"Well, then, I'll say goodbye to you."

Inside Tokyo Station around 7:30 p.m

After finishing shopping and sightseeing, Kirito and the others left Odaiba and returned to Tokyo Station. After lunch in Odaiba, Kirito and the others left the mall and began sightseeing around Odaiba. Among them, I did a little shopping, but I didn't buy anything that could be used as luggage. So, since Shino bought clothes at the mall, the luggage that Kiritto is carrying has not changed.

After going through all sorts of things, Kirito left Odaiba around 5:40 p.m. and took the train back to Tokyo Station. Tokyo Station is located in the central area of Tokyo, and with so many facilities and shops that it's hard to believe it's a station, we decided to have dinner at a restaurant on the train to Tokyo Station.

When we arrived at our final destination, Tokyo Station, it was already six o'clock in the afternoon. Since it was dinner time, the four of them made their way through the crowd again, and it was expected that they would line up and rely on the map to make their way through a huge maze called Tokyo Station and finally enter the station. An expensive restaurant in an existing restaurant that is not a chain.

So, Kirito, Shino, and Kyoji decide to enter the place and propose to Alice. The three of us nodded to Alice's question about whether such a cheap restaurant was okay, and then the four of us hurried into the restaurant.

According to the previous information, the restaurant that the four of them entered was a place that only served dishes that were not very expensive, and there were only much simpler dishes on the menu compared to other high-end restaurants, but this was also one of them, and when the four of them ordered a dish and tried it, they were all surprised. All the dishes that came out were very tasty and I think they were really worth the money.

Not sure why it was so delicious and yet so cheap - the four of them enjoyed a very tasty dinner for the price and at the same time were amazed by the spices of the food.

After a while, the four of them left the restaurant, walked a little longer, and stopped temporarily in the square outside the ticket gate.

"Well, then, I'll say goodbye to you."

"Airi-sensei, thank you so much for today. Thank you for hosting me\"

Today, I rely on Alice for everything. The cost of lunch and dinner, the use of Odaiba amusement park, Shiina's clothes, and almost all the expenses were paid by Airi, and I was able to spend this day today. Today is indeed Alice's day to take care of me- with that in mind, Kirito bowed to Alice, who shook her head.

"Hey, I'm here to thank you guys. Thanks to you, I was able to turn my precious vacation into a fun day. You guys helped me today. ”

Airi is humble, but Kirito has one more thing to thank. It was an encounter with Kyoji. If I hadn't met Airi today, I wouldn't have met this Kyoji, I wouldn't have known who the owner of Spiegel's avatar is, and I wouldn't have formed a formal friendship with him. He. Today, Alice has added another friend. Just as I was about to say that, Kyoji spoke.

"I also want to thank you, Kirito and Asada-san. I'm so happy and glad to see you both today. ”

"Ahh I'm glad to meet you too. I don't know when we'll see each other next time, but well, we have ALo. ”

"yes, I don't know when we'll meet in real life next time, but let's play ALo next vacation!"

\"yes. Then I'll ask you again, Kyoji Spiegel. \"

\"It's Kirito Kirito! \"

After saying that, smiling slightly, Kirito noticed Shino's gaze. Shino, who was wearing the cat-eared hoodie that Alice bought for her, looked at Alice with a lonely expression. If you look out of sight, Alice has the same lonely expression on her face.

\"Teacher Alice\"

"Yes. While it may be a long time since we see each other again, now that we have ALo, we won't be separated forever. Although it is a VR world, we can still meet and chat. So, I don't feel so lonely. Shino, it's okay if you don't think so. \"

“”

"I'll come to see you again. Until then, I'll be at ALo. ”

"Yes"

Shino nodded at Alice's gentle voice. I'm sure they're discussing something when I'm not looking, and they're probably talking about something. From the conversation between Shino and Alice now, I can roughly grasp the content.

As Kirito pondered this, Alice looked at him and stopped him.

\"It's past seven o'clock today, Kirito-kun, please send Shino. No matter how long the days are, it's not a good idea to let the girls walk alone. \"

"I know, that's what I thought in the first place."

"I think so. Well, please take care of Shino. \"

When Kirito nodded, Alice nodded as well, but then she turned to Shino again and whispered, "See you later." Although the voice was much quieter than the noise of the surrounding guests, she still heard it clearly, and Shino nodded again with a blank face. Kirito watched the situation, and Kyoji stood next to Alice, who spoke again.

"Alright, the train is almost here, we're on our way, be careful, go home, ALo."

"Let's get over it together during next week's holidays."

Kirito waved the two of them around, and Airi and Kyoji walked to the platform behind the station, eventually blending in with the people passing by and watching them. There's nothing I can do. The two people who weren't supposed to be on today's itinerary disappear, and Kiritto and Shino go back to their original plans.

Kirito immediately realized what was going on and immediately turned to Shino next to him, but Shino still had a somewhat lonely expression on her face. Although Kirito hesitated because of the atmosphere and expression, he still shouted at Shino.

"Shino, let's go home. The tram is almost there. \"

“… Yes. ”

Hearing Shino whispering, Kirito also whispered "Let's go", and then walked towards the platform, where there was a train to the station where Shino lived. Of course, Shino was walking next to me at the time, but her expression was still dazed, so I wanted to hold her hand, but her hand was completely occupied by her luggage, and Shino basically couldn't do it because I didn't want something like this to happen in such a place.

Just as the two of us climbed the stairs to the platform in almost silence, the train came with a loud bang. Kirito and Shino boarded the train and blended in with the horde of passengers returning home, seated face to face in the open compartment seats. About five seconds later, the doors closed, and the train with many passengers shook a bit and began to move on to the next station.

After passing through the platform, you can look out the window and see the lights of the streets, buildings, and cars creating a night view unique to Tokyo. Although the daylight hours are much longer than in April or early May, by 7:30 a.m., all of Tokyo is engulfed in twilight. However, when the city is engulfed in darkness, almost the entire city is lit up with countless lights that continue until late at night.

A city where the light never goes out. That's why Tokyo is known as the city that never sleeps.

Kirito looked at the moving scene projected out the window, but he was more interested in Shino, so he glanced at her from the side. Shino wears a cat-eared hoodie, which is something that only young people, especially young girls, wear, but her expression shows that she is missing someone she cares about in the distance, and she is also sad. I felt something, something you wouldn't expect a girl in such clothes to feel.

Although Shino's face has changed a little since he broke up with Alice before, his face hasn't changed much. Although they were not trapped, their expressions did not change in any way. Normally, he can do it easily, but now Shino finds it difficult to even call him. But I can't help but say it, and after thinking about it again, Kirito still spoke hard.

"Shino"

Perhaps it was only when she heard the voice that she reacted, Shino turned to face Kirito with a slightly surprised expression on her face. Just after Kirito was relieved that Shino's face had finally moved, Shino opened her mouth.

\"W-What, Kirito? \"

"No, Shino's expression is always the same. I wonder if something is going on. \"

\"Ah, yes. I'll have to tell Kirito too. \"

Shino turned to face Kirito, and the expression on her face returned to her previous appearance. Ever since he first saw Shinoko's face, he felt that something must have happened, and his hunch was not wrong. While thinking so, Kirito straightened his back, and Shino I relayed the sentence again.

What happened between him and Airato, and the conversation he had when he left Kirita and Kyoji. Shino told me almost everything, and after the conversation had progressed to a certain extent, Kirito spoke up when Shino was silent.

\"Is that so? Teacher Alice, won't you see us in the future? \"

"Yes. The teacher said that the next job was the one he really wanted to do. So, we don't know when it's going to end, and we'll never see each other again except through Amusphere. \"”

"Is that so?"

However, I couldn't help but feel that Kirito knew what was going to happen. First of all, Alice's job is as an artificial intelligence researcher, and in this profession, she rarely has time to go shopping. Therefore, Alice naturally told Shino that they would not be able to see each other for a long time because of work, and it was a miracle that they were able to meet today.

Just when I thought about it but couldn't say it, Shino spoke again.

"But if you think about it, it does. Airi-sensei's job is to create artificial intelligence like Yui and Rilan. She was busy and couldn't meet us, which was natural. \"

"Shino"

"It's okay I'm not feeling lonely, but it doesn't bother me at all, and I can see you at ALo if I want to see you, so it's not a big deal. So don't worry, Kirito. I am fine. ”

Shino said with a shallow smile on her face. If Alice's words are true, we will definitely meet Alice in the world of ALo, and since it is Alice, she will most likely participate in next week's raid.

However, there is a warmth that only Alice has, which cannot be felt in the VR world.

Kirito also knows through Shino's memories that this is one of Shino's emotional pillars. A warmth that only Alice has and no one else has - because she can't get it for a while, she may feel lonely. Kirito was a little frustrated that she couldn't give her that kind of warmth.

However, there must be something he can do, and there must be something he has to do- Kirito shouted to Shino in a self-muttering voice.

"Shino"

"Yes?"

\"Can I go to Shino's house in the future?" I won't be there for long. \"

"Okay, but what's wrong?"

"I'd like to talk to you when we get there."

Hearing Kirito's answer, Shino tilted her head slightly. Kirito felt that this was a natural reaction, because suddenly someone said something like this. However, what Kirito wants to say is not something that can be told here like Shino's story just now, but something he just wants Shino to hear, so there are other guests around. I don't want to say it here. A place with a lot of people.

Shino wondered if Kirito was aware of her feelings, but then Shino said as if she remembered something, "Me too." I have something I want to talk to you about. As expected, Kirito was slightly surprised on the spot, but he didn't expect even Shino to think so, but at the same time, he felt that it was very appropriate, and nodded to Shino.

On top of that, Kirito is happy for some reason, as he discovers that Shino has the same idea.

About ten minutes later, the train they took arrived at the station closer to Shino's apartment, and Kiritto Shino got off like the other passengers, went through the ticket gate to the station, and left.

The area around the station is relatively close to the schools where Shinokito, Asukina, and Rika attended, as well as the apartment buildings where SAo survivors live, and although it is not as bad as around Tokyo Station, it has been quite affected. Street lamps and building lights. It was so bright that I could clearly see what had fallen on the road.

If you're near an unmanned station in the countryside, it's much darker, but that's not the case here, not far from central Tokyo.

Still, it was dark, and if I took a little away from the light, I knew that I would immediately fall into darkness and I felt like I was in a situation where only girls could walk alone. , it is not. In any case, this is how he should send Shino to the end. Kirito looked around and understood this, and while telling Shino to try not to leave, he walked towards the bus stop he frequented.

Just as I was about to check the bus's arrival time, a bus approached the bus stop amid countless cars and finally stopped. Knowing that the destination is near the apartment where the SAo survivors live, Kirito boards the bus with Shino and sits in the seat next to them. Immediately afterward, the doors closed and an announcement sounded, and the bus began to move to the next bus stop.

（... ）

Kirito put his luggage on his lap while listening to the familiar sound of the bus running. As far as the eye can see, there are hardly any passengers in sight, and the interior of the car can be described as empty.

However, despite the fact that it is now possible to travel to their destinations with empty seats, many passengers to school or work board the train at the same time on weekday mornings, and the train is packed with people. The shortness of breath and pressure at that time were unusual, and Kirito was already tired before class, so Kirito deliberately walked to school.

However, there are also problems with walking as a means of transportation. There is still some distance from the station to the school, and it takes a while to walk. When the weather is bad, my uniform gets wet and sometimes I feel like I'm going to be late. I think it's better to walk because it's more troublesome to take the bus, but it's still time-consuming and tiring.

It would be a shame if I didn't think of anything else this year. Just as he was looking down, Kirito suddenly felt a heavy and warm left shoulder. I feel that way too. When I looked back and wondered what had happened, Shino's head was there.

"Shino?"

Even if you call it, it doesn't respond. When I listened closely, I could hear the sound of breathing as if I was asleep mixed with the sound of the bus moving. Shino seems to have fallen asleep while sitting, and it seems that she has finally entrusted her weight to herself.

"No wonder." Today, Shino walked many times throughout the day, went to places that she didn't often visit, and enjoyed all kinds of things. It's not like this when I take the train, but I guess I'm too tired to fall asleep.

"Shino"

Shino fell asleep and didn't react to being called. I did love to see her sleeping face, but no matter how much I turned my head, I couldn't see her side, and if I accidentally moved, she would probably wake me up. Kirito reluctantly chose to do so, but at the same time he moved his movable right hand and turned his gaze to the silver bracelet on his wrist.

Shiina's constant inability to shop, dress up, or have fun as a girl. Shino sleeps next to me like this, which means that Shina, who can't enjoy anything, is enjoying herself, playing, playing, playing,

Although Shino is not normal, she has learned to enjoy things like a normal girl.

"That's good, Shino. \"

Kirito smiled at Shino, who was lying down, took a nap and let her sleep for a few minutes until the bus reached its destination.

I had the pleasure of having a fun day with Airi and Kyoji. Kirito and Shino are now in a room in the apartment where Shino lives, and they have an endless amount of pleasure, and even the two, who are used to predicting various things and taking action, could not have predicted that they would return.

On the bus back, Shino dozed off by Kirito, and Kirito tried his best to ignore her, but I couldn't let him sleep when they arrived at their destination, so I woke him up. One minute before the bus arrives at its destination.

Shino was in a daze when she first woke up, but when she realized that she had fallen asleep and had been leaning on Kirito for a long time, her face turned red and Kirito couldn't help but laugh.

After the two of them couldn't communicate together, Kirito walked with Shino with all his belongings, and soon arrived at the apartment where the SAo survivor students lived.

Finally, I came to Shino's room, which was a place I was quite familiar with.

So Kirito followed Shino's instructions and put his luggage in the room, but almost at the same time, he told Shino that he had something to say when he arrived at the apartment, and Shino said the same thing to him. You asked me to talk to you, and I decided to listen to Shino first.

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

"Huh?"

"Look, what you said on the train. You say you have something to say. What is it about? ”

\"Ah, that's right. Kirito wasn't the first to say it, though. Kirito, please tell me. \"

"No need, you can get me later, I'll ask you first."

Shiina: "Huh? After that, she slowly sat down and sat flat on the floor. At the same time, Kirito also sat cross-legged, and Shino said with his mouth.

\"Kirito, uh, I'm sorry for today's incident. \"

"Uh, why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong. ”

"Today is my date with you. I was going to spend it only with you. However, I met Airi-sensei on the way, I made an impossible request to you, and decided to spend the day with Airi-sensei and them. Damn it. Actually, today is the day I spent time with you, but I ruined it. ”

Could it be that something is broken? It's true that today I was going to go on a date with Shino and spend some time alone with Shiina, but my plans changed completely, and I ended up spending the day with Airi and Kyoji. From then on, as Shino said, their dating plans completely collapsed, and they weren't even dating anymore.

However, when Alice and Kyoji meet, if Shino doesn't say that she wants to be with Alice and them, if she doesn't learn that Kyoji is Spiegel, then she can't really do it. And Kyoji became friends. Shino couldn't have done that, and he wouldn't have been able to dress up if he hadn't heard from Alice.

Full of unexpected events, the date was ruined and it was true, but Kirito never thought that the date would be interrupted, instead, he was just glad that things turned out this way.

Kirito smiled and summed up the thoughts in his mind.

"It's not a mess. In fact, I'm glad it turned out like this. ”

"Huh? Is that so?"

\"Ahh After you broke up with Airi-sensei, I became friends with Kyoji. The person who made all this happen is Shino. Well, I can't be with you anymore. I'm lying if I say it. Didn't disappoint me and I had a great time today. So you don't have to feel that way. \"

“... But "

So Kirito walked forward, stopped in front of Shino, and placed his right hand on Shino's apologetic head. Seeing Shino suddenly stunned, I continued.

"Shino spent precious time with Alice-sensei today, and she even bought me such cute clothes. So today I have to be happy. \"

"Kirito"

"Next time we're going on a date, I can go out with you if you want, so you can always tell me."

Shino looked at Kirito, who was smiling easily, in amazement, but then a familiar smile appeared on her face, and her cheeks turned pink.

"Thank you, Kirito. This time, I'll be alone with you. So, can you wait for me? \"

"I'll do the same, and besides, I'll probably ask you out next time, so you might have to wait."

"Really? Well, let's wait. ”

"Please wait a moment, Your Highness the Princess."

"I'm counting on you."

After saying that, Shino put her forehead on Kirito's forehead and rubbed it quietly and gently. Since SAo, there has only been physical contact between the two of us, and a unique expression of affection that only Shino has. Kirito, who received the letter from his beloved Shiina, listened to Shino's breathing, inhaled the soft, warm, and loving fragrance that only Shino has, and gently rubbed Shino's forehead with his forehead.

A girl who once closed her heart, but sought the warmth of the world and longed for family affection. Shino did this until she was satisfied, then gently released her forehead, and Kirito slowly returned to her original position in the same way, but Shino's expression immediately looked like she had just remembered something.

"Ah, by the way, I have something else to ask you."

\"Well, what's wrong, Shino? \"

"Kirito, what happened to you at that time?"

Shino's face slowly changed from a girlish cute smile to the serious expression of an adult woman who was about to say something important. At the same time, the flush on Shiina's cheeks disappeared. But even so, this is a relatively familiar expression, so for Kirito, it is not surprising.

"At that time? When was that time? ”

"Yes.

“！！”

Kirito felt a glittering illusion in his body, and at the same time, the scene Shino had said flashed through his mind. When the colors that make and disappear in my mind disappear and become completely white, the screen appears and starts playing color images.

At that time, I was not trapped in this world, but in that world, a world of death games called Sword Art Online. This is a video about Kirito/Kirito who fights and upgrades every day as a solo player, and the people he meets one day.

You can never forget that you are not allowed to forget your own sins.

Shiina's question made Kirito's clear memory of this, and he sighed deeply and did not answer Shiina's question for the time being.

Perhaps because of the sight of Kirito, who always gave some kind of answer instead of saying anything, Shino's expression changed, just like the change a girl her age would see when she saw something that made her want to worry.

"Is it true?