After leaving the seaside park far from the city center, Kirita and Shino ate lunch in the service area along the way, then drove around the streets of Tokyo and entered a shopping mall, basically spending it irregularly.

While they were spending it like this, it was already 4:40 p.m., and Kirito instructed them to go to their destination, and Shino agreed. I rode on the motorcycle driven by Kirito and continued to run with Kirito in my arms, and the motorcycle returned to the city center, crossing Chuo Avenue and Showa Avenue in Ginza, and then through the redevelopment zone on the east side. Akihabara Station. went.

As you pass through the tree-like buildings in the forest, you will immediately enter the nostalgic downtown area of Okachimachi and continue through the narrow alleys. The bike stopped in front. A store.

Shino seemed to respond to Kirito's voice: "I'm here!" He got out of his seat, took off his helmet, and raised his head, much to Shina's slight surprise.

“！？”

The shop in front of you is built with shiny black wood and has a rustic feel. Above the door is a metal plate with a pattern of two dice put together, and below it is a "dIcEY", a very familiar building. The words "cAFE" are printed on it.

Yes, it's a coffee shop run by their friend Egil and his wife, who they use as a venue when they host a real-world party that celebrates SAo's survival. And, for some reason, it was written on the door, "Make a private appointment today!" ". There is also a panel with large letters written on it.

Shino had been wondering where Kirito was going, but she didn't expect him to be here, so she immediately turned to Kirito.

\"Kirito, this is Egil's shop\"

"Yes, I want you to come here."

Kirito said as he pulled out the key from his bicycle and walked over to Shino while looking at the display of his smartphone. I looked from the side and saw that the monitor was showing a clock telling me it was 5:30 p.m. Usually she is busy preparing dinner, but I don't know what she plans to do when she comes here at this time.

"Here's what you want to show me."

"yes, it's the right time, let's hurry in."

In response, Shino shrugged her feet. Of course, the person in this coffee shop was Egil, who also saw his seizures at the time. I don't know what kind of expression I should make when I meet Egil who sees me like me. No, I'm not the kind of person I'm supposed to meet with Egil.

"Shino, let's go. I'll be with you. \"

Kirito whispered in the ear of the confused Shino, and then opened the door of the coffee shop. When Shino hears Karalan's voice, she realizes that there is no turning back, no matter what, Kirito will be by her side, she takes a deep breath and walks into the store with Kirito.

"Oh!"

"He's coming!"

"You're finally here!"

As soon as he entered the door, he heard the voice and the scene in front of him, leaving Shino completely speechless. More than a dozen people gathered in the store where Egil was supposed to be located, and they shouted to greet him.

And, if you look closely, you'll see people who were friends up until yesterday, such as Asuna, Rika, Keiko, Naoba, and Kotone. No, it's not just these girls, but Klein, Agil, Diabel, Kaim/umim, Spiegel/Kyoji, who were friends until yesterday despite their real-world appearances.

Everyone showed expressions of expectation, and cast warm eyes on Shino.

"Uh, everyone?"

As I looked towards the coffee shop in a daze, a girl with shoulder-length curly hair hurriedly ran towards Shino.

"I've been waiting for you two, and you're here on time."

"Ah, I'll be here on time, everyone's here, right?"

"Of course. I mean, you're the last one to fill out the list. ”

With that, Rika handed Kirito a sticky note paper and a ballpoint pen. If you take a peek, you'll see the names of all your friends you're playing in the VR world, including Asuna, Lizbet, Lifa, Sirika, Filia, and Lilan, along with the tick to the right of their names. Among them, the names Kirito and Shino also exist, and on the left side of Shino himself, there is also an asterisk mark.

As I tilted my head to think about what this meant, Kirito drew a tick next to Kirito Shiina's name with a ballpoint pen and handed the memo to Rika.

"Okay, now that we're all here, we can get started, right?"

"Oh, of course!"

Although he didn't know the name, Kirito recognized Diabel for a hairstyle that was almost identical to the one in the VR world, and Kirito nodded happily as he listened to the man's voice.

What exactly are you going to start with, and what are you going to start with? Shino couldn't read it at all, her mind was full of question marks, and she suddenly felt someone grab her arm, and she turned her head in surprise.

The person in front of her was Rika, and she looked happy. Before she knew it, Shino's arm was grabbed by Rika's hands.

"Shino, please come here. \"

“？”

Shino was pulled tightly by the pear blossom and was almost forced to stand somewhere. It was on a box-like platform where I could see the whole café and everyone gathered there. Just as I was about to make an announcement, Rika grabbed the microphone in one hand and spoke.

"Alright, guys, now that the protagonist has appeared, I want to take a breath. The virtue of sincerity! ”

Hearing Rika's shout, everyone around them took a deep breath and started singing at the same time.

"Happy Birthday to You"

"Happy Birthday to You"

"Happy Birthday, Dear Xinong"

"Happy Birthday to You"

The singing of everyone in unison echoed throughout the café and remained firmly in Shiina's ears from beginning to end. Songs commonly known as birthday songs are sung to celebrate someone's birthday. And the name of the person who entered the birthday was myself.

Just as I looked at everyone, not knowing what was going on, everyone said in unison.

"Shino, happy birthday!!"

The sound of firecrackers rang out, the sound was deafening, and the entire coffee shop shook, and a banner hung on the wall in the distance in front of Shino. It reads "Happy Birthday!!!" ”。 At the same time, everyone applauded loudly.

Shino was stunned by this sudden event and froze in place, but a few seconds later, Rika came back and helped her off the table. Soon, the girls, who had been friends until yesterday, began to gather one after another, completely surrounding Shino.

"Guys, uh, what's this?"

"Hmph, you reacted like this without knowing anything, which means that Kiritto was able to bring Shino here safely without Shino noticing. It must be difficult. \"

"Well, I guess it's because everyone decided to take this circuitous path."

"Well, it turned out to be a success, so that's great."

As I listened to the conversation in the order of Rika, Kirito, and Koto, I suddenly heard a voice calling my name. When I turned my head, I saw a girl with straight, almost chestnut-brown hair that had grown to the middle of her back. That's my best friend, Asuna.

"Asuna"

"I'm sorry, Shino. I stayed without telling Shiina, and I needed to talk to her. \"

Shino tilted her head, noticing a hint of hesitation on Asuna's lips. When I looked closely, the people around me had the same expressions as Asuna, as if they were hesitating to say something. However, after a few seconds, the silence was broken by Asuna herself.

"Actually, Shino. After Shino quit yesterday, Ms. Alice asked me everything. Why did Shino become like this yesterday? What happened before she logged in? "He told me everything that happened in the past.

\"Huh!? \"

"No, of course, I asked her to hide all the details, but she told me everything that happened to Shino and how she had always felt. That's it. Shino I'm sorry! ”

"""""I'm sorry!" ””””

Asuna suddenly lowered her head and apologized, and the people around her also lowered their heads to apologize. I didn't understand what was going on, so I blinked a few times and Rika looked up and called me.

"Mr. Alice told me that you have been bullied by the people around you for a long time, your relationship is terrible, and you have lost trust in others, so you have been lonely for a long time."

That's why it hurts to think about that time yesterday. He couldn't trust us anymore and it felt like he was left alone again, which must have been painful. ”

“！”

"But we can't do anything for you, we can't support you when you need help, we can't understand your feelings and heal you, all I can do is make him suffer. \"

I'm sorry, Shino. Even though we've been together for so long, we don't understand anything, we can't see anything."

With Rika who looked like she was about to cry and confessed her feelings, Keiko spoke this time.

"So, we were all wondering if we could do something for Miss Shino. We wanted to know if there was anything we could do to help Miss Shino recover and support her"

Then Futeka learned from Kirito that August 21 was Shino's birthday. \"

Kotone's words surprised Shino. A lot has happened and I've not felt well since yesterday, so I forgot that August 21st was my birthday.

I had taught Kirito, Yui and Leland early on, and of course Alice, but now that I think about it, I didn't teach anyone else at all. What's more, Shino also forgot her birthday.

Nijika, a girl with bright silver hair, who is said to have learned it from Kirito, scratched her head.

"I was really surprised. The next day was Shino's birthday. ”

However, Teacher Alice and Big Brother added. They said that Shino-san had been having a hard time and had never celebrated her birthday. She's never had a happy moment. Here's why. We thought it was Yuichi's choice, so we decided to celebrate Sinai-san's birthday. ”

At this time, Egil, the owner of this shop a little far away from Shino, opened his mouth with a little tiredness on his face.

"It's the next day, after all. It was a crazy time. We're preparing the food, we're preparing the cakes, we're setting up the venue, everything is going so fast. ”

"It's like the night before a sports festival or a school festival. But we made it all together and arrived in time. ”

Looking at Klein, who lined up next to Akyl and looked exactly like in the VR world, Shino realized how much effort the others had put into preparing for the party. Immediately after, a short boy with long dark brown hair walked up to me. Kirito's best friend, Kai Mu Tianhai.

There was a hemispherical machine with a camera-like thing hanging from my shoulder, and I was paying attention to it, wondering what was going on, when I heard a voice coming from nowhere.

\"Shino! Can you hear me, Shino? Shino! \"

“！？”

\"Ah, Shino-san, it's not me, it's this machine on your shoulder. \"

Umimu's own voice was different from what I had heard before. Just as I was paying attention to the machine he was pointing at and wondering what was going on, I heard another voice.

\"Shino, it's me, Ariki momenki! \"

“momenki！？ Are you there? ”

"I'm here, or rather, I'm connected to my vision through this machine. My body couldn't be removed from the hospital yet, so it became like this. I'm sorry."

Having said that, in order to fulfill Hai's wish to let Mokizaki see the outside world when he couldn't be discharged from the hospital, Kirito and his classmates made a machine called an audiovisual two-way communication probe. I heard from Kirito that he made it and gave it to the sea. On his shoulders is a device called a detector, which is probably what makes Mogina's voice and vision fly.

\"It's not just momenki, Shino\"

\"Hey Shino, I can hear you!? \"

"Mom, can you hear me? \"

\"Sister Shina, do you understand what we mean? \"

Following in the footsteps of Mokinaki, Shino looked around and heard one familiar voice after another. As I traced the source, I managed to find a laptop among the people who came to me unknowingly. However, when he takes a closer look at the laptop, he discovers that it is the laptop that Kirito used when he was out and about, and he can also see Kirito sitting next to Kyoji.

"The voices Lilan, Yui, Streya, and Jupiter?"

"That's it. It is worthy of poetry, and everyone's voice can be understood.

After Leland's admiring voice, the energetic voice of Strea and the calm voice of Yui, which I knew so well, sounded.

\"Listen, Shino! Surprisingly, Yui and I can now enter the surveillance cameras and get real-world visual information! \"

"Now, just like my sister and brother, Strea and I observe my mom from three sources: the camera in this store, the camera on my dad's computer, and the probe that moki-san also uses."

According to the stories I've heard before, Lilan and Jupiter can get visual information through cameras that infiltrate the city, but Yui and Strea of the mhcp (a minor facelift of MHHP) to which Lilan and Jupiter belong are unable to do so. In the real world, you can only make phone calls.

Kyoji wondered how this story had been overturned, and smiled wryly.

"Teacher Airi stayed up all night to transform the two of us. Thanks to you, Airi-sensei slept on the couch over there. ”

As if invited by Kyoji, I looked up and saw a black-haired woman in a white coat lying on a chaise longue at the back of the store, looking exhausted. This person is none other than Alice, the psychiatrist who has been taking care of her and the developer of Riran and Yui.

"Teacher Alice is here too"

"I've been giving you two a makeover from last night until this morning, and it's one o'clock in the afternoon when you get here, and you've been asleep ever since, and I've tried to wake you up, but you still won't wake you up." Woke up. Hands"

Looking at Alice and the wry-smiling Kyoji, Shino felt a tap on her shoulder, and then turned around. My loved one and Kirito, who had been with me all day, looked at me with a gentle smile on their faces.

"We've been worried about you since you went offline yesterday, so that's why we're pulling together to cheer you on."

“！”

"And, Shino. You just said that you should stay with me, but that's wrong. That's not true. \"

“？”

As soon as he gave the answer, Kirito forced Shino to face him. There, waiting for Shino was Asuna, who carefully held a small rectangular white box decorated with a red ribbon.

"Shino is true, Shino has experienced a lot of bad things. She felt lonely. Because of this, she may no longer trust others. That time stayed in her heart. Maybe it's natural that you still don't know. "Believe in us from the bottom of your heart."

“”

\"But, Shino. We all believe in Shino. We believe that Shino is an irreplaceable friend, and we will never betray Shino. That's all I can promise to Shino. \"

Asuna made contact with a powerful gaze, and Rika stood beside her again. His eyes were the same as Asuna's, as if they were conveying something important.

"Shino. I've heard that you've lost your place, and I've heard that you've suffered for a long time and have been forced to become strong on your own. But that's in the past. You have us now. We're here right here, and we're on your side no matter what.

You may not believe me right away, but by my side, by my side, that's where you belong! Well, it may not be as comfortable as Kirito and Yui together! ”

"Rika"

After Rika finished speaking, Keiko stood beside her, opened her mouth, and showed a warm smile.

"I also want to be friends with Shino-san forever, and I can be your home. Shino-san, let's continue to play together and go shopping together! ”

"Keiko and I feel the same. Shino is no longer alone, and from now on, she will always be with us! ”

"Keiko Kotone"

Beside Kotone, who was smiling like Keiko, Naoba, who could be said to be Shino's closest person, smiled and spoke.

"It's not true yet, but for me, Miss Shino is already my sister-in-law. So, Miss Shino, I want you to treat me as family too. If you're worried or in any pain, feel it. "Tell me anything. I will do my best to help you! ”

"Sugha"

After Naoba finished speaking, Umim approached again with a probe on his shoulder. However, it was not Kaiki himself who spoke, but Motogi, who came here through a probe on his shoulder.

"Shiina, you may say that we shouldn't all be confused, but like Shina, I'm sometimes bullied by the people around me and left alone. So, sometimes I can't trust people, and it's painful. I also understand Shino's pain.

\"Does momenki have it too?" \"

"That's right. But poetry is not like that anymore, and I am not like that anymore. Shi Nai is no longer alone, everyone is here. Although I have never shown my body in the real world, it may not be convincing to say that, but I also consider Shino to be a good friend! When I can move my body in the real world, I'll go see Shino! \"

After Kitaki said that only Umi and Asuna had seen corpses in the real world so far, Nijka, a girl with shiny silver hair, stood next to Umi and lined up.

"Little Shino. I'm the kind of person who is called a liar, so you may not believe me, but I still think that Little Poetry is my friend. I want you to see us as friends. Happy birthday, Shino-chan! ”

"Rainbow Rack"

Shiina, who had begun to look at her with obscene eyes at one point, instinctively put her hands on her chest after receiving Nikika's congratulations, but soon after, she heard a clear message from the laptop that Kyoji was holding. has been heard.

"Shino. You'll never be alone again. Asuna and the others are there, Yui is there, Strea is there, Kirito is there, and I am there. So you don't have to be afraid of loneliness anymore. You're surrounded by people who don't want you to be alone.

This is Riran's voice, which is transmitted to me not only in the VR world, but even in the real world, through my smartphone, and the tone and way of speaking are gentle. The girls' voices kept ringing as Lilan swallowed those simple words that would only be uttered when expressing her innermost thoughts.

"Mom. You are my mom's place is my place, and I am her place. So, I will continue to stay with your mother and hope that you are getting closer and closer to me.

\"I'm also Shino's family! \"So he's always on Shino's side, and even if Shino wants to leave, he'll follow him! \"

"Sister Shino, it's okay now. Sister Shino has everyone, as well as her mother. So you don't have to be scared anymore

Although they are not related by blood, as soon as their beloved daughter Yui and sister Strea finish speaking, Asuna, who is the first to speak, approaches them. In his hand, he held the box he had been looking at just now.

"Yes, Shino, it's a gift. Are you going to open it? \"

I received a decorative box from Asuna that looked like a birthday present, and I opened the top of the box. When I nervously unwrapped the top lid like opening a surprise box, I was surprised to find that it was made of crystal, wrapped in silver decorations that shimmered in various colors in the light. The prism is processed into an oval shape.

When I picked it up, it emitted a variety of colors, as if I had been waiting for this moment and realized that it was a pendant hanging from a thin chain.

"Is this a pendant?"

"By the way, it's a prismatic pendant, and when you shine light on it, it turns into a variety of colors, it's beautiful, isn't it? Also, don't you think prism light resembles something? ”

As soon as Asuna asked, Shino stared intently at the gifts sent by Asuna and the others. Prisms are engraved with intricate geometric patterns that absorb light and refract inside, flashing in a variety of colors. As Asuna says, there is a sense of déjà vu to the colors it presents. I'm sure I've seen it somewhere, but where and what is it?

（...!! ）

That's right, everyone. The colors produced by the prism such as red, pink, orange, gold, blue, light blue, green, and purple are exactly the same as the colors of each person's hair and clothes when they log in to the VR world. With this in mind, I was able to imagine what each person would look like using the colors produced by the small prisms.

Asuna probably realized that Shino had found the answer, so she called out to her again.

"It shines in all sorts of colors, just like us, doesn't it? That's it, Shino. \"

“？”

Shiina's hand was still holding the pendant, but Asuna gently wrapped it in her own. The warmth, which is different from Kirito, spreads in his arms, and his whole body gradually becomes warm.

"Shiinano has been through a lot of bad things, so thinking back on those times may give you some painful feelings. But when this happens, and the pain becomes so painful that you can't do anything about it, use this pendant. I hope you remember through this pendant and I want you to remember that we are here. ”

In this way, Asuna and Shino looked at each other. Shiina, from a distance, saw her face reflected in Asuna's brown eyes.

"From now on, Shino will always have a place to stay, and she will have friends like us. So the poetry will no longer be alone. We won't leave her alone. ”

As if listening to Asuna's words, the people around them nodded and laughed softly. Just as I was about to pay full attention to the smile, Rika came up to Asuna and said to me with a smile on her face.

"You're not alone anymore. If you think you can go back to the lonely days, you're wrong! ”

As Rika's words entered my ears, passed through my throat, and into my chest, a drop of warm, pure white water fell into my heart and spread in the blink of an eye. The nightmare that had remained in my mind yesterday—the image of everyone's cold faces, the black, muddy curses I had at myself—instantly turned into a black figure, rattling, crumbling and vanishing. It's about being born.

My friends, who had doubted me, believed me very much.

I was able to meet such wonderful friends and live with them.

It's not just Kirito and Yui who belong to me. In addition to Kazuto and Yui, I have other friends who make me feel at home.

Some people have given me a lot of warmth and have always been there for me.

From now on, I will live on these people.

I'm not alone anymore.

There's no need to be alone anymore.

As these words echoed in my head and heart, my vision became rainbow-colored, distorted, and blurred. It took me a while to realize that it was warm droplets of water that kept flowing from the corners of my eyes.

Even though I wanted to speak, I just sobbed and couldn't say anything. When I felt exhausted and just sat down, my friends sat down and snuggled up to me. And Asuna, who was right in front of me, gently put her hand on my shoulder.

"Shino"

\"Tomorrow Pear Blossom everyone I me\"

"Shino. We have always been a friend of Shina, and Shino is our irreplaceable friend. Forever, forever. ”

Hearing the words whispered from her mouth, the tears that flowed from Shiina's eyes grew larger, and she couldn't help but hug Asuna's chest. Immediately after, Shino was hugged by Asuna's hands and cried loudly.

Normally, she would only do this in Kirito's arms without anyone present, but Shino cried out loud without hesitation.

However, after a few seconds,

\"Shino is crying!? Shino, what's wrong?! \"

Suddenly a loud voice sounded in the coffee shop, and everyone was stunned at once, and Shino stopped crying. I looked over with everyone to see what was going on, but I saw a man lying on his back on the couch with his upper body up, his black and shiny hair unkempt, and his clothes looking a little like a lab coat. A woman with big breasts, dressed in messy clothes.

Shino found out that Shiina's personal doctor, Alice, was here, but she slept for a long time and was in a state like she didn't exist, and when she woke up, she let out a roaring sound, and that was the reason, and everyone including him was shocked.

\"That I just heard Shino crying, that is, before I knew it, the number of people increased. What happened? \"

Alice didn't seem to know what was going on and began to look around. The people around them could only watch the scene blankly, but eventually they realized how funny Alice was and burst out laughing. Alice, who was suddenly ridiculed, said to everyone with a confused expression.

"Hey, what are you laughing at? Does my face look so strange? ”

\"I didn't say that, but Airi Sensei is the best. \"

Alice was even more confused by Kirito's laughter.

The laughter of more than a dozen of Shiina's friends filled the room of the coffee shop, and soon the laughter was enough to shake the entire building, and before they knew it, Shino joined them and laughed out loud. The tears of joy that had been seeping into Asuna's heart just now had turned into tears of laughter and joy.

Then, as the laughter ended, the girls who had been bent over stood up, and Rika, who could be said to be the first, said loudly.

\"So, as soon as Alice-sensei got up, Shino's birthday party began!! \"

As soon as this voice sounded, it was like a boss before the battle, and all the companions let out "Oh! A response. Hearing this, Asuna immediately turned around and gently stretched out her right hand to Shino again, with a smile on her face.

\"Come on, Shino, let's eat and drink more and have fun today! \"

Hearing Asuna's words, Shino almost cried again, but this time, she held back. This is a gift from everyone, proving that everyone is always there for her. When I took a certain pendant out of the box, removed the chain, and hung it around my neck

\"Yes! Thank you so much for today!! \"

With that, I took the right hand of my most trusted best friend and walked towards my irreplaceable friend.

By that time, words like 'You will be alone forever' had disappeared from Shiina's mind. "What about my birthday present?"

"Well, I don't have a lot of money right now, and it might be better for all of us to scrape together to buy a big thing."

"What should I do with my birthday cake?"

"It's handmade, after all. But I don't know if I'll be able to finish it in time. ”

"As long as we work together, we will be able to get there in time. After all, we've all worked together to defeat the Fugitive! ”

"You can use my shop, you can rent it out tomorrow, and start preparing today."

Now, at the ALo Egil Cafe, which is frequented by everyone, the girls in the center are bustling with people.

After learning that Shino was mentally traumatized and that she could heal her wounds with her own hands, everyone wondered if they could do something about it, but Lilan, not Kirito, after hearing the news that Shiina's birthday was August 21st, everyone was united in purpose.

Shino has been alone for a long time, and no one has ever celebrated her birthday. They conclude that only by celebrating Shino's birthday together can they heal Shino's wounded heart, so they decide to throw a birthday party for Shina.

We all started preparing right away, but today is August 20th. When they knew that Shino's birthday was coming up tomorrow, everyone was happy and anxious, and began to arrange and prepare the venue, food, and the cake necessary for the birthday.

Just as Kirito interjected from time to time, he looked into the café while thinking, when his daughter Yui stopped him.

"Dad, we want to go to Mommy's birthday party too."

“？”

Hearing Yui's words, I tilted my head and turned around, and standing next to me was Yui's younger sister, Kirito's daughter Streya.

"Dad, dads are throwing mom's birthday party in the real world, aren't they?"

"Huh? Ah, yes. ”

The location of Shino's birthday party has been decided in the real world. In reality, there are Lilan, Jupiter, Yui, and Strea in ALo, and they can get together at any time and place as long as they log in, but the purpose of this birthday party is to heal Shino's emotional wounds together. So, the place where Shino was traumatized is the real world.

It is difficult to heal the emotional wounds suffered in the real world in the VR world, and in order to overcome those who hurt Shino's heart, Alice suggested that Shina's heart needs to be healed in the real world, so Egil in the real world I decided to celebrate my birthday at Daisy's Cafe.

And,Centered on the girls who are friends of Shino.,Discussing what to prepare at Daisy's Cafe.,And what to prepare for tomorrow.。

\"Hey Kirito. We also want to celebrate Shino's birthday. \"

"No, Yui and Strea can travel to the real world over the phone. \"

"No, I just wanted to celebrate my mom's birthday with everyone while looking at her face."

While Kirito tilts her head and listens to the wishes of the girls who seem to understand what it means but don't actually understand, the older sister of Hiran, Yui and Streya, now a member of the Kirito family, line up next to Yui.

Yui and Strea are asking if there's a way to connect their visual message to the real world.

"Relan" and "Jupiter" are AI called mhhp (mental health healing program) that were developed at the same time as the game SAo, which is known as the curse of the masses.

Its purpose is mainly to heal the human mind that connects to VR devices and logs into the VR world, but once the development is completed, the processing power that can be called a living being born from the world of computers and the Internet, as he has learned, grows under the hands of his creator, and he even becomes capable of hacking and cracking.

As a result, Akihiko Kayaba, the equivalent of their father's director, decided that the two MHHPs were too powerful to fulfill their original duties, and when the SAo service began, it was sealed.

By taking full advantage of the hacking power that this program that heals the human mind should not have, Lilan and Jupiter infiltrate real-world webcams, TV cameras, and computers with cameras that you can connect with your vision. information and view real-world scenarios.

As a result, Leland has seen the interior of Kirito's house in the real world, Jupiter has seen the interior of Asuna's house in the real world, and Ryland has seen Midori, Kirito's mother and grandmother. I'm looking at his face too.

"Of course, Lilan and Jupiter can see the real world."

"However, we still can't do things like my sister. We still can't connect visual information or infiltrate the webcam. ”

"Of course."

Just as he was about to answer Yui's words, a familiar voice came from behind him, and Kirito was taken aback by hearing it. When the girls and I were surprised by the voice, we turned our heads to see what it was, with black hair like Yui, big breasts like Streya, reddish-brown eyes like Lilan, and someone who looked like a white robe. Woman in traditional costume.

Alice, the developer of MHHP and MHCP, was present, as well as Lilan, Jupiter, Yui, and Strea.

"Mr. Alice"

"I heard it from Yui and Streya. Looks like you're in trouble. \"

"Yes, Alice Sand. We're in trouble. \"

"Then why didn't you tell me? I'm still your development mom. ”

Kirito's daughter, who is also Alice's daughter, Yui and Strea tell Alice about their worries. Alice listened intently, like a mother listening to the pleas of her daughters, who were related to her, and finally understood everything and gave an answer.

"Of course, Lilan and Yubibo can go to the real world in that way, or they can go to Shino's birthday party tomorrow. We just need to set up a speaker somewhere else and that's it. If it's Lilan, and Eubibo, we can celebrate Shiina's birthday while looking at her face. \"

"But we..."

"yes, you can't do that."

As she spoke, Alice made eye contact with her daughters.

The mhhp to which Lilan and Jupiter belong is already very developed, sealed and can no longer appear in SAo, but the procedure itself to heal the human spirit is indispensable for SAo. As the start of the SAo service approached, Alice hastily created a project called mhcp – the "Mental Health Counseling Project".

MHCP is a program developed on the basis of MHHP to treat the mental health of players through urgent counseling for players who are experiencing mental abnormalities or are under severe stress. Based on Akihiko Kayaba's judgment, there is no problem, and 10 characters such as Yui and Strea are realized in SAo.

However, in order to prevent MHCP from becoming too powerful like MHHP, it was developed to retain some of its ultra-advanced processing power, accidental evolution ability, and growth ability, and omit some functions, so it is still MHHP in essence. It has become something that can only be described as a small revision.

Compared with AI developed by general companies, universities, and vocational schools, it has an extraordinary level of evolutionary ability, growth ability, and processing power, but it is not as good as mhhp.

As a result, Yui and Strea, who are MHCPs, can only make phone calls to the real world, and of course they cannot connect visual information to the camera, nor can they penetrate through security vulnerabilities such as real-world surveillance cameras. In fact, the two were unable to make a video call because they were unable to connect their visual information to devices such as cameras, and they had never seen Kirito Shiina's face in the real world.

"However, I don't like this, my mother is my mother Yuichi, my daughter, can't attend my mother's birthday party, this is absolutely unacceptable!"

\"yes. Shino will definitely want your daughter to celebrate your birthday for you. \"

Kirito agrees with this. Although Yui was created and implemented by Alice as a developer, she is currently the daughter of Kirita and Shina, who also loves Yui like her own daughter. I'm just praying that Yui will have a way out into this world. If Shino is going to celebrate her birthday, she must want Yui to be there.

But what to do? How can I go to Shino's birthday party with everyone? \"

"How about Lilan and Jupiter being able to break through the security measures of Egil's store and enter, and Yui and Strea being able to infiltrate from the security hole opened by Lilan and Jupiter?"

Kirito's offer is rejected by Lilan. It's true that Lilan and Jupiter can use their hacking and cracking abilities to breach security without the security company or system noticing, but this vulnerability is only something that only the person who opened it can get through.

Yui and Strea couldn't get through that hole, and if they tried to force their way in, the system detected that about ten minutes after they tried to break in, the security guards of the nearest security company arrived at Egil's shop. There are too many people coming in, and Shino's birthday won't be too celebrated. Kirito listened to Alice's explanation behind Lilan, and his shoulders drooped.

"Impossible. And what about the growth and evolution of Yui and Streya? In the process of evolution, Lilan and Jupiter also have the ability to hack, right? ”

"I do feel like we're growing and improving every day, but"

"I don't know if it will be difficult to evolve to that level tomorrow"

Both Yui and Strea have grown to an extent that SAo couldn't match, and are becoming AI close to mhhp, but according to Alice, they are also more evolved than mhhp Lilan and Jupiter. Slow growth.

Such a girl wants to be able to crack it tomorrow, it's impossible. Kirito, who realized this, became depressed again.

"No way. So what to do? Both of us are members of Shino's family, so we can only participate by phone. \"

"I'm wondering if there's a better way."

"I'm having a hard time finding it"

Kirito's thoughts raced with the girls. Since the lower grades of elementary school, I have always liked to read professional books and prioritize IT-related information on the Internet, so although I have some computer knowledge, Internet knowledge, and IT-related knowledge, I have not learned it. So far, I don't know anything about the mhcp implemented in SAo, and mhcp itself is an integrated company. He is so unqualified that it seems interesting to talk about artificial intelligence, which is considered very advanced in society. The knowledge you have gained from specialized books will no longer apply.

Yui and Streya, who are always together, overcoming various monsters and quests together, began to look like an impregnable fortress, and just when I wanted to find a way to conquer it, a voice reached my ears.

"Well, you seem to be in trouble. Kirito-san, aren't you a kid who is good at It? \"

“”

When I turned my head, Alice was there, looking at me with her arms crossed, with a relaxed expression on her face, as if to say, "I can afford it." "It's as if your whole body is looking from up high.

"I'm certainly proud of my knowledge of IT, but I've never learned anything about MHCP. First of all, Alice is the one who can teach me about MHCP and MHHP. ”

\"yes. Among the developers of SAo, only me and Kayaba-san know about mhcp and mhhp. \"

"Mr. Alice, how can we attend Mommy's birthday party in the real world?"

Faced with the question of the dark-haired girl of the same color as herself, Alice put her hand on her chin. Gradually, the corners of his mouth curved, and the expression on his face became slightly solemn.

"MHCP was initially able to do anything like MHHP, or rather, I didn't expect MHHP to be able to do anything, but it wasn't designed that way. For this purpose. It's not something I use. You guys, MHCP is a program created specifically to treat and counsel people's psyche. ”

"It does, but it does"

Hearing something similar to Streya's whisper, Alice sighed softly. Then immediately continue to speak.

"Indeed, you also have a certain level of self-evolution and growth. Because of this, you can be said to be living beings born in the computer world. We can't evolve to this extent. "It can be cracked tomorrow. That's for sure. ”

Yui and Strea both fell silent, and the whispers around them were clearly audible.

Although Yui is Shino's daughter, can't she celebrate her beloved mother's birthday? I wonder if I can't even look at my mother's face, celebrate her birthday, and see her expression. Can Shino and Yui only hear each other's voices? Kirito said to Alice with a feeling of remorse in his chest and a bitter taste in his mouth.

\"Then, you two will have to tell Shino on the phone as you did before. Is Yui just going to be able to celebrate her birthday without seeing her mother's face? \"

"Yes, they're only capable of that."

“”

"But you should know that the girl wants Yui and Streya to be there as well. When she throws a birthday party, she wants both of them to be there. \"

That's what I understand. Shino may not think about celebrating her birthday because she has been through so much trouble, but when she does, she will wish Yui and Strea were also present. You want people to take a closer look at your face.

"And rightfully so! But how can I?"

"What should I do? It's simple. They're here, right? The developers of Yui and Strea are here. ”

Alice proudly put her hand to her chest and said. As the four of us tilted our heads to think about what to say, Alice turned to her friends who were in a commotion and shouted.

"Asuna, please bring Yubibo over. \"

Alice's voice echoed in the coffee shop, and the noise suddenly stopped, and all the friends focused on Alice. Asuna, the person who was called, made her way through her friends and stopped as she approached Alice. Nearby is Jupiter, Asuna's son and also one of the MHHPs.

"What's wrong, Professor Alice? I came with Jupiter, but"

"Uh-huh, it's great that you're here, Asuna. \"

"Alice Sand, what are you going to do?" \"

Attracting everyone's attention, Alice crossed her hands on her lower abdomen and opened her mouth.

\"Kirito-kun, Asuna. Can you hang out with me around eight o'clock tonight? I need your cooperation for my next plans. I have plans after 8pm. Don't worry, you're good to go once you're logged in. "A room in the inn, I'll give you the room number later." ”

Kirito and Asuna tilted their heads to listen to Alice's words, not knowing why she said that. On top of that, Kiritoro has a premonition in his heart that he can't tell whether it's good or bad.

Hotel room at 8 p.m. on the Kuto Line

Planning for Shino's birthday celebration is progressing steadily, and by around 5:30 p.m., all the plans are complete, and only tomorrow remains. Tomorrow is the most important day, and we need to be well prepared. As he spoke, the friends quit ALo one by one, and Kirito also quit once before six o'clock.

After returning to the real world, Kirito and Kirito have dinner while discussing how old Shino's birthday will be tomorrow, what gifts to give, what cakes to make, etc., and cleaning up together. Then, at around seven o'clock, Kirito returned to his room after taking a shower and immediately started Amusphere again and logged in to ALo.

When I woke up in my room at the hostel where I was staying, I didn't make any preparations as usual, but went to the room, where the key was written with the number on the key I borrowed from Alice, and I wrote off.

I rubbed shoulders with the players in the hallways I was used to walking, and when I reached the destination room, I used the key to open the door, where I found Rilan, Jupiter, and Yui. A set of Strea, Asuna and Alice, Alice's children and their mother. What's more, on the big bed sat Lilan, Jupiter, Yui, and Streya, while Alice and Asuna sat on chairs side by side.

\"Alice Sand, you're here. Asuna also came. \"

\"Ah, Kirito-kun. Looks like you've come a good way. \"

"Oh, Kirito-kun, welcome. You came just in time for my request. Come on, come and sit. \"

Kirito sat on a chair next to Asuna and stared at Alice, who said almost the same thing as Asuna. Kirito faced Alice, just like he did when he was in SAo, and while talking in Alice's room, Alice and the other nursery staff were in the church room, as a facility to protect children, and spoke first.

"So, Alice Sand, why did you call us? \"

"Well, it's about them, nothing else."

After Alice said this, she turned her head and saw Alice's developed MHHP and MHCP sitting on the bed. Everyone tilted their heads and looked at the developer, their father, and their mother. Alice looked at the children as she spoke.

During tomorrow's strategy meeting at a coffee shop during the day, Yui and Strea also said that they wanted to celebrate Shino's birthday in the real world. Lilan and Yubi-bo use their natural abilities to visit Egilsan's home. "Shop in the real world. I could go there, but Yui and Strea couldn't I understand. ”

"I see. Or don't you say you know how to fix it? ”

\"yes. If this continues, they won't be able to do anything, and Shino's birthday won't be there, but if it's me, I can solve this problem. In order to do that, though, I need your permission. ”

"You gave us permission? What license do you have? ”

Nodding to the confused Asuna, Alice moved her chair and stopped in front of Lilan and Jupiter. While Liran and Jupiter were still looking at each other, Alice leaned over and touched the foreheads of Liran and Jupiter, who were sitting side by side on the bed, as if to bring up the menu window, and I moved my fingers.

Immediately afterward, both Lilan and Jupiter's bodies trembled, their bodies as if they had been electrocuted, and their eyes were closed. At this moment, Kirito and Asuna were shocked at the same time, unable to understand what was really going on with the girl who was their partner and family, and the boy who was their precious son. At this moment, several pale blue windows opened in front of him, and Alice's eyes appeared, and a holographic keyboard larger than the usual one appeared, appearing in his hand.

Immediately after, a cable made of pale blue light resembling a network cable stretched out from the top of the holographic keyboard like a snake. The tip flies through the air at a certain speed, eventually making its way around Yui and Streya's back, piercing the tip. Yui and Strea felt dizzy, then collapsed on the bed, lying on their backs, motionless.

Witnessing a series of scenes that have never been seen before in SAo, Kirito timidly shouts to Alice.

"Uh, Alice Sand? What exactly did you do? \"

"For some reason, everything stopped working. What about those windows?"

Hearing the question Asuna asked after Kirito, Alice turned her head to look at the two.

"I called the developer-only command. That's why Lilan and Yupibo are now comforted. Their physical functionality will stop until I execute the terminate command. ”

"Console version!?"

mhhp is equipped with commands that can only be activated by developer Alice's commands, and there is one that allows it to be a console that can only be used by administrators, and SAo is like that. Alice says that this is the same one she used when she copied Jupiter and divided it into ontology and clones in order to protect Jupiter from the Runaway Man when she was SAo.

"Lilan and Jupiter have such a function"

"In the past, I used it to leave a copy of Yupi-bo. Now, I'm going to use these console girls to modify Yui and Strea. Just like MHHP, I'm going to give them the ability to hack and crack. That's it. ”

\"Makeover!? Is that okay? \"

Seeing Asuna standing beside him, Kirito was taken aback. Yui and Strea are always together and have the same behavior and personality as other humans, so you might think that they are humans or life itself, but they are AI and Alice. Who's that developer? Alice developed Yui and Strea from scratch and raised them to their current level, so she was naturally able to transform them as well.

"Is that so? But why should we face it? ”

"Yupi-bo is Asuna's lovely son, and Riran, Yui, and Strea are Kirito-kun's family. It's a big family time, so I want you guys to stay with me. By the way, something terrible happened to my family. If it existed, wouldn't you hate it? ”

"That's true, but it really doesn't matter, does it? \"

"I'm sure there won't be any problems. I'm still making Yui and Strea from scratch. And, although Relan and Yupibo's bodily functions stopped, there was no particular damage. No, I will. "Make sure Yui and Strea have backups before starting the makeover, so don't worry. ”

With that, Alice began to operate the holographic keyboard. It's not that Yui and Strea weren't sure when they heard that they were going to be transformed, and even hoped that they would quit, but as things stand, neither Yui nor Strea could attend Shiina's birthday. The real world. Here, I should rely on Alice as much as possible.

Kirito made up his mind and shouted to Asuna, who looked worried.

"Asuna, leave this matter to Alice. It should be fine. \"

"It's true"

Seeing Asuna nodding, Alice rolled up her sleeves and opened her lips. Seeing such a sight, both Kiriren and Asuna gasped, as if the doctor was about to start surgery or treatment.

"Okay, I'll finish this as soon as possible, please leave it to me."

When I asked her to make a statement, Alice began tapping her fingers on the holographic keyboard, and programming strings appeared in the window that usually showed the project and status. I've been watching Alice/Airi Serizawa as a doctor, but now here is Airi Serizawa as a scientist and Tong AI researcher.

How good is this person as a scientist? Kirito, who aspires to be a scientist specializing in VR, is closely watching this scene with Asuna. It's been an hour since Yui and Streya's renovation work began.

It's been an hour since Alice suggested starting a makeover for Yui and Streya. Since the 8:00 p.m. start time is relatively late, it is already more than 9:00 p.m.

As it stands, Yui and Strea's modification work shows no end at all, and Alice, who operates the modding hosts Relan and Jupiter, has also been modified. Sit there and not leave their bed an inch.

Kirito, who was watching the five people on the side, also looked at the notepad with the details of Shino's birthday tomorrow, and like Alice, he operated the holographic keyboard to bring up the notepad, and he saw himself engrossed in it. After writing down what she was going to do tomorrow, Asuna said, "I'll make some dinner." Then head to the simple kitchen of the hotel.