Hearing this, Kirito was taken aback. Thankfully, the ninja-like young man saved me, and I was sure he was the number two person. Moreover, the young man came with the same wolf dragon as Riran. A series of amazing things happened, but the most important of them was what the young man said at the time.

Shift. These words are not even written in the complete collection of SAo's case records. Switching is just one of the strategies and tactics, and it's not worth mentioning. Only the survivors of SAo knew about it.

Knowing that means that young man

"However, it is surprising that Teacher Alice did not participate in the ordinal number battle. Why didn't she participate? \"

Klein asks Alice a question. Kirito, Shino, and Lilan all know about it, but Klein still doesn't know why Alice doesn't join the ordinal position. Kirito recovered from his state of thought, and before he could explain, Alice replied.

"With VR, it's okay and it helps, but I look like this, I was born with heart disease. Since I was a child I was told to avoid strenuous exercise and exercise. The scale surpasses everything else. ”

Klein and the others in the Wind Forest Volcano looked surprised. When we heard from Alice, we reacted the same way they did.

I had no idea at all that when I saw them in VR or when I was playing a game, Alice/Airi seemed to have some kind of heart condition, so she couldn't move. In fact, I've never seen Alice run or participate in sports in the real world. When asked if he would like to exercise, he smiled wryly and replied, "No." ”

Alice didn't voluntarily become an indoorman, but because her body was born that way, she had no choice but to become an indoorman. I didn't choose it the way I did, but I was partly forced to do so. There is no choice or freedom.

When I learned what happened to Alice, I couldn't help but be speechless. But it soon became clear that the other party didn't care about any of this at all. Ellie/Alice was still smiling.

"Thanks to you, I didn't finish all my PE classes at school. Well, when I was at Nanairo, I was already in the United States, immersed in AI research. In fact, it's just a good thing. ”

"I'm sorry for that, we're going to have to play on our own. \"

Alice shook her head and said to Klein, who suddenly apologized:

"It's okay, it's okay. You should enjoy what you can do freely. In fact, just looking at the ordinal number table is interesting enough. And I found something interesting. ”

After saying that, Alice walked up to Kirito. His expression turned serious.

\"Kirito-kun. Although now you are the boss, I get it. \"

"That boss, the Heroic Apostle, has the same horn as Lilan, and the blade is the same."

"It's really the same monster data on the SAo server. \"

As Alice said, some parts of the white-bladed dragon's body matched Lilan's body. In particular, the frontal horn remains as it is. That white-bladed dragon was based on Lilan's data—that's all I can say.

"But is there something like that on the SAo server as well? At least in SAo that uses the same server data, there is no such thing, and even in SAo, I'm afraid no one else has this characteristic except me.

What sets Ruiran apart from the other wolf dragons is the holy sword on his forehead. When Lilan/Martel, in order to repair her damaged self, copied and absorbed various data from the SAo server database, the sword absorbed the data of the powerful wolf dragon and the data of the equally powerful holy sword, in order to

Although it has absorbed copies of various data such as monsters and NPCs, the reason why only the wolf dragon and holy sword elements appear in Lilan is because these data are extremely large and important, and this is what it means.

It seems that the wolf dragon with the Holy Sword growing on Lilan/Martell's forehead can be said to be the result of the erosion of the data absorbed by Martell himself. So there are basically no monsters like Lilan's trait. Lilan is a one-of-a-kind werewolf dragon.

However, the previous white-bladed dragon had very similar characteristics to Yuichi's Lilan. Kirito had long heard of a boss monster that closely resembled Lilan's features, but this was the first time he had seen it in real life.

I can't help but be surprised by this. It's definitely the same as "Lilan". Alice saw this and put her finger on her chin. This is Kirito's habit, but before he knows it, even Alice is starting to do something similar.

"Perhaps, but I think the Ordinal-scale development team did it out of respect for Lilan. Lilan is mentioned in SAo's case records, so if you want to know, you can check it out. If you want to imitate, you can. ”

"But it's more like Lilan than anything else. There may be something else. ”

Why did the developers of the "Ordinal Scale" introduce a monster similar to Lilan? There is no prior information. Maybe it's just because it's cool or because it looks like a monster, but I can't help but feel like it's so much more than that.

But what else is the reason? I thought about it, but the answer, of course, is no. Due to the lack of information and data, it seems impossible to make any predictions.

Looking at Kirito who was thinking alone, Alice spread her palms.

"Well, I don't know. I'm not involved in the development of the "ordinal scale", so I don't know what the developers of the "ordinal scale" are thinking. However, with Lilan's ...... "Apostle of Heroes" will certainly appear in the future. So, we have no choice but to fight the 'Heroic Apostles' that will emerge in the future. ”

In fact, by defeating the 'Apostle of Heroes' just now, the players have already earned a lot of points, which has made them excited and rising in the rankings. This fact will spread on the internet and will attract more players. What's more, I also got Yuna's kiss when I delivered the final blow to 'Hero Apostle'.

If you fight the "Hero Apostle", you can get a kiss from Yuna – a fact that could go viral faster than the discussion about the reward of points. In fact, even now, it must have spread throughout the country through the SNS used by the players who participated in this battle. The next boss fight with the Heroic Apostle will be packed with players seeking Yuna's kiss.

I am the source of that information. Hearing this fact, Kirito felt a wave of nausea. Immediately after, Kirito felt a breath approaching and turned his head in surprise. Shino is coming to us.

When he walked towards me, he was clearly upset.

"Poetry, poetry"

Shino didn't answer anything. Keep walking. As the distance closes, Shiina throws the anti-materiel rifle in her hand to the ground—Klein expertly catches the discarded anti-materiel rifle—freeing her hands.

\"Ah, that, Mr. Shino, what did you just see and do. \"

I didn't have any prior information, I didn't know anything, I thought of an excuse and tried to say something, but I hesitated and couldn't say anything. Oh no, it's not good if it goes on like this. Kirito was covered in a cold sweat and waited for the next moment.

Soon, Shino came to Kirito's close range and circled to Kirito's right side.

Then Shino leaned her face closer and gently kissed Kirito on the right cheek.

Shino unexpectedly reproduces Yuna's movements, and everyone, including Kirito, is taken aback. The people of the Wind Forest Volcano, including Klein, were completely stiffened. When Shino's face left her, Kirito was still stunned and shouted at her.

\"Shino? \"

Override

"Huh?"

Shino lowered her face slightly. Even when I tried to make eye contact, I couldn't.

"Yuna doesn't exist in real life, so no one kisses you. But now I kissed you. So, it's not Yuna who kisses you, it's me. It's me! ”

I tried to understand what Shino was saying as much as I could, but now even Kirito couldn't understand what Shino was saying. Yuna wasn't real, so she hadn't been kissed by anyone, only Shino - that's what she said, but I don't know how Shino felt. Immediately afterward, Alice smiled at me.

"Ouch, it's funny that Shino would say something like that, and that she would do it. \"

"Uh, that, Alice. \"

When I asked for help, Alice and Shino answered together.

"Shino doesn't like the way Yuna kisses Kirito-kun. So, he kissed you and covered Yuna's kiss with his own. \"

Kirito finally understood what Alice meant. Earlier, Yuna unexpectedly gave her a kiss, but Shino was annoyed by it. So, in order to pretend that what Yuna did to me never happened, I kissed myself.

This is what the poem means by covering.

\"So it was, so it was, so it was\"

"Shino, I guess so. \"

Even though Alice called, Shino turned her head away. With his hands behind his back, I couldn't ignore the slight flush on his cheeks. I found him like a star, and his heart was warm. Finally, Alice whispered something in my ear.

"Your princess doesn't want to give her loved ones to anyone. She certainly can't tolerate people kissing you. Isn't that true of the knights? \"

Obviously teasing me, but the content is obvious. I don't want to give Shino / Shino to anyone, so I swear to protect her. If Shino had ended up in the same situation as she is now, I would probably have done the same thing as Shino is now. I felt like I understood her thoughts, and my heart warmed.

Soon, Klein and the others, who were watching from the sidelines, raised their voices of protest.

"Damn, that's it! Don't show off in front of us, bragging, you idiot! \"

"No, I'm not showing off"

"Damn! Next time I'm going to hunt the Heroic Apostle! And I'm going to treat you to a damn expensive meal!! ”

Without listening to Kirito's arguments, Crane and the others fled into the night. Along the way, everyone started running in different directions. They may be on their way home. As I watched them involuntarily, Alice called me again.

"Little Brother Klein, they are serious, the next time the boss gets the final blow, they will come over to treat you."

"So what"

"Alright, so be it. Japanese, humans, you, be careful when you go home, especially when you bring the princess home. \"

After saying that, Alice/Alice finished the order rank and patted Kirito on the shoulder. At the same time, Kirito also ended the ordinal rank and returned to Kirito. Alice is such a Ma Sina \ / Go to Shino. Before he knew it, the short rod that had been an anti-materiel rifle was back in Shiina's hands.

\"Shiina, do you mind if I come over tomorrow morning? \"

\"You said you were going to go up to Airi sensei, would you go? \"

"Ahh Now that I'm back in Tokyo, I'd like to meet and talk to you. I would also like to observe your progress. I want you to stay open in the morning, can you? ”

Shino's face suddenly lit up. After all, I was so happy to be able to meet and talk to Airi. Of course, because he is the teacher who healed me.

"It doesn't matter. I also wanted to talk to Teacher Alice, so it was perfect. \"

"It's more important than anything else. Well, see you tomorrow around ten o'clock. ”

"Yes!"

After hearing Shino's answer, Alice said, "Okay! Then said goodbye and disappeared into the night. I don't have any special plans for tomorrow, so I want to log in to SAo. I wanted to invite Shino to participate, but now it seems impossible. Something like this happens a lot, so I'm not worried.

See the time displayed on the buildings that have been released from the Dark Fantasy Layer. It was already past 9:30. Although it was a big deal, it didn't take long for it to end. Online gaming events are just that, and they won't be that long. If I go home now, I'll be there around 10 o'clock.

Kirito walked over to Shino's side. She kept watching Alice head, but eventually she noticed Kirito and turned around. His face was no longer as grumpy as before, but filled with a faint, quiet smile.

\"Airi-sensei, are you coming tomorrow? \"

\"Ugh. Sorry Kirito, I can't log in tomorrow morning. No, maybe I'll use it all day. \"

According to Airi and Shino's own story, before they met, Airi would sometimes take Shino out or go shopping. I'm sure he's planning to do something similar to Shino tomorrow. Alice must have wanted to spend some time with Shino too, as it had been a while.

"I'm not worried about that. I only spend time with Airi-sensei occasionally. Or rather, the time spent with Airi-sensei is more valuable than the time spent with me, right? \"

"That's not true. It's the time spent with Kirito that counts. So well, from now on\"

Shino lowered her voice halfway through. Her cheeks were red again. Kirito's eyes widened at the sight of this sign. Shino is now looking for something for herself. I've done it several times, so I've seen the signs, but the timing is not good.

"I'm sorry, Shino. I can't go today. \"

"Huh? Is that so? ”

Shino was taken aback, and even more stunned. I think I would be surprised to hear that this is impossible.

\"Ahh Naoba will leave for training camp early tomorrow morning, and the house will be empty without me. So, I can't go tonight, sorry. \"

Shino gestured as if she remembered something. Shino had heard about Naoba for a long time, but by now she seemed to have forgotten about it.

"Now that I think about it, that's right. Naoha, I'm going to start training tomorrow, and I'm the only one in the family."

\"yes. So, you'd better come back after tomorrow. Then please ask me again. \"

Shino smiled and nodded. Even if I can't do it tonight, I can do it after tomorrow. Although this may not be good for Naoba, she can listen to Shino's wishes to her heart's content for the next few days. Kirito was so happy that part of his chest was tickling.

"Hey, Kirito, I'll be home early."

When I looked back in surprise, I saw Lilan, who had changed back into her human form. This time she had an unhappy expression.

"They might be planning to eat something delicious at SAo. I remember it well. ”

"Yes, yes, so you haven't eaten yet."

During the day, Lilan defeats Kirito in chess, but he does not receive a gift from Kirito. The story is about eating delicious food in the small town of SAo. That's why Lilan didn't touch the food even after dinner time. Her expression showed hunger.

I need to get home as soon as possible. Kirito smiled wryly and said to Lilan, "Okay, okay", and immediately turned to Shino and stretched out his hand.

"Shino, let's go home, I'll send you." \"

"Thank you, Kirito. \"

Shino said this and snatched it back with her hand. Shiina's hands were warmer and more comfortable than Yuna's lips.

"Okay, brother, I'm going to bootcamp. \"

A girl in a school uniform stands in front of Kirito's house. He carried a large backpack on his back and a bamboo sword wrapped in a special bag. Kirito's younger sister Naoba will go to a kendo training camp for about a week from today.

Kirito came to the door to see him off.

"Ah, come on, do your best."

Naoba turned around and saw Kirito with half-open eyes. Obviously, they don't like Japanese clothing.

Kirito wears a black hoodie, a white t-shirt, and black shorts. It is an alternative to Kirito pajamas.

"You're still like this, sloppy."

"I have something to look into right now. It's about my career path. ”

"That's not to say you shouldn't dress like this. Lilan, if you care more about your brother, your mother won't come home like me. ”

The straight leaf with Ogma in his left ear looks to Kirito's right. When I turned my gaze as well, I saw Nichilan, a resident of a virtual world and a member of a Japanese family.

She wears a white hoodie with a navy blue shirt and dark blue hot pants, which is unimaginable for her to wear only through fantasy worlds. She, like Naoba and others, is a teenage girl. Wear it.

"Leave it to me. While you're away, it's Kirito's "relative" duty to take care of him. \"

"No, there's no need for the emissary to do this"

Neither Lilan nor Naoba reacted to Kirito's complaints. Naoba looked to the right side of Lilan's face.

\"Now that I think about it, I think about it, Lilan's hairpin is the same as Lilan's mother's. It belongs to another mother who is different from Teacher Alice. \"

Lilan let out an "um" and touched the area near the bangs on the right. A few hours after appearing in the real world with Ogma, Lilan incorporated electronic fashion into her appearance, but at the time Lilan's right bangs were caught in a small hairpin.

Kirito immediately noticed that this was the same as Rinko Kamagi, Lilan/Martel's other mother. She hadn't thought much about Rinko since the last time they met, and thought she didn't know Rinko, but it seemed that she cared a lot about Rinko.

"Well, I personally like this hairstyle."

"I think this hairstyle suits you perfectly, would you like to try it out in VR in the future?"

"No, only in that case. In the game, I am?? Kirito's 'acquaintance', so this is only the case in reality. ”

Lilan's current appearance lacks his most distinctive wolf ears and tail, and her height has also shrunk. This belongs to Martel, who is Lilan's original form. When she's in the real world, she may return to Martell.

In that case, I thought I should still call him Martel, but when I said that before, he replied, "It's still your 'acquaintance' Lilan, right?" So I'll continue to call him Lilan in the end

Although it looks like Martel, it is treated like Lilan. It looks confusing.

\"I mean, Naoba, if you don't hurry, you might be late. \"

When Lilan pulled the topic back to her, Naoba was stunned for a moment. He must have realized that he was prolonging the conversation.

\"Ah, yes, I need to get out of here. Then, Lilan, I will ask you to take care of my brother, and I will also ask Shino-san to support you. \"

Naoba looked at Kirito. Kirito was taken aback by the sudden change in his eyes.

"Brother, we don't want to cause any trouble to Shino-san. According to Shino-san's final report, we will not send you souvenirs. \"

"No, no, I'm too lazy to trouble Shina. \"

Even so, Naoba and Shino sometimes exchange information and opinions that she doesn't know. What Naoba said may be true. Causing trouble to Shino is something I try to avoid, but in the last few days, I seem to need to pick myself up.

Naoba greeted Kirito who was thinking alone again and Lilan next to him, and said, "I'm leaving!" Then he walked out the door.

Naoba decided to give it her all in kendo, something she had once given up and is now competing in the national championships. Even during the training camp, he and his comrades-in-arms spent all their time practicing wielding bamboo swords, practicing walking, and practicing striking.

If I hadn't given up kendo, would I have gone to training camp with Naoba today? When I was about to enter the national stage, I wondered if I was wielding a bamboo sword instead of a sword in the virtual world or a stick in an ordinal balance - such thoughts flashed through Kirito's mind.

Soon after, I heard a voice from the right. Lilan called.

"Kato, what's wrong? \"

"I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't given up kendo. I wonder if I'll go to training camp with Sugu, practice, and then compete. ”

What if something happens - Lilan clasped her arms as I spoke my mind.

"That's right, you have good reflexes and can completely put aside your athletic talent and pursue kendo. As you said, you can participate in tournaments with Naoba. That's fine. \"

"But if that were the case, you wouldn't have chosen me as your "messenger" and fought on my back. You won't meet Shino, you won't meet Yui or Streya. \"

Kirito suddenly turned to Lilan. My precious "acquaintance", who only exists in the virtual world layer, is smiling.

"You didn't throw away kendo, you grabbed VR and us. Naoba picks up the kendo you threw away and is happily practicing. Don't worry about anything. Wouldn't that be great? ”

Everything Lilan said was to the point. If I had continued to practice kendo, I would not have been able to achieve everything I have now.

There are no Lilan, Yui, Streya, and Shina. There is only one sport called kendo. It might be nice, but I don't even want to imagine that.

In addition, Naoba has also told me many times that she likes kendo, so don't worry. The empty hands after giving up the bamboo sword, now holding the mane of the fierce wolf dragon Hiran and the warm hand of the beloved Shino Thinking of this, Kirito smiled at Hiran. I repaid him.

"Yes, you're right, Lilan. If I hadn't given up kendo, I wouldn't have ridden on your back. \"

"You have something important in your hands right now, so don't take your eyes off it."

"I will. Thank you, Lilan. ”

Rilan smiled: "Of course you can." Kirito finally remembered what he was going to do and left the entrance.

I walked to the dining room, put the cup on the barista, and poured myself a cup of black coffee. When the barista pressed the button and started making coffee, Lilan called me again.

"By the way, Kirito, why don't you transfer my body to Ogma? \"

"Why?"

"It's easier to use Augmar than to activate Amusphere, and no matter where you are, as long as you use Augmar, I'll be there for you right away."

Until now, Lilan's main body was in the Amusphere used by Kirito. By connecting the Amusphere to the line and leaving it on standby while charging, Lilan can fly from the Amusphere to the drone handling the Augmar line and find them.

If Lilan's body were to be transferred from Amusphere to Ogma, then simply using Ogma would definitely summon Lilan to the scene. In fact, Asuna has transferred Jupiter's body from her computer to Ogma so that she can summon Jupiter at any time.

"yes, your moving job is quite troublesome. You have 400Gb alone, Yui and Strea each have 300Gb, a total of 1TBTB, let's move it, it will take two hours alone. ”

"But..."

Also, if you play "SAo" in AmuSphere a lot, then you have to fly from Augmar to AmuSphere. Also, if Augmar runs out of power, you can also use "SAo" in AmuSphere. I can't do it either. \"

AmuSphere is similar to a laptop in that it is powered by a power supply and a battery. Even if there is a power outage during a dive, there is no need to worry about it stopping because it runs on batteries.

The same goes for the Augmar, but since the Augmar is a device that is worn on the left ear, it cannot be used while charging, and it does not have a standby mode like the Amusphere. If Lilan and his friends were to transfer their remains to Ogma, there would be some inconveniences, such as not being able to go to SAo with them.

"It does, but"

"That's why I didn't plan to put your body into Ogma. I'll keep Amusphere on standby, so please bear with me. \"

Lilan seemed to reluctantly agree, but she was depressed in her heart. The benefits of transferring their bodies to Ogma have not been much proven. I think we need to know more about what the specific benefits are.

Just as Kirito was thinking alone, Lilan stood up as if she remembered something and stopped him.

"By the way, Kirito, you talked about your career path before. By career path, you mean college, right? \"

"Ah, yes, we have entrance exams next year, and it's time to decide where to go."

"Wow. Do you know where you want to go? ”

Kirito has already given an answer to this question. If possible, I'd like to talk to someone there. What is that university?

"Shigemura Lab, Dongdu University of Technology – this is the university your parents attended."

Just as Lilan was silently surprised, the bell rang, letting him know that the coffee was ready.

One of the rooms in the apartment where the SAo survivors live is Shiina's home. It's been almost two years since I moved out of my previous apartment. Basically, this is a special protected area that can only be used by SAo survivors.

It's okay to invite guests there, but today I had a rare and delightful guest. The woman who got me to this point, she desperately tried to cure the disease I was suffering from – even though it was an acquired disease. Although he has stopped working as a doctor, he has not stopped his relationship with the people who are important to him.

Shino is ready for the arrival of the guests. The bed was already fixed and there was nothing sloppy to see. There is no dirt or clutter, and the dirty places are thoroughly cleaned. All that's left to do is wait for that person.

It's not the first time this guy has come. I've met and talked to them one of the most times, so I'm used to it. However, somehow, I always feel nervous when I invite people into my room. The other party could see Shino's nervousness, and every time she came to visit, she would be told, "Don't be nervous." ”

That's why I tried many times not to be nervous, but never succeeded. I don't know if it's because the number of times I come is too small. Maybe I was thinking subconsciously, I don't want that person in this room? Despite the fact that he is an important person...

This is not true. ”

Shino shook her head and dismissed the idea. This can't be true. Thanks to that person, my illness has improved a lot, and my life today is also thanks to that person's help.

To be honest, my encounter with my loved one and Kirito was also caused by an accident that occurred during the treatment. If I hadn't met that person and had not been treated by that person, my life wouldn't be what it is today. Even though I was sick, I was sure that things were not getting better.

What that person gave me was so much, so great. Shino thought about it again, and overturned her doubts.

Immediately after, the bell of "King Kong" rang in the room. I immediately stood up and walked towards the door, looking in through the fisheye lens. The face of the booking guest is there. Soon voices were heard.

\"Good morning, Shino. We're here. \"

"Good morning, Teacher Alice. I'll open it now. \"

When Shino opens the door, a woman named Alice walks into the room. Looking around the room from the entrance, Alice nodded.

"Well, it doesn't seem like anything has changed, it's been a while since the last time I was here, and I think things have changed a lot."

"I'm not very good at reconfiguring my room. Airi-sensei, you know what? \"

Alice laughs at Shino's naughty question.

"I know, you're a calm girl, you don't like flashy things, and you don't care if your room is empty."

\"WWWhat a desolate sight!? \"

Hearing Airi's command, Shino hurriedly looked around the room. The room was still empty. The Yuichi lively stuffed animals I have are the stuffed penguins I got from Kirito and the stuffed capybaras I got from Naoba. There is nothing else that stands out.

Isn't this really a barren sight? Shino notices this and panics, and Alice laughs again.

"Hey, just kidding. Nothing is true, but it's not an empty room either. It was a nice room, a typical room for Shino. \"

"Already"

When I said this without thinking, Alice smiled happily again. Alice eventually took off her shoes and sat with Shino in the center of the room near the table. That's where Kirito sat when he came. Shino also sat down beside him.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Teacher Alice. Long time no see. I'm glad to see that you're doing well. \"

"It's nice to see that nothing has changed. It's been a long time since we've seen each other in real life. ”

The last time I saw Alice in the real world was on my birthday last year. Since then, Alice has only appeared in "ALo" and "SAo". Alice looked up at the ceiling, as if remembering something.

"The last time I came to your room was around last spring, and I was already busy with the development of SAo, so I immediately threw myself into the work, and it seems that this length is quite long." My job. ”

"Teacher Alice's work doesn't seem to be finished yet, right? \"

"Alas, endlessly, and I still have to sleep in the workplace, unable to take care of my health and beauty, it's definitely not a good place to work for women."

Alice grumbled and complained. However, according to Alice's predecessor, Dr. Rinko Kamishiro, Alice is a person who has no interest in anything other than what her heart really wants to do.

Even though Alice doesn't have a lot of time to log in to VR, no time to rest, or even have to sleep at work, being there means it's a place where she has what she really wants to do from the heart.

Despite her complaints, Alice showed no signs of dislike. It's as if he's enjoying something fulfilling every day.

"Well, giving me this midterm vacation shows that this is a good company that really evaluates my work, and in fact, they take a lot of my opinions into account."

"I think so. Airi-sensei, I think you had a great time. \"

Alice turned to Shiina. You can tell from the look on his face that he is enjoying his job.

"Oh, do you understand?"

"I understand, I've been your patient for a long time."

As soon as Shino finished speaking, Alice said, "Yes." Then she laughed, and Shino laughed too.

Alice is always like that. When we first met, I was a bit shy, so it didn't turn out that way, but eventually I understood. Alice is unlike any other doctor I've ever met. He is a person who truly creates safe and comfortable places.

From that moment on, Alice's side became the most reassuring place for Shino. - Now that she's updated, she's by Kirito's side, but that doesn't change the fact that she feels safe by Alice's side.

Maybe Airi is another mother to me, as Lilan and Yui think. Maybe it's because Alice's consciousness of being his other mother exists somewhere inside him that even Shino doesn't know, which is why he gets nervous when he invites her in. Shino thought so again.

Immediately afterward, Alice said "oops" and stopped laughing. It seems that he has just remembered something important.

"Besides, there's something else I want to ask you, that's why I'm here, but I forgot."

“？”

Alice's expression tensed, as if she had changed her mind. It's no different from what I saw when I was a psychiatrist. Alice has now started her medical check-up.

"Shino, how are you feeling lately? It's been a long time since I've seen you. \"

Shino was taken aback when he heard this. Yes, the reason Airi used to be my personal doctor was because I had a disease that other doctors couldn't cure. Although Alice changed jobs during treatment, she continued to be monitored. As for me, I completely forgot to tell Alice how it went.

When Shino takes her eyes off Alice, she decides to talk about what happened.

\"I'm doing well. I get along well with everyone, and recently I've been shopping and hanging out with Asuna, Rika and Kotone. I also got along well with Kirito, and I did well in school. The course is also a lot of fun. ”

I've been doing well in my studies, so I didn't have any trouble taking classes at school, and my friendships are good. She and her friends Asuna, Rika, Keiko, Naoba - she is actually her sister-in-law - Kotone and Kitaki have a good relationship, and it seems to be fun to go out with them.

And my relationship with my loved one and Kirito's is getting deeper and deeper, and I'm happy when we're together. He enjoys spending time with his "acquaintance", family member Lilan, and spending time with his daughter Yui is also a moment of happiness.

Recently, I've been through a lot of these things, only happy things, nothing hard or painful. I don't suffer from nightmares anymore like I used to. I wonder if those disgusting hints in my heart have disappeared because of the days I spent with my friends, Alice, my family, and Kirito.

Even if I'm facing those scars and memories head-on now, I don't know if I'll ever be able to get knocked out. Maybe this time I'll be able to enjoy happy days with the people I truly love. That confidence came from nowhere, spreading in my chest.

\"So, Airi-sensei, I'm sure I'll be fine—\"

After saying this, the next moment she turned to Alice, Shino's time stopped. My body felt stiff and I couldn't move.

Alice raised her right hand to a certain point, extended her index and middle fingers, and raised her thumb. It's an ordinary action, just like a small child would do when he imitates a pistol. But for Shina, its meaning and meaning are completely different.

My whole body was enveloped in cold air, and my heat and strength were gone. I lost my sense of balance, I couldn't stand on my feet, and the colors in front of me disappeared and became monochrome. Even though he couldn't stand steadily, he couldn't take his eyes off Alice's index and middle fingers.

All I could hear was the sound of my speeding heartbeat and the buzzing in my ears, everything else was gone. - The disgusting scar began to squirm. Su Kun is still alive.

"Night"

When Alice utters this sentence in a clearly audible voice, Shino loses her posture. When sitting, fold your upper body and squat. Water flew out of my mouth and my tongue stuck to it, unable to move. It looks like my stomach is starting to shrink.

His head, which should have been filled with happy, happy memories, was now empty, and instead, Suki was trying to bring back unpleasant memories. Don't think about it, don't remember it, stop it, stop it, stop it – even if you try to stop the acne, it's completely ineffective. My brain was getting emptier and empty, full of disgusting memories.

The iron was heavy, it felt like it wrapped around my hands, and I was soaked, and the smell of blood and gunpowder came to my nostrils.

\"Shino!! \"

As soon as I heard the sound, I suddenly felt my body wrap around me and my face hit something. All I know is that it's warm and soft. The voice continued.

Shina, take a deep breath. Take a deep breath, inhale and exhale. \"

"Hahahaha."

"Just thinking about doing what I say. Don't think about anything else. Do as I say and take a deep breath and exhale deeply"

Shino temporarily followed the voice she heard.

Take a deep breath and exhale deeply.

Take a deep breath and exhale it all.

Inhale again to fill the chest, then exhale again to empty the chest.

I'm just repeating it without thinking about anything else.

"Take a deep breath, exhale deeplyYes, that's right, inhale, exhale yes, I'm good at it"

As I continued to breathe deeply along with the sounds I heard, I felt a warm and pleasant scent flow into my nostrils and heard myself breathing differently from myself. The flashback scene begins to fade away.

Eventually, as Sukuen complains of sleepiness and falls asleep, Shino realizes that her position is on Alice's chest, and she is embraced by Alice. Holding her hand and gently caressing her back.

"Shino"

"Teacher"

\"I'm sorry, Shino. It's my fault\"

Alice apologized. Most likely about early pistol imitations. Shino made no attempt to answer this question.

"Teacher, me, me, me"

"Yes. I thought you might be okay now, sorry, I was too careful. Hey. You're not okay, I'm sorry for doing this, even though it wasn't so good at the time."

As if to apologize, Alice continued to stroke her back. When I succumbed to his gentle, warm hands, my body became calm. However, Alice's hands could not calm Shino's heart.

I thought it was going to be fine.

I thought there wasn't anything left.

This doesn't change anything.

Eventually, you'll get your loved ones in trouble.

I thought I would be happy with Kirito

"Teacher, I, I"

"Yes. I should continue to treat yours properly. I should have done better."

That's not true, that's not true. Shiina, who moved her body a little to listen to what I said, shook her head. Eventually, I admit the thoughts that come to my head and speak up.

"Teacher, I want to be stronger."

Speech becomes choppy due to the mixture of pain. However, Shino continued.

\"If I have a situation like this, it will cause trouble for everyone, trouble for Kirito, I、I don't want to do this, I don't want to, I don't want to be like that, why I want to be strongI want to be happy with Kirito"

If you're dealing with this, you'll probably never really be happy with Kiriren and the others. That's why we must learn to face this problem and fight it head-on. That's what it means to be strong, that's what it means to be strong.

However, he was never able to gain that power. I don't know what to do. Shiina, clinging to Alice and pleading with her.

\"Airi-sensei, what should I do? \"

Alice stared intently into Shino's eyes. Shino looked at him with the same look, but incredibly, a confused expression appeared on his face. Even Alice didn't get it. So what do I do?

Just as I was about to ask Alice again, something changed about Alice. He seemed to remember something again.

\"Shiina, didn't you use a gun in the Ordinal scale yesterday? "The day after the battle, the young men walked into the city. Since he had taken off his heavy armor when he wasn't in use, his body was light and his steps were just as light. Wearing 'armor' feels like exercising.

Thanks to this, I can now easily get out of the house, which wasn't in fashion at the time. I also feel like I'm starting to feel lighter.

"What's wrong, Yuna?"

The young man spoke to a girl sitting at a small table in a quiet place in town. The girl is currently looking at the sky and is wearing a popular outfit in three colors: white, black, and red, with black as the main tone.

However, between the sky and his eyes was a small golden bead, and that golden bead was exactly what the maiden, Yuna, saw.

"Hey, what is this? I do not quite understand. ”

Yuna tilted her head and continued to look at the beads. He behaves innocently, like a child who discovers something interesting - which in the eyes of young people makes people feel cute. Before the young man replied with such a feeling, a voice answered Yuna.

"This proves that everyone is moved by your song. No, it's a reflection of how much everyone loves you. ”

The boy's voice was familiar, it was a boy's voice. The place where the sound came from was near Yuna, but the boy was there.

He has black semi-long hair, which is unusual for a man, and his right eye is covered by bangs. In addition to this, she wears a light blue cloak with a black back and front and a hood, but the lower half of her body is black shorts, exposing her legs, giving her an unbalanced appearance.

"Well, that's right."

Yuna replied to the boy's answer. He didn't seem convinced, but he seemed interested.

In Yuna's hand, she held a transparent glass jar with twenty golden beads that were exactly the same as Yuna's fingertips. Everyone here knew that it was extracted from the dark-haired boy next to Yuna.

Yuna turned to the brunette boy and smiled.

"It shows how much Van loves me. Van has it all. Right? ”

The boy named Fan replied, with a slight shyness on his face.

"That's right. There's something I put for you, so\"

Yuna jumped off the platform, bent down to eye level with Fan, and smiled even more.

"Well, thank you Fan. Because you think you love me. ”

Fan met Yuna's eyes with his own red eyes, but he didn't look as shy as he used to be. Eventually, his gaze turned to the clear jar in Yuna's hand.

I repeat, the people gathered there are the crystallization of "feelings of love for Yuna". The large number of people shows that everyone loves Yuna very much. You want to collect more, right? ”

"yes, I'm going to collect more and more! Everyone's love for me! ”

Recognizing Yuna's childlike smile, both Fan and the young man smiled. Yuna's innocent and lovely smile is irreplaceable, precious and dazzling. That's why young people are so desperate. He can fight desperately for Yuna.

Fan, who has the same desire as the young man, walks from Yuna's neighborhood to the young man's side.

\"Sure enough, I wasn't enough. I thought it would be enough to just be close to her, sorry. \"

"No apologies, it's not Van's fault, in fact, we're all here because of Van. If it weren't for Van, things might have been much less. ”

Fan looked up apologetically, but his face became solemn.

"I'm glad to hear you say that. But Yuna, I feel the same way, I want more. I'm sure you think so too. ”

"Yes. So I'm going to get a lot. No, I'm going to get a lot from now on. ”

Fan turned his attention to a book in the hands of the young man. The young man opened the book and flipped a page with a bookmark in between.

"If I take revenge on all these guys, I'll be enough."

Fan straightened up and looked at the book. Eventually, his eyes flashed with a strong will. This proves that Fan is a comrade-in-arms of the young man. The young man called out to his companion again.

"We still need your help for this. I'm counting on you. ”

"I'm counting on you. I'm sure we'll get it done. ”

The young man nodded, responding to a voice full of strong will, and the light in his eyes seemed to change. The boy is his new power, the magic that makes the impossible possible. If you have this supernatural power, you won't fail this time.

What I want to do, I will definitely accomplish.

"So, what are we going to do today? Who are we targeting? ”

\"It's all yesterday's guys, and it's hard to lure them into a surprise attack like they did yesterday. \"

The young man points to the upper left corner of the page he is showing. Fan's eyes turned, and I checked again. [Guild Name: Wind Forest Volcano], members are Klein, Kalu, Zhan Yu, Akuto, Ottola, and Taurus. One of the Taurus has already fulfilled the purpose in Fan's hands, but there are still five left.

The young man thought it would be difficult to attack five people by surprise, but Fan had the opposite idea.

"It doesn't matter if it's five or six people, for Yuna's sake, I can bear it. And it's not just this, there's one more, more for Yuna. He must have a memory, and he is not the same as the Taure, who can move. ", but he must have seen Yuna under the same order."

"Should I target them?"

"No, right now I'm still prioritizing these guys. But I'm sure they'll show up eventually. When the time comes, I will crush them and take them away. That's great, Eiji Eiji. \"

Although there may be some personal feelings, whatever is said is the best. If they look at Yuna the same way, they will get what they need.

There's no reason not to target them, and Van can fight a decent fight. No, it would be overwhelming.

Young man - Eiji turned to Fan.

"Yes, for now, let's focus on the goal at hand. I'll ask you to do it again today, ne mo. ”

When I called out Fan's pseudonym, Fan/Nemo looked up.

"You scumbags, just stood by and didn't save Yuna. And what you have is what you should give back to Yuna. ”

I'm going to beat you damn sister, you, and your damn brother. ”

At around 8:50 p.m., Asuna left the house. Normally I don't go out at this time, but tonight I have something to do, so I can go out.

When I entered a large park a little further from home, I noticed that there were a lot of people. They were young people my age or a little older than me. It seems like everyone is the same as me, in order to achieve the same goal. As proof of this, the young men wore Augmar, a white machine that resembles a walkie-talkie, on their left ear.

It's not uncommon for young people to gather around eight o'clock in Tokyo, but it's never so hot that you think it's daytime. However, the atmosphere of this vast sports park and the enthusiasm of young people make it seem like daytime.

"After all, there are quite a lot of people, so I guess they are all looking for heroic apostles." \"

A voice answered Asuna's question. This is the familiar tone of the boy.

"There's no doubt about it, I'm afraid everyone is here to fight against the Heroic Apostle."

If you look to the right, you will see a little boy with chestnut hair and amber eyes, just like you, except for the silver tip. The boy in the clothes worn by a ten-year-old boy was Jupiter, the son of Asuna.

The "Heroic Apostle" referred to by Jupiter is a boss monster that appears on the Ordinal Ladder, and shares the same traits as Jupiter's sister and best friend, Lilan.

Compared to other boss monsters, its strength is quite strong and its stats are high, but if you can successfully defeat it, you can get a lot of points and coupons, and it also has the advantage of increasing your ranking. The risks are high in battle, but the rewards are high when you win.

In order to fight and win against this heroic apostle, Ordinal scale players actively participate in the event battle where the boss monster appears. The players gathered here must also be young people who have come to find the 'Heroic Apostle'.

\"But Mom, is what Kirito said true? \"

The answer to Jupiter's question is why Asuna is here. In the Ordinal-scale boss battle held yesterday in Tokyo, the "Heroic Apostle" appeared. Kirito They are the ones who fought against the 'Apostle of the Brave', and Kirito reports something he is curious about.

While fighting the "Apostle of Heroes", a player shouted "Switch" to him.

"Switch" is a combat term whose meaning is known only to SAo survivors, while players of other games cannot. There's also a book called "The Complete SAo Event Logs", but it doesn't mention the word "transformation", so even if you read the book, you won't be able to learn anything about the internal combat. Details of the so-called capture group.

However, they know this, which means that the player is likely to be a SAo survivor like them, or someone with the same ambitions. This is Kirito's report.

And that player may be fighting for the 'Heroic Apostle', and if they encounter the 'Heroic Apostle', they may be able to do the same.

If all goes well, I might be able to hear your story. Because they are two people who have overcome the same death. With that in mind, Asuna went to see the ordinal-scale boSS battle that was taking place in this park tonight.

To be honest, I'm not interested in either the "Heroic Apostle" or the blessings Yuna gave me. I'm here to meet players who might be SAo survivors.

"I don't know. But I don't think Kirito-kun is lying. So I'm sure he'll be here. If we meet, we'll talk."

"Oh, Asuna! \"

Suddenly called, Asuna turned her head in surprise. At night, two figures walk near the entrance to the park. One is a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes, which is rare among Japanese girls, with a short bob, and the other is black hair between short and medium-long hair, tied to sideburns with a white ribbon. Black eyes.

One of the SAo survivors and his close friends are Takemiya Takemiya, Kotone Kotone, Asada Asada and Shino Shino. The sound of the qin is waving in this direction, and it seems that the owner of the sound is the sound of the sound.

\"Shina, piano sound! "I was surprised and relieved by the sudden appearance of my friends. Asuna walked up to the two of them with joy in her heart. Of course, the same is true of Jupiter. Jupiter greeted the two first.

\"Good evening, Sister Shino, Sister Qinyin. \"

The two greeted Jupiter firmly: "Good evening, Jupiter. Asuna called for the two to take over.

"It's unusual for two people to come."

"Most unexpectedly, Asuna also came. Asuna is also here to play the ordinal number battle, right? \"

Asuna nodded to Kotone.

"Yes, ordinal scales. The two of you too. ”

"Of course that's right. ' What is the 'Heroic Apostle'? When I heard that there would be such a rare boss monster, I wanted to participate in the boss battle. ”

In VRmmo, Kotone calls herself a treasure hunter and actually enjoys finding treasures and rare items. For her, rare things are treasures, and she can't help but look for them. I like that even though the stage is reality, his attitude hasn't changed.

"So when I came here, I met Shino on the way, and it was the biggest surprise."

Asuna also turned her attention to Shino, who Kotone told. It would be fine if Kirito was with them, but it was surprising that Shino was the only one who came.

"Well, I wanted to participate too, so I came. And then the piano was there, so we got together. ”