"

"Shino is desperately trying to deceive herself and the people around her. He tells himself that he hates Kirito-kun and that Kirito-kun is the worst. He really doesn't think so. However, I desperately tried to convince myself that it was the same as Kirito-kun. \"

"Just like me..."

Then Asuna looked down for a moment. When Kirito was stunned by the girl in front of him who suddenly didn't speak, the silver-haired boy next to him continued to open his mouth.

Sister Lilan said. Brother Kirito's memory of Sister Shino is eroding Brother Kirito. Brother Kirito, there's no doubt about that. \"

"Oh yes"

Sister Shino, she thinks it's her fault. \"

"Ugh"

Shino now thinks that it was all her fault that Kiritto became like this. Moreover, in order to slow down Shino's erosion of Kirito's memory, even a little, she tried not to contact Kirito, and continued to curse Kirito, hating Kirito extremely much. Although you said from the beginning that you couldn't do it — yes, Jupiter said.

What's going on - when Kirito responded to Jupiter's words, Asuna, who had been resting, lowered her head and spoke again.

"Poetry is to protect Kirito-kun and stay away from him. I think that if I wasn't there, I could prevent Kirito-kun's heart from breaking This is all for Kirito's sake. I'm thinking about you

\"I miss Kirito, so I want to protect him, you're forcing yourself to dislike Kirito-kun, and being hated by Kirito-kun is forcing yourself to do something you can't do. \"

Asuna looked up. Beautiful light blue eyes, just like her hair, with large teardrops floating in the corners of her eyes.

\"However,Because it was too much,Shino's body and mind collapsed in front of Kirito-kun.。 If you continue like this, Shino will die to protect your Kirito-kun. I'll die before you \"!! ”

Shino did it because she wanted to be hated by herself. \"In order to lighten the burden of her heart and keep her away from death, Shino desperately wants to stay away from her. But as a result, Shino is dying. He committed suicide in order to protect and the existence of the people - after knowing this fact, Kirito \/ Kazuto completely stiffened.

\"Will Shi Nai Shi Nai die? \"

\"Yes, Shino is embarrassed now, if I let her go, she will die, but Shino is trying to leave herself alone, and if she goes on like this, Shino is really going to die. \"I'm going to die"

Kirito's mouth was glued to Asuna's frantic pleading, and he sobbed. Shino was dying, Shino was dying of exhaustion - the moment I heard this, my head went numb, and I could only listen to the words that came from my ears. Facing Kirito, Asuna's face was full of tears.

\"Kirito-kun, no, and Ren-kun and Ren-kun, what do you think of Shino, do you hate Shino, or like her\"

Sure enough, thanks to Shino's words, I have lost my appetite, I have lost my appetite. However, even so, the light and flame of affection for Shino Asada among the people has never been extinguished, and the emotion of hating Shino has never happened. Do you like Shino Asada or don't like it? - Such a question is ridiculous.

"It was decided."

“？”

\"If you like it, it's decided. I've never hated Shino and haven't thought about it. Indeed, at that time Shino told me that she hated me and wanted to break up with me. But I think I like Shino and that won't change! ”

Hearing Kirito's unequivocal testimony, Asuna's eyes widened. Immediately after, Jupiter, who was beside him, took a light step and spoke to Kirito.

"Sister Kirito. Sister Shino is really pushing herself. This is completely unnecessary. If she pushes herself like that, then I'm going to have to stop her. Sister Shino said something like this, but the truth is that Sister Shino I think Brother Kirito is necessary, so Brother Kirito"

A solemn expression appeared on the face of the blue-eyed boy with a usually bright and soft expression, making it hard to believe that he was the same person as the usual boy.

"Please tell Jiro Kirito and Jiro Shino one more time. Kiritojiro, please stop Shino Jiro's unreasonable trouble. \"

Neither Jupiter nor Asuna can lie, so Shino is indeed in a hurry to die. If Shino encounters such a situation, I must immediately go to her, support her, and stop all vexatious trouble. Shino tries to protect herself from death, but dies instead. Shiina's death should not become a reality.

"But can I do it?" Originally, she was the one who caused this situation, and Shino, who was about to die, had completely cut off her connection. Even if I forced myself to meet him, I don't think he would listen to me. I wonder if it's already at the point where I can't extricate myself. First of all, isn't he the one who hurts Shi Nai's heart?

\"Brother Kirito\"

"Ugh"

\"Because I just heard some vague news from my mother and Yui, I don't know how Jiro Kirito and Jiro Shino lived. Your wounds have healed, right? Well, even this time, Jiro Kirito can do something. \"”

Hearing the blue-eyed boy's request, Kirito purred softly. Alice, the creator of the boy Jupiter, told me, and I realized it too, but it is true that I have always wanted to support Shino's heart and heal her wounds, and I have done my best. ta。 And it seems to have had the desired effect, Shino's heart is much richer than when they first met, and she no longer feels hurt.

However, it was the scar that the poem has endured and the present day, not of her own making. I thought about it for a long time, can Shina's emotional wounds be healed on her own?

"I don't know if I'll be able to do it now, it's too late to do something like this"

"You can, Kirito-san. \"

Then Asuna looked up again. Not so long ago, I was in tears, but now I'm sharp.

"Because Shino loves Kirito so much that she wants to talk about him and even want to protect him, you know? And now, you've come this far, and only you can do something. \"。

"Tell Shino what you think. "Shino is waiting for that. ”

After saying this, Asuna remained silent, but Kirito did not try to take her eyes off her eyes. Shino's injury is all my fault. And if Shino dies like this, it can be said that it is also her fault. Now, Shino Asada, whom I love, is about to die because of me. What scared me the most was that Shino would die because of me.

"This is absolutely unacceptable." If Shino dies like this, then there is no time to worry anymore, and if there is time to do such a thing, he must go to Shino now.

"Let's meet Shino again. \"

"So, once again, say everything."

"If that doesn't work, I'll really end it."

But I'm definitely going to save Shino's life.

I will spend my life guarding Shino's life and heart.

"That's my calling."

"Asuna, Jupiter, thank you. Thanks to you, I am awake. \"

“！”

\"Brother Kirito! \"

Kirito turned his face to the smiling two and nodded deeply.

\"I'll go see Shino.

\"I'm not going to let Shino die. \"

The music from her smartphone woke Shino and she lifted her upper body. I looked around slightly, and the room was as dark as night, and everything was dyed blue-black. No, it wasn't as dark as night, but I knew it was indeed night, as the street lights were faintly shining through the cracks in the curtains by the windows.

"That"

Shino gently hugged her head, recalling the memories she had made up to now. If I'm not mistaken, I went out to the supermarket and did some cursory shopping when I met Asuna and brought her into the room. Then we talked for a while, and then Asuna went home, and I was really sleepy, so I lay down in bed and fell asleep. Apparently, he slept until nightfall.

Actually fell asleep until this time - while thinking about this, Shino turned her eyes to the smartphone playing the music that woke her up, and Shino was completely awake. I'm sure the timer or alarm goes off, but my phone is now receiving a call and it has a name on the display.

"That's my beloved child, Yui, and I thought I would never see him again."

\"Yui!? \"

Yui - Thinking about it this time, Shino picked up her smartphone, pressed the call start button, and put it to her ear. A voice I thought I would never hear again came from the depths of the speaker.

"Mom, can you hear me?"

"Yui"

\"Ah, mom is glad you called. \"

The daughter's voice sounded soothing. Come to think of it, Yui suddenly separated from her, and she must have thought that she would never see her again, let alone hear her voice. I was relieved that I could hear myself in this situation. My heart throbbed at the thought of this, but for some reason I swallowed it anyway, Shino said to the girl on the other end of the smartphone.

"Yui, what's wrong? Call me out of the blue."

"There's something I want to ask my mom. Is it possible to come to ALo now?

"Arrow?"

"That's right. I want to talk to my mom

"If you want to talk, you can do it over the phone."

"It's useless to call. I want to meet and talk to my mom in person. So Mom, please use Amusphere to come over for a while. ”

Her voice was quite powerful for Yui. From this, Shino naturally understands that Yui's desire is quite strong. Of course, Yui also fell into a situation where she couldn't meet even if she suddenly wanted to meet, and was forced to continue. Yui is an unexpectedly patient child, so she must have had a certain amount of patience at first, but she's reached her limit. But.

"Got it. Still, Yui, there's something I'd like to ask. \"

"Yes? \"

\"Kirito, isn't Daddy here? I don't want to see my dad. \"

\"Daddy isn't here. I want to talk to my mom, but my dad isn't there. \"

"Yes, I'll go there too, where are you waiting?"

"This is an inn on the Tenkyo Line. I'll be waiting for you there, so please mom come over for a while. \"

"Meeting with Kirito / Meeting with people consumes the spirit of Kazuto, so it's not good, but I can talk to Yui. "Yui, who has been entrusted with meeting me so far, will be happy when she meets me. She could easily imagine Yui's expression of joy at that time, and Shino had the motivation to start Amusphere for the first time in a long time.

\"I see. So, Yui, I'll go see you now, please wait a minute. \"

"Yes! \"

Hearing Yui's pleasant answer, Shino temporarily ended the call, put down her smartphone, got out of bed and walked to the dining table. On the table, which usually doesn't have anything, is the Amusphere that I threw on the bed three days ago. At that time, Shino felt uneasy for a moment, thinking that it might have broken because she bumped into it, but since Yui had expected it, she had to go to ALo. I can't stand still.

Please, don't let it break—with that in mind, I plugged the tip of the power cord (shaped like two overlapping circles) into the socket at the entrance to the fairy world, and when I pressed the power button, the power light came on, accompanied by a slight start-up sound. Seeing that the entrance to the fairy world was not closed, Shino breathed a sigh of relief, put it on her head, and lay on her back on the bed.

"Although there were some troubles, it was the first time I saw my daughter." Shino enjoyed the joy as she slowly closed her eyes, then slowly took a deep breath and recited the incantation to go to another world.

"Connection startslink starts"

When I opened my eyes again after reciting the mantra, I was greeted by large Western-style buildings that would never exist in Japan, and fairies of various ethnic groups coming and going on the streets. Seeing this scene, Shino confirmed that she had arrived inside Alfheim Online, and her current location was in front of the portal. It's been three days since I've been here, but I can't help but feel like I haven't logged in in over a year.

This world has become so far away from Shino's daily life.

(However)

"If I'm not mistaken, I think I was in the back alley when I quit before." So if you're logged in, you should start in the back alley, but your current location is in front of the transit door. The game itself seems to be set up in such a way that if a considerable amount of time has elapsed since exiting, the next starting point will be in front of the portal. I've been playing ALo for a while now and I thought I knew the specs of this game, but this is the first time I've learned about it.

"But it's just right." Since you can go to the hotel right away, you should be able to meet Yui without waiting. It's been three days since I last saw Yui, and I wonder if he's okay - while thinking, and looking forward to the look on his face when he met Yui, Shino walked towards the hotel.

About two minutes later, Shino arrived at the hotel. There were a lot of players in the foyer, but I looked around and saw a familiar figure. Girls who are shorter than other players and wear similar skirts, characterized by long black hair. It was Yui who was about to meet.

"By!"

"Ah, Mom!!"

When she called, Yui also spotted Shiina, ran to her side, jumped into Shino's arms, and hugged her tightly. Shino hugged the body of her daughter who lunged at her, feeling that she might never see her again.

"Yui"

"Mom, I thought I'd never see you again."

"That's what I thought, too. I'm sorry that this is how things turned out."

Shino said as she stroked Yui's head, and at the same time, Yui rubbed her cheek against Shino's chest. When Shino is happy that she was able to make physical contact with her mother and daughter again, she thinks it was impossible, and Yui moves away from Shiina's chest and meets Shino's gaze.

"Mom, I want to talk to you."

"yes, I know, that's why I called you."

"Yes.

"It's not good here."

"Yes.

"It's okay, it's been three days since we last met, let's talk."

Shino nodded, and Yui nodded with the same smile, and said, "This way." Then he walked to the back of the hotel. After that, Shino also walked while looking at Yui's back. I've said it many times that it's been three days since I met Yui, but when I saw Yui for the first time after three days, I don't know what kind of story she plans to tell herself. What's happened at ALo recently or anything like that?

(No)

"Calm down and think about it, there is no way." At that time, I didn't say anything to her, and I disappeared from Yui's sight. I'm sure Yui will ask me why this is happening and why I'm doing it when we're alone in the room. There's no funny story - Shiina's face stiffens at the thought of it, but then Yui stops walking up to her.

Before I knew it, I was in front of the room where Yui was ready.

\"By\"

"Mom, we're in your room, let's go inside."

Ye Xiu's face still had the same smile on his face as before. At first glance, you would think that it would be interesting from now on, but considering the current situation, I don't think Yui would talk like that. Yui was probably trying to talk about something more serious than that. However, there was no way she could have escaped from here, and there was no way Shino herself would allow Yui to do such a thing.

"I got it"

After saying a few words, Shino walked through the door that Yui had opened. The room was exactly the same as the hostel I usually stayed in, but I found something that I usually couldn't find in a hostel, and I was speechless.

“A！”

In the same room as the one he usually uses, there is an elf boy with black hair, a thin face, and a black coat-like outfit. Now I definitely can't see him - no, I don't want to see him, that's Kirito.

Although I didn't want to see Kirito, why was he here—just as I was thinking so, Kirito immediately spotted Shino walking into the room, and opened his mouth to call out Shino's name.

"Shino"

Shino heard this voice for the first time in a long time, and suddenly turned around to leave the room, but was taken aback again. Yui, the one who had gone to great lengths to call the real world in order to talk to him and brought him here, was firmly in the way. Her face was no longer smiling as before, but serious.

"Yui! \"

"I'm sorry Mom, I lied to you."

"Why!"

Yui showed an apologetic expression for a moment, then straightened her face again and turned to Shino. Seeing that majestic face, Shino had nothing to say and closed his mouth.

"Mom, I beg you. Please talk to Daddy again. Don't quit until you're done talking to your dad. Don't run away, talk to Dad! ”

As soon as she finished complaining, Yui opened the door and left the room in an instant, then slammed the door shut. Even if you put your hand on the doorknob and try to turn it, it shows no signs of moving. Yui pressed the door and doorknob from the inside and locked the door almost from the outside.

It seems to be already a state. Moreover, the lock seems to be locked so tightly that no matter how hard I try, I can't open it.

"Looks like you're completely trapped."

"Shino"

"I hear that voice again." Very familiar sound. As soon as she put it in her ear, Shino gritted her teeth and opened her closed mouth.

"You took advantage of Yui. Let Yui bring me here\"

"Yes"

"You've done terrible things. Take advantage of that girl."

Shino didn't look back at Kirito, still looking at the door, and whispered to Kirito.

"I don't want to talk to you, I'm quitting."

"Yui told me not to quit. And, even if you don't have anything to say to me, I have something to say to you and something to ask you. ”

"I don't want to listen, shut up."

"I can't drink this request"

After saying that, Kirito slowly approached Shino. Immediately after, Shiina's ears moved, and then she opened her mouth.

"Don't come near me, I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"Now, what do you think of me?"

Kirito's sudden question made Shino stunned for a while. I habitually wanted to turn around, but I held back and continued to face the door. Immediately after, Kirito's voice came to my ears again.

"I'm asking what you think of me now."

"What do you think of you? You know best. ”

"I don't know. I don't know, so I'm listening. ”

Then Shino gritted her teeth. Although I had communicated with her before in order to understand her, Kirito kept pretending not to understand. While I don't want to hear any more sounds, I'm not going to back down. Shino, who was dissatisfied with Kirito, finally turned to look at Kirito and glared at him.

"Then I tell you, I hate you, I hate you more than anyone else in this world, I hate you so much that I want you to disappear now!!"

"Really?"

"Really. You are persistent. ”

Kirito closed his mouth and stared into Shino's eyes. Shino wanted to take her eyes off Kirito right now, but Kirito's eyes were sharper than she thought, making it impossible to take her eyes off Kirito. After a few seconds, Kirito's mouth opened again.

"I heard about it from Asuna.

“... Yes"

"Because you hate me, you start hating me, so you're glad you left me."

"Ugh"

"So you haven't come to school yet."

"Ugh"

“... So why? ”

Shino frowned at the sudden question. Kirito moved his mouth again with a blank face.

"Then why don't you go to school? Why not go to a school that you say is fun?

"Not only that, but why are you getting more and more tired?" Despite the fact that there are no more unpleasant things, the happy things continue. ”

“”

"And you're not even trying to fix it. It's getting more and more shabby, and it looks like you're going to die at this rate. ”

"It's okay, you're no longer dating me, you're starting to hate me."

Then Kirito's expression changed. It feels a little stronger.

"Why are you dying? You deserve the ending you want, so why are you so embarrassed? ”

"Leave me alone, it's none of your business anymore."

"I can't leave you alone. You're dying. ”

Shino listened to Kirito's series of words and noticed that something was swelling in her chest. I haven't been able to figure out what it is, but every time I hear Kirito's voice or talk to Kirito, it gets bigger.

"You don't care about me anymore, our relationship is over, we're separated, so don't come again, don't talk to me anymore."

"Shino"

At the moment when Shino was called, the lump on Shiina's chest suddenly grew larger, becoming like a full bag, and finally burst. Sensing this, Shino opened her mouth and screamed.

\"Let go of me!!" Stop talking! Don't talk to me! Get out of my sight! Don't let me see your face! Cai!!! \"

Immediately after, Shino suddenly felt like she was pressed against the wall and closed her eyes. The next time I changed my eyes, my back was against the wall, Kirito's face was in front of me, and my hands were pressed against the wall by Kirito's hands. He was confused by the suddenness of the event and was about to yell at Kirito in front of him, but Kirito spoke first.

\"Shut up!! Shinai!! \"

“！”

Kirito's angry voice rang in his ears, and Shino was startled and stopped moving. His voice was too loud, and he was ready to come up again, but this time Kirito's mouth moved slightly.

"Do you think I don't understand anything? Do you think I don't understand anything? ”

“”

"Indeed, I used to be like that. I don't know anything about you, but I feel like I know you well and have spent time with you. But now I understand everything. How are you feeling right now and why? "Are you all like this, everything."

As soon as the words fell, Kirito lowered his head and held Shino's hand. Shino just stared at the situation in front of her and didn't say anything to Kirito. Perhaps sensing this, Kirito lowered his head and spoke slowly again.

"You have a habit that you have to endure and when you are faced with something that you have to endure, you have a habit of lying to yourself and telling yourself to keep going. Since then, it's been like this. It's been a habit I've always had. "I've worn it since I was oppressed. Now you're using it again.

"I don't have this habit, please don't have strange delusions!"

\"I'm not going to let you say you've forgotten, Shino. Even after you left me, I still have memories of you. \"

“！！”

Hearing Kirito's powerful voice, Shino closed her mouth again, and after listening to her words, her face became surprised. Kirito continued to babble nonsense.

"And this, my memories of you, are eroding me day by day. Hearing this, you think it's your fault, and I'm dying because of your memory. With that in mind, you chose to leave me. In order to protect me from letting me die. ”

"That's nonsense. This is your selfish assumption. ”

\"The people who taught me this were Asuna and Jupiter. Jupiter is a child with the ability to heal people's minds, just like Liran and Yui. You should be familiar with it. Jupiter is making you a diagnostic. \"

“”

Then Shino / Shino did some kind of thinking. It is likely that Asuna met with her and, after confirming her condition, sought advice from Jupiter. Then Jupiter told Kirito about his conclusions, which must have been what Kirito said.

"Although you were supposed to live with me after the breakup, that's why you broke up. You don't want the situation you are in. I told myself that the reality was good right now. ”

"Deceitful, deceitful! How can you say such things without hesitation! ”

"Everybody understands!! Because I have memories about you!! ”

Then Shino was taken aback again. At this moment, Kirito finally raised his head and matched Shino's blue eyes with his own black eyes.

"And, if you continue to live like this, you're going to be exhausted. I don't want that to happen, that's why I'm talking to you. You want to do something to me, I know you're trying not to let me die, but if you die because of it, you're dead!! ”

“！！”

"If you died, I wouldn't be Yui's one who would grieve. This is true for everyone.

Yui will suddenly become a child who has lost her mother, Alice-san will have the patients she treats die, and Asuna, Liz, Sirika, Lifa, Filia, Streya, and Lilan will suddenly become important. You will lose a friend, and the loss of your memory will stay with you for the rest of your life. I've told you about it before. Do you want to make everyone sad? ”

"This is"

Kirito was speechless for a moment, and he lowered his head again and made a faint sound. However, no matter how much Kirito lowered his voice, Shino still had such a voice in his ears.

"I did tell you not to hide anything, but I did hide something. I've been betraying you. No, but there are some things I haven't told you yet. So let me tell you now. ”

“”

Kirito / Kazuto raised his head again. The black eyes have not changed since just now, but there is a warm and beautiful light floating in the eyes. The light that only shines when you tell the truth is now shining in the eyes of you.

\"I'm Shino. It's true that sometimes I feel uncomfortable because I have memories of you. I couldn't tell which one was my memory, I felt lost, I was scared. When your trauma manifests itself, it becomes painful. Sometimes I fear that this will last forever.

"But I'm happy at the same time."

"Happy?"

"When I think of your memories, the pain I feel is all the pain and suffering you have suffered in the past. Because I understand your pain and suffering, I feel closer to you than anyone else.

“”

The corners of Kazuto's mouth rose slightly, and a smile appeared on his face, perhaps because he felt refreshed because he could say what he wanted to say, or because he was happy to be able to convey what he wanted to say. Shino was still staring at the smile and couldn't speak, but Kazuto continued.

\"So, Shino. I don't regret what happened. On the contrary, I feel that you are closer than anyone else, so I love you more than anyone else. \"

Can do I understand your pain and suffering, so I can support you. So I'm glad it happened. ”

“”

\"You want to protect me, so you're trying to leave me. So I want to borrow your power, Shino.

"Because you are by my side and support me, I can overcome any difficulties." So I believe that with your strength, I will be able to overcome this pain. ”

Poetry is no longer concerned with the movement of people, but listens attentively to the words of people.

"I guess I'm just saying something convenient. I understand that you ignore your feelings. But Shino, I want to overcome the current difficulties with you. I want to protect you. I can't throw away your stuff. "I want to support you, I don't want you to die, I want to love your feelings.

And the man bowed his head. No matter how many times she has seen her movements, Shino doesn't care.

"I'm really sorry for keeping it a secret. It's my fault.

"From now on, I will say anything to you." I can't carry anything on my own. Whether it's pain or sadness, I will tell Shino without restraint, and whether I am happy or happy, I will tell Shino everything. I spend more time with you. Stay with me forever and think about how I can be happy with you. I want to continue to do so. It's been there for decades. I want to live by your side, share joy with you, and be happy together. That's why it's here"

Kazuto raised his head, reflected Shino's face in the eyes that flickered with truth, and said softly.

"Let me try again. Let me protect you. Once again, I want you to give me the power to be by your side. I still love you, Shina. \"

Hearing what can be called a confession of Kazuto, Shino's eyes widened and she made a faint sound. Although I had already defeated him, I didn't expect Kazuto to say such a thing - I thought so, and Kazuto lowered his head again.

"But that's my selfish request. Your feelings come first. ”

"If you hate me from the bottom of your heart, that's okay." For your sake, I will disappear from you. I really don't want to talk to you anymore. I will do something on my own to improve my memory and even transfer schools if you wish.

"In exchange, though, please don't let yourself break down and die." Don't die, go back to your old life, live and live and be happy. ”

After saying the last sentence, Kazuto took a deep breath, then lowered his head and exhaled slowly. After taking a deep breath, Kazuto raised his head and met Shino's gaze.