"Then, please make a request to me on the 29th."

"Okay, look forward to it."

Hearing me say this, Shino smiled happily.

Then I started eating the breakfast Shino had made for me. However, one day, Shino starts looking around, and Kirito is curious and shouts to her.

\"Huh? Shiina, what's wrong? \"

Shino suddenly stopped her movements and turned to face Kirito. Just look down a little bit and you're good to go.

"Hey, Kirito. \"

"Yes?"

"Maybe one day this will become normal for us."

“？”

Shino looked up. Her cheeks are slightly pink.

"I think if we get together and start living together, mornings like today will become the norm. I'm here, Kirito is too, and we're preparing breakfast together. \"Then the two of us eat\"

Kirito couldn't help but listen carefully. Shino continued.

"I'm so happy now, I'm usually alone, making breakfast by myself and eating breakfast by myself, but now that you're here, I'll make breakfast with you and eat breakfast with you." Although it will only last for about a week now, I will be really happy if days like today become commonplace in the future"

Shino is always alone. Now that I have friends, I don't have to do it anymore, but I basically cook and eat by myself in the morning and evening. That's her daily routine.

That's why Shino is so happy every morning and evening when she's with her – that's what Shino told me silently.

Kirito felt a heat in his chest and immediately got up from his chair and put his hand on Shino's hand on the table. Just after Shino was stunned, Kirito immediately opened his mouth.

"I can do it. Well, I'll make it clear. ”

"Can you promise me?"

"I promise. Someday, I'll make this a part of my daily routine. ”

Shino nodded deeply, and although it was quiet, he looked happy and smiled. Shino was there in the morning and in the evening, eating with me. For me, I couldn't be happier. I can't live without it, I can't help but get it.

I have one more goal in my mind, and it has a lot of goals.

"Shina, are they fighting here? \"

"Yes. It's a very fun activity. ”

After breakfast, Kirito rode his motorcycle and Shino on his back and walked towards the streets of Tokyo. The place they arrived at was Yoyogi Park near Harajuku Station. Yesterday Shino went there alone to participate in the boss battle of the ordinal battle, and today Kirita and Shino are still planning to go on a date here.

The sky is clear and blue, with a beautiful contrast to the white clouds. The view of lush greenery in front of the new green leaves in April is perfect for going out or walking, not for a date. In fact, there are many people who think the same way, including parents, children, and couples everywhere.

What a peaceful, serene sight it was—I couldn't believe it had turned into a battlefield yesterday. I left my parked bike and walked towards the central plaza. That's where poetry is where they fought.

"I saw on the ordinal scale news that Yuna was here yesterday as well, and there must have been a lot of players."

"Well, I think there are quite a few players. Asuna, Jupiter, and Kotone all joined. \"

"Those three are here too? It's weird. ”

"It's not surprising. Asuna and Jupiter are very close to my house, and Kotone says that the monster itself is a treasure. \"

Shino talked about their situation as if she suddenly realized something.

"By the way, Ryutaro from Kazan in the wind forest, they are also here. It seems that they are very motivated. ”

Kirito couldn't help but take his eyes off Shino and smiled bitterly. Ryutaro and others in Kazan in the wind forest took the opportunity of the scene of Yuna kissing the day before to show the momentum and energy of the ordinal scale boss battle.

He must have come here yesterday to receive the greatest blessing he received the day before yesterday due to force majeure, Yuna's kiss.

"But in the end, he didn't come to fight the boss, he said that there was some reason why he didn't come."

"Why don't you come alone? I'm guessing you're inconvenient. ”

"I think so. Well, if the "Heroic Apostle" comes out again, it will come out. ”

Shino's statement feels apt. For Shino, the people of "Kazan in the Wind Forest" must have understood that it was acceptable to treat them so roughly.

Looking at the temperature difference between ordering French toast and agreeing to eat breakfast together, Kirito couldn't help but smile bitterly. The day when Ryutaro and his friends will be rewarded by Shino will never come.

- No, he shouldn't have come. Because poetry has herself.

Just as I was thinking about it again, my smartphone started to vibrate. When I picked it up and checked it, I saw a message from Easy Conversation Chat SNS. The sender is Lilan and it reads: "Activate Augmar. ”

Kirito couldn't help but frown. I said to Lilan in advance, "I had an appointment with Shino this morning, so I can't make any plans. "However, if Lilan sends me a message like this, it means that something has happened. We cannot rule out the possibility of an emergency.

Kirito shows Shino the monitor while taking out Ogma and activating it. There, the virtual world is layered slightly into the real world

"Wow, ah, ah, ah!?"

Suddenly, when nothing happened, the roaring face of a huge white wolf appeared in front of me. Moreover, the tips of their noses are almost in a position where they touch each other. Kirito exclaimed and fell to the ground with his buttocks. Shino next door was also quite surprised.

Ordinal ranks are where monsters that can't exist in the real world appear. The monster in front of me is most likely an ordinal scale monster, but I don't remember activating it. So what exactly is this?

"Don't give up! It's familiar to you.

Soon, I heard a "voice" echoing directly in my head. The familiar voice of an old woman. Kirito was startled by the sound and recognized the white giant wolf in front of him again. It wasn't a giant wolf, but a wolf dragon with a golden mane and wings reminiscent of human blonde.

"Lilan"

The wolf dragon summoned by Kirito emitted a less intense light and changed her appearance into a girl with long blond hair and red eyes. The girl is none other than Lilan, who is calling to Kirito on her smartphone SNS, but she immediately folds her arms and shows an annoyed expression.

"It's too late to start Ogma now. And you've come so far, I don't know how many Ogma Line drones I've crossed from your house, because you haven't transplanted us to Ogma yet. ”

When Lilan comes out, Kirito is angry and immediately makes a sarcastic comment.

"You, I have a date with Shino today, so I asked you not to disturb me. But you showed up at noon and surprised me. When did you become an 'acquaintance'? "Don't you listen to Master? What happened!? ”

"It's all your fault, because you don't participate in the Ordinal scale, so I can't fight to my heart's content in this unknown world. I'm tired of hunting monsters in SAo and am now playing with the expansion update. Wait a minute! Because I can't enjoy the ordinal number battle, I'm full of frustration and dissatisfaction! ”

"I've said before that I'm not a good fit for AR! Yesterday I had sore muscles! And I'm quickly getting tired of hunting monsters in SAo! This is too much! ”

"You say something like that!? Which mouth do you have, which mouth do you say such things!? ”

The date with Shino is interrupted, and Kirito is furious beyond his imagination. Just as the argument with Lilan was about to heat up, I suddenly felt a shock and a slight pain in my head. I heard a very nice thump and gently hugged my head.

The direction of pain is the direction where Shino is. When I turned around, Shiina's posture was the same as after the slash with both hands. He looked disappointed. I noticed that Lilan was holding her head in the same way.

"You two, tonight we're going to have a boss fight at the ordinal level. Kirito should address his lack of exercise, and Lilan should address his dissatisfaction with his demands. So don't argue here, okay? ”

yes

Both Kiritoro and Lilan calm down and act like children who have been scolded by their mothers or female teachers. We plan to perform an ordinal game tonight with the Beast Tamer and the Demon Pet. This plan satisfies Lilan, but Kirito is not.

After the heat of the battle cooled down, Shino asked Lilan.

"So, Lilan, you called just because you really wanted to come out in real life, and you don't have anything else to deal with?"

"Oh, yes. While I was researching the ordinal table, Yui and Strea each brought information to report it. \"

Kirito frowned again. Is this information important?

"Is this important enough to interrupt our date?"

\"That's right. This will be an important topic for you and your .o. survivors. \"

I couldn't help but react to Lilan. This is an important story for SAo survivors and a word that should not be overlooked. That alone made me realize that I had discovered something special.

"Is this important for SAo survivors?" \"

\"Ahh Let's gather all in one place. A more appropriate one would be "SAo". \"

"That's right. Our house at SAo would be a great meeting place. ”

"Let's start at 3:00 p.m. At 3:00 p.m., we will return to SAo's home. ”

It's a holiday, so everyone else can meet at SAo except Andrew/Egil, who runs the shop, and Nijika/Lilan, who works part-time. There, he hears that Lilan and his friends have found it, and then returns to the ordinal scale.

"Lilan?"

While Kirito was making a plan in his mind, it was Shino's voice that called him back. She tilted her head and looked at Lilan. As for Lilan, he still looked stiffly behind Kirito.

"Lilan—"

Before Kirito could turn around, Lilan took a step forward and pushed Kirito to the right. When Shino and I were both surprised, I turned to look at Lilan, and then I was surprised again.

A man appeared at Lilan's feet. The man was right in his ass. He seemed surprised.

"Eh, what!?"

"What are you? What does it mean to suddenly appear near us? ”

Riran's lips furrowed, showing a look of wariness, and he was about to approach the person. Although he didn't understand why he suddenly appeared, Kirito understood that Lilan's defense was too much, so Kirito shouted for Lilan to stop.

Seeing that Lilan was no longer vigilant, Kirito gently stretched out his hand to the other party.

"I'm sorry, this guy scared me, are you okay?"

She wears a white cloak with a pronounced pale green rim and the hood is pulled down deeply, but when I gaze at it, I see that she has feminine features. Her red eyes were different from Lilan's, and her silver hair was different from Jupiter's, which caught my eye.

The woman didn't answer and tried to shake Kirito's hand, but her hand slipped out of Kirito's hand.

"Huh?"

Kirito had nothing but surprise. Shino and Lilan were equally surprised. It was clear that he had just touched the woman, but he didn't feel the touch and walked through. It's like a phantom or ghost.

As if realizing something, the imaginary woman crouched down again and made a motion that seemed to pick up something. If you look closely, there is no shadow under the woman's feet. Although bathed in light, there is no shadow, and it looks like a ghost.

Finally, the woman made a gesture that seemed to pick up something that had fallen on the ground, and then quickly stood up to face Kirito. Kirito's lips moved when they met his own.

Saget

The woman didn't say anything, but her lips already carried the message.

Look for? What? Do you want me to find something?

The woman took her head away from Kirito, who had a questioning face, and her whole body was surrounded by light and disappeared. The foreign object that suddenly appeared disappeared, and Kirito, Shino, and Lilan stayed where they were.

What's that, exactly? There was indeed a woman there, but I couldn't touch her or hear her. Then it suddenly appears and then suddenly disappears. There is nothing to correspond to except ghosts.

"Kirito, who are you now?" "Together with Shino who came over, I turned off Ogma's power. Even if the first layer of the virtual world is lifted, the woman just now is gone. Today's women, like Lilan, exist in the virtual world.

After turning the power back on, I asked about Lilan, who was now visible.

"Lilan, how are you doing now?"

"I don't know. When I noticed it, I was right behind you. But unless you're wearing an ogma, it seems invisible. ”

Zhilan seems to be saying that she is the same as him, but the truth is certainly different. To confirm this, Kirito placed his hand on the top of Lilan's head. I could feel the warmth of Lilan's hair in my hands.

Lilan stayed as she was and turned to Kirito. I could feel the nice feeling of Rilan's beautiful hair rubbing against my palms.

"You didn't touch that guy."

"Ahh I didn't feel anything when I touched it, and it slipped away. Also, there are no shadows, and there are no NPC tags, so it's an electronic ghost, a digital ghost. ”

"Do ghosts really have such a thing?"

Shino's question is justified. They say there are ghosts and stuff like that, but that's unscientific. Magic, parascience, even Ogmar reality, but I can't grasp the meaning of these things.

Anyway, I can't figure it out either.

"Lilan, is there a story about a female ghost appearing in Yogi Park during the Ogma era?"

"Let's look into it. But it's a weird machine when you say that. ”

Kirito and Shino tilted their heads again.

"Good morning, Mormenji Yuki. \"

Kaimu Shiramine is visiting the ward of Yokohama Kohoku General Hospital. He was called by his sister, who lives in the ward, and the view from the window is not bad.

As soon as I opened the side sliding door, my sister came out to greet me.

"Mom and Dad, good morning!"

He was about the same height as I was, with almost shoulder-length brown black hair. Cute girl with round eyes,?? Wearing a white headband given by her parents. That girl is Konno Konno's Motomaki Yuki, and she became her sister.

The two people behind him returned the salute to Momoki, who was showing his vitality. They are parents. Normally only Umim would come here, but today, at Mokinaki's request, all three of them came here.

Eventually, her mother snuggled up to Motoki and patted her on the head.

"Mokinataki, you're feeling much better, your body seems to be getting stronger."

"yes. Thanks to my recovery, my condition has improved. ”

"If this continues, I will be discharged from the hospital in about a month, and I am looking forward to that time."

When his father smiled at Momuhi, Momuhi smiled in return. After Motoki's AIDS was cured by Kaiki's bone marrow transplant, Motoki finally managed to get out of the sterile room and was transferred to this ward. He has not yet been discharged from the hospital.

Although he no longer suffers from AIDS, Motoki has been connected to the medical long body for more than three years, unable to move his body and in need of long-term rehabilitation. Although he is making good progress with the help of doctors, he is still not to the point where he can fully go out and walk. The current situation is that Mo Mu can only be taken care of by this hospital.

"I will do my best to recover and hope to go home as soon as possible!"

Hearing Mo Mu's words, her parents laughed. Mokinataki's problem is not just rehabilitation, but also family registration. Momu's sister and parents have died, leaving her a de facto orphan.

Moreover, the house where Benshu used to live was demolished by relatives who had unjustified hatred for Benshu and his family as soon as they came out of the sterile room. His family died, he was homeless, and even after being discharged from the hospital, Motoki had nowhere to go.

However, the parents went through the process of adopting Motomuki to the Hakurei family. As a result, Motoki became Hakurei's child, Kaimeng's unrelated sister, one of the children of Kaimeng's parents, and the home she should return to is Kaimeng's home.

The smile that bloomed on Benki's face when he heard the story lingered in Umim's mind.

"Try to rejuvenate yourself, Mahogany. Otherwise, you won't be able to dance as a shrine maiden of Hakurei. \"

"I'm going to dance! I want to be a shrine maiden dancing in Kyoto's main shrine. Also travel around Kyoto with Ichiya N! \"

Umi was surprised. My body suddenly became hot. Just now, Motoki pointed to the sea and said, "Little brother." "Indeed, since becoming a child of Hakurei, Kaimu has become Mokinaki's older brother.

But maybe because of what happened before, when my mom called me "brother", I felt embarrassed and itchy, and I just couldn't stand it. So Kaimu always said to Momu: "Don't call me little brother. ”

\"So, Kitaki, you don't have to call me brother! \"

"Uh, why? I'm my parents' child, right? So I'm my sister and I'm Umim's sister. Is there anything wrong with calling me brother and sister? \"

Kitaki, who laughed mischievously, apparently came here on purpose. Instead of having a conversation through a probe, he talks directly to Kida Kiki in the real world, interacts with him, and is teased. This became the new daily routine.

My mom and dad were smiling happily. This is probably the last time I've seen my sisters like this since they were alive. However, for Umime, the first task now is to stop Motoki from calling his sister.

"Anyway, stop calling me little brother! Then why do you still call me Mom and Dad? I'm not alone. \"

The topic transition went smoothly. Mizuki and his parents both looked aware. Soon, Mom asked Mo Mu.

\"Yes, Mokinataki, usually, why include us as well? \"

Mo Mu suddenly laughed and picked up a device on the shelf next to the bed. That ring-shaped thing is the Amusphere, and Umi uses it as a matter of course. Born from the Medical Cube, Mokinataki was given Amusphere as its successor.

I put on the Amusphere and lay down on the bed while opening it. Mo Mu shouted to the three people who tilted their heads.

"Guys, I called you in advance, do you have Ogma?"

When Mokinaki suddenly became polite, Umu took Ogma out of his pocket. Augmar is very useful and much cheaper than Amusphere, so my parents both bought it and used it every day.

Mokinataki's request today is to remember to bring that Augmar.

"I brought it, but what happened to it?"

Mokinataki replied in response.

"I want you to activate Ogmar at the same time that I said the link was activated, and by then, the Magic Show of the Century was about to begin??"

I couldn't help but tilt my head as usual. Although it claims to be the magic show of the century, it's hard to say what they'll do. Kitaki is an incomprehensible and incomprehensible girl. Now, though, I'm following the sound and putting on the Augmar and getting ready to start it.

"Let's go, let's get started!"

According to Mokinaki's voice, Umim and her parents activated Ogma. The scene looks like a little element has been added from the virtual world to the real world, but nothing has changed. To put it bluntly, it's like Mokinataki diving into the virtual world.

“？

At that moment, the three of us tilted our heads again.

Mizuki, who was supposed to enter the virtual world through Amusphere, was woken up by a loud voice. Sure enough, all three of us raised our voices in surprise. What's more, the surprising thing continues, and Motoki gets up from the bed.

Motoki is still sleeping in bed. However, right in front of me, Motoki was standing by the bed. - Mokinataki split into two people.

The whole family was amazed and confused. It's beyond imagination, like Mokinaki becoming another ego. What happened?

"What do you think of this magic?"

Motoki stood on the edge of the bed, his hands on his hips, and a smug expression on his face. I just said I'd do it.

"Mokinataki, what's wrong? Moki Nataky is sleeping in bed, and Moki Nataki is also here? \"

Kaiki also thought of her father's confusion, but before she could hear it, she walked over to Motoki beside the bed. With that, I covered my face with both hands, as if Mokinaki was coming towards me in the virtual world.

"Woo, goo, goo!? \"

It makes you cramped and uneasy, as you always have. With each movement, I can clearly feel the warmth and touch of the skin in the palm of my hand. It must have been the softness and warmth of Mokinataki's face. Of course Mo Mu is here, but Mo Mu is sleeping in bed. I don't understand at all.

"Mokinataki, what's going on? Why are you doing this? No, how do you do it? ”

When Motoki removed Umim's hand with both hands, it was actually removed. Mo Mu looked a little unhappy, and then explained.

As it turns out, Lilan and Jupiter modified the special application installed in Mokinaki's Amusphere to be able to perform the real-world look that Lilan and Yui were doing. By activating this feature, Kitaki was able to dive in the hospital and be able to approach.

"Lilan, they did it for me."

"Yes. Now I can do ordinal scales without worrying about recovery. ”

Because Mokinataki's body needs to be rehabilitated, she can't participate even if she wants to participate in the currently popular ordinal scale. However, by using this app, you can participate in an ordinal scale during your hospital stay.

When I asked if I could go to the real world to do something like this while I was in the hospital, Lilan and Jupiter started work late last night and delivered items early in the morning. When I tried it, Mokinataki told me it worked very well.

"I see. Is that why you called us? ”

"Yes, I can fly anywhere the Ogma Line drone is now, so from today onwards I will be happy to help you, umim."

Mokinataki said with a smile on his face. So far, Kitaki can only see the real world through the detector, and can only be together in the virtual world.

However, starting today, we can be together by using Augmar. He was able to live with Momoki, who was supposed to be in the hospital.

The sea, which had a strong sense of joy in his heart, also smiled like Mo Mu.

"Nice to meet you, Mokinataki!"

Her parents laughed along with Umime, and so did Momu.

"Klein of the Wind Forest Volcano, is that all?"

Eiji muttered to himself as he crossed out the book in his hand with a red pen. Inside there was a statement from the leader of Frin Kazan, Klein, as well as information from his friends. Yesterday's battle, we managed to recapture it from these guys. Things are going well.

"They get along well, Eiji."

Eiji heard a voice confirming his thoughts and turned to face him. Fan and Yuna were also present. Yuna held the glass jar filled with gold beads and smiled with satisfaction.

"Yes, yes, that's all I had yesterday!"

Yuna looked happily inside the glass jar. Looking at the more and more golden beads that could be seen outside the glass, Eiji couldn't help but smile. This is nothing more than proof that the plan is working.

Van immediately walked up to him, stretched, and began to read the book in his hand.

"The amazing thing about Kazan is that they didn't do much. Sure enough, people who are immersed in VR are very weak if they are singled out. ”

"Is it because of this? We got very little money from the Kazan gang in the wind forest. ”

Indeed, they succeeded in recapturing it from the Wind Forest Volcano, but the amount captured was lower than Eiji's expectations. I thought I could get more. This is where things don't go well with Yui.

I think it's because they're weak in terms of AR. Fan denied this.

"It's okay with this. Originally, the Flint Kazan guys didn't have a very strong memory. The reason I didn't get much information from Klein was probably because he saw the simulated experience. ”

"So, does that mean we should target people with strong memories?"

Fan asked Younger to turn the page. So, Eiji turned the page and stopped somewhere. Just as I was about to recite what was written on it

"'When I draw two swords and fight, and the white dragon reigns, victory is certain.' How cool is that! ”

It was Yuna who said it first. He smiled, as if he had seen something funny. However, neither Eiji nor Fan felt that way. She was staring at the pages with the exact opposite expression to Yuna.

"That's what we're supposed to be aiming for, Fan. \"

\"Ahh The second leader of the Knights of the Blood Pact, the hero of SAo, and the crusader of the "Runaway Man". With such a title, this guy deserves it. \"

The dual-wielding swordsman and wolf dragon envoy who unwittingly replaced himself as the guild leader is said to have cleared SAo in the same way. It is impossible for such a person to be without what they want. Eiji has already come to a conclusion.

"Also, you can get it from the vice-captain who is close to this guy - and you can get it from your damn sister and brother."

Fan's voice and atmosphere were unusually aggressive. It's like finding an enemy to defeat.

"Sister Groove and Brother Groove are already very strong, and Sister Groove is too strong. But, Fan, are you still going to fight? ”

"The fact that I was weak is a story of the past. And what happened was because my rotten sister and my rotten brother didn't do what they were supposed to do in the past. It's not just the two of them, it's my sister who survived. ”。 You too! ”

Fan was angry. When Van talks about his older sister and older brother, there's a good chance this will happen. That's how Fan hated him, hated his sister and brother.

Eiji thought the same thing. The tragedy happened because of Fan's sister, brother, and other players. I can totally understand how Fan feels.

If I were the 'Beast Tamer' and Fan was the 'Emissary', then there would be no more 'Beast Tamers' and 'Emissaries' as close as me. That's why Eiji can't help but feel that he can win.

With Van we will take back what we need to get back.

"yes, tonight's task is big, wait for me."

Eiji glared at the open page.

\"The Second Commander of the Blood Pact Knights, the Black Dragon Swordsman Kirito\"

That's how it's written.

After the date, Kirito and Shino go home together and devote themselves to SAo.

There, Asuna, Lizbet, Sirika, Filia, Diabel, Alice, Jupiter, Kem, and Yuki had gathered on the first floor of Kirito/Kiriri's house. The three girls who called, Lilan, Yui, and Streya, gathered all the people they could, showed me a chart, and told me what they had found.

They found that the Ordinal-scale boss fight location had something in common with Old Ayn Grant. The terrain of the place where the 'Hero Apostle' appears in the Tokyo Ordinal Race is exactly the same as the terrain of the old Ayn Grant Labyrinth area.

The old Ayn Grant refers to the Ayn Grant set by SAo, not the Ayn Grant created in SAo. Here is the terrain of Old Ayn Grant, which used to be the scene of a game of death. For some reason, the ordinal scale "Heroic Apostle" overlaps where it appears.

No, to be precise, the 'Heroic Apostles' appear in the nearest parks and facilities that rival the terrain of the old Ayn Grant labyrinth area. That's what they told me.

Why does Old Ayn Grant's terrain overlap with where Ordinal Scales' 'Heroic Apostle' appears? Of course, Kirito also had such a question and asked Yui and Strea about it, but ?? They don't quite understand.

The answer returned is that at 21:00 today, there is a good chance that the Hero Apostle will appear at Ebisu Garden Plaza in Shibuya-ku, Tokyo.

The advantage is that you can get a lot of points and coupons in the battle with the "Hero Apostle", but if you continue to fight the "Hero Apostle", they may end up in overlapping areas Combined with the terrain of Old Ayn Grant, you might be able to guess the reason why they came - this is what Liland and the others told me.

If you know the location in advance, you can join the event with all your friends. Moreover, when fighting the 'Hero Apostle', there is a high probability that you will encounter Yuna. Cerica was the first to understand the story, and Lizbet and Asuna also expressed their desire to join the party and agreed.

Diabel and Filia, before deciding whether Yuna will show up or not, express their desire to fight the "Heroic Apostle" and decide to participate in the ordinal battle.

Of the three, Kirito, Shino, and Lilan, Shino volunteered to participate in the battle, while Kirita and Lilan decided to participate because they were going to fight on an ordinal scale. It was decided that everyone would gather at Yebisu Garden Plaza at 21:00 tonight.

Once the schedule was set, the moderator moved to Alice. Alice, who is on midterm vacation, is doing her homework on Seven and says that she is analyzing Ogma.

First of all, the assignment I gave Seven was to convert the prime and tier. They are "cyber beings" created by Alice, who are actually her daughters. They can only be implemented in "SAo" and cannot be converted to other games like Lilan and Yui. It is said that they were locked in this "SAo".

All Alice asks Seven to do is unlock it and allow them to switch to other games. Seven is happy to be able to challenge Alice/Airi Serizawa, who is said to be Akihiko Kayaba's right-hand man, and is said to lock himself in the laboratory and try to unlock the lock that makes him Marie and the rank.

Lilan and the others explain that Marie and Tia are not here because they are trying to unlock Seven.

Then Alice gets to business. Apparently she was trying to analyze Ogma's core program. At the time, Streya, who worked with him, discovered an unidentified program in Augmar's core program.

Of course, Alice apparently analyzed the program with Streya, but in the end they couldn't figure out its true identity.

"Isn't that program dangerous? Diaberu, who has been thinking about the safety of everything since he was at SAo, asked, and Alice replied: "I can't say because the real identity is like this. \"It hasn't been cracked yet. However, this program is the reason. No serious issues have been reported, so Augmar is safe. ”

It's true that Augmar doesn't have the ability to burn the user's brain like Nerve Gear, nor does it have the ability to continuously scan the user's brain to contain the user's memories and personality within itself. There were also no reports in the news about the problems, incidents or accidents caused by Augmar. Augmar is a safe machine. Kirito and others also came to this conclusion.

The conversation returned to the boss fight of the "oral scale", and it was decided to meet at Ebisu Garden by 9 o'clock tonight, and the members were Asuna, Lizbet, Sirika, Filia, Diabel, and Alice. Jupiter, Keim, Yuki, Lilan, Shino, and Kirito gathered to watch the game.

Unusually, however, Klein was not there. Klein, who came to Yoyogi Park yesterday for the Ordinal scale, ended up not participating and did not appear until today.

It's possible that he's having an ordinal-rank battle somewhere, but Kirito senses that something is bothering him and asks Lilan to contact Klein. Even when the phone rang, Klein didn't answer.

In desperation, Lilan continues to contact the real-life Egil/Andrew via SNS and asks him to check on Klein's condition.

After that, we split up to enjoy the day on our respective days off, and then we all gathered at Ebisu Garden Plaza. Ebisu Garden place, which opens before 9 p.m. on Sundays, was originally frequented by couples and single adults rather than families.

But now, no one is allowed to enter except for those who participate in the ordinal race, and the road is closed. The young people gathered at the end of the road were all Ordinal Rank players, and Kirito was among them.

"I'm very happy to be able to work with Kirito-san. \"

\"I didn't expect Kirito, who was completely indoors, to appear. Isn't it going to snow tomorrow? \"

When Sirika and Lizbet sat down on the stairs, Kirito could only reply with a complicated smile. To be honest, he didn't want to play this kind of game that required him to move his body, but since Shino scolded him, he had no choice but to do it.

In Kirito's opinion, it was Lilan who was enjoying this state.

"I'm so happy that I can fight in this new world, how long have I been waiting for this moment?"

"Hmm. If Amusphere works, Lilan can go anywhere, right? But he can't get out? ”

The person who answered Filia's question was Liran's brother Jupiter.

"We, the demons, are the players who become beast tamers. If someone else is playing another game, that match will be prioritized. That's why my sister can't go to the order rank, because Kirito's older brother prioritizes SAo. ”

"What I want to do is an "ordinal scale", not a "SAo". But because Kirito was locked up and kept playing "SAo", I couldn't play "ordinal scale" at all. \"

Lilan looked at me with a displeased expression.

Even if you say that, I'm not good at sports, so I don't find ordinal tables interesting. To be honest, I'm not interested in the "Heroic Apostle" at all, and I don't think you get any good scores. If Shino hadn't scolded me today, I wouldn't have come here.

Filia shouted to Kirito who was thinking about it.

"Kirito doesn't look like he's languishing because he doesn't go out and doesn't exercise. \"

"I think what makes me unique is that I can fight with all my might in VRmmo."

"Kirito-kun, you're not very picky. You have a strong heart to enjoy sports and fitness to get your body moving. You have to think that that alone is a good thing. \"

\"yes, Kirito has to do his best. When I am discharged from the hospital, I will take care of Kirito. \"

Adding to this sentence are Alice and Yuki.

Since Araki's body had not yet recovered enough to play the ordinal rank, she used Amusphere to become an electronic being like Lilan and Jupiter, Yui and Streya, and came here.

However, her appearance is not the long purple hair found in VRmmo, but a combination of dark brown semi-long hair and a futuristic purple uniform. This is what she really is.

\"Wouldn't it be embarrassing if you were surpassed by the previous patient Kirito? \"

Kem unleashed more poison. In the Ordinal scale, his body size is fixed to be the same as the real world, so he is now the Chibi Kaiki as Kirito sees. Even though they're the same age as me, they're almost the same size as Yuki and Celica, which feels weird.

Kirito understands this and argues with Kem while laughing.

"Aren't you, Keim? You also didn't say how many ordinal battles you played. Maybe you're ranked lower than me."

Umiki opened the window with a blank expression, allowing an object to appear and pushing it in front of Kirito.

That's Kem's own ranking - he's more than two thousand higher than Kirito's.

"Kirito, you've lost to the little guy in front of you now. \"

Kirito was taken aback and tried to reach out to Kaimeng.

"What's the matter, my best friend, aren't you an otaku like me?"

"Yuki said she wanted to see the ordinal scale up close, so I held the probe firmly in place and played the ordinal scale. By the way, from today onwards, I will be immersed in ordinal scales with Araki, so I will "do more." I think it will go up. ”

I didn't expect to be overtaken by Kem, who was supposed to be an interior type like me. Sure enough, Kirito lost his face and hung his shoulders in disappointment.

However, a short time later, I heard a loud bang and looked up.

Just as I looked up, I saw several shadows running in the night sky. After a while, I also saw a small red and green light. This is an airplane. But it's already fast for airliners. Only a fighter can reach such speeds.

"Is this a fighter jet?"

Answering Kirito's question was Diabel. His hairstyle is exactly the same as in VRmmo, but the color is pitch black. When I think of Diaberu, I think of his blue hair, so the first time I see him, it gives a refreshing feeling.

"That's right. Test flights are underway for drones from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and the US Air Force. There are also Ogma's linear drones. ”

I heard this story from Spiegel, who logged into SAo a while ago.

At present, with the development and growth of the oral scale and VRmmo, the AI industry has also made remarkable progress. Although he didn't go as far as Hiran and Yui and others, he was not only able to carry out pre-arranged tasks, but he was also able to learn and make decisions on the spot based on the data collected so far. It is said that things are turning out like this.

Thanks to this, driverless taxis equipped with artificial intelligence are now operating all over Tokyo without any incidents and drones flying in the sky. Augmar's linear drone is one of them.

In addition, for these drones, courier companies are also trying to load packages onto drones and fly them to specific locations. It seems that his performance is not bad, and he may be officially hired in about a year.

It is said that drones and unmanned vehicles will eventually become unmanned tanks, unmanned combat aircraft, and unmanned fighters on the battlefield, replacing human combat.

Humans will no longer hurt or kill each other on the battlefield, only machines cooler than humans will need to fight, Spiegel said passionately.

"It's a drone, huh? I am sure that its creation and mass production is done by robots equipped with artificial intelligence. ”

"Not only drones and unmanned vehicles, but also industrial factories are increasingly moving in this direction. The same is true for the Augmar we use, and the same is true for the Amusphere, which is made in the kingdom of robots, an automated machine factory. "Shipping. Robots are the best employees, they don't complain, and they don't need a salary. ”

This sentence was said by Alice, and her tone was typical.

Indeed, robots equipped with artificial intelligence can work all year round without getting tired, and employees who only need a few shifts can handle maintenance work. For companies and managers, it is a matter of aspiration and fulfillment.

More than a decade ago, robots were only introduced on an experimental basis, but now we are in an era where robots and artificial intelligence can help humans to the greatest extent possible – mainly as subordinate employees of companies and managers.

"But my father and brother don't think so. They say that AI and robots should be able to share interesting memories and happiness with humans, just like Jupiter and Lilan. The same goes for robots. AI should also be an entity that makes humans happy so that we can be happily together"

Asuna said with a slightly serious expression. Jupiter, Lilan, and Alice were the first to turn, followed by Kirito and the others. The expression on Asuna's face was precisely because she had almost mourned Jupiter twice.

And artificial intelligence developer Alice also affirmed what was out of her mouth.

"Hey, the president of Rector hasn't given up on me either. That's right, Asuna. Artificial intelligence and robots are not just used and used by humans. Like you said, they should exist as something that can live with humans. "It's like my kids. ”

Kirito and his friends turn to Alice's children. Lilan, Jupiter, Yui, Streya, Prime Minister, Tia – they were born and born to heal the human spirit and live with humanity. These women are now far more advanced in every way than the AI created by any company.

Seeing them like this, Alice continued.

"However, the robot Tong AI was created by people who only think about using things and making short-term profits, so AI like these kids will never emerge. If they only think about short-term profits, you will never reach the realm of these children. You have such children, so you have to take care of them. ”

In fact, Lilan and his friends were created by Alice and Akihiko Kayaba, two scientists who pursue dreams that go beyond profit. That's why it's so emotional, so much understanding and love for humanity – it's fitting to be called 'Cyber Life Evolution Anima'. I can't imagine what it would be like not to take care of these girls.

"So, Yuna may have been created by someone for a purpose other than profit, like Lilan and them. I've heard that Yuna is an artificial intelligence, but I don't think that's the case. Or should I say so. ”

Celica asked them to raise their hands. Yuna, who is advertised as an AR idol and has a large number of fans, is declared to be an artificial intelligence, but some of her actions and words seem to surpass artificial intelligence. I thought it might have been Alice's doing, but Alice categorically denied it.

Judging by Alice's words, Yuna must be an artificial intelligence created by humans, not for profit. At that moment, I tried to think about what kind of thoughts she had in mind.

"Guys, let's get started!"

After hearing Shino's voice, the surrounding scenery suddenly changed completely. Buildings and shopping malls were transformed into castles inhabited by demons, and asphalt was replaced by cobblestones. The time was nine o'clock in the evening, and the hands pointed to twenty o'clock. The event battle began.

As the scenery in front of them turned into a dark and fantastical appearance, Kirito and the others took up their weapons and rushed towards the square. Around the same time, a voice was heard from above.

"Are you ready? Here we go! ”

"Yuu, Yuna! It's Yuna!! \"

Everyone looked up, and Sirika looked excited. It was Yuna who appeared on the hill. Not only Celica, but also the other players began to cheer. Everyone is excited about the arrival of their favorite heroine.

"Then the battle begins! The music begins! ”

With Yuna's announcement, a light rose in the square in front of Kirito and the others. This is the effect of summoning the Sequential Scale Boss Monster. As the light faded, a new presence emerged.

- It's a wolf. But technically, it's not a wolf. It has a physique similar to that of a wolf, but without ears, and its profile resembles that of a dog's skull, to which muscles and skin are directly attached. There is no hair on the body, only white skin with patterns that resemble muscle fibers. And above its ferocious eyes were a pair of horns that resembled holy swords.

Its characteristics are exactly the characteristics of the 'Heroic Apostles'. Dilberu recognized the figure and raised his voice.

"Here it is, Heroic Apostle!"

"Yesterday and the day before yesterday, there was a heroic apostle in Yuna's place, is Yuna calling you?"

Kirito is also thinking about the question raised by Shino. The "Apostle of Heroes" reappeared, and so did Yuna. In this way, it appears that Yuna is acting with the "Heroic Apostle", or that the "Heroic Apostle" is acting with Yuna.

The Lord God is Yuna's preacher—isn't that what it means to be a 'heroic apostle'? Kirito thought to himself that something had run past him.

It's by the kee. She approaches the "Heroic Apostle" who appears with brisk movements, making it hard to believe that she is a former patient.

"First, come on!"

Sure enough, Yuki was the first to approach the Hero Apostle, and his one-handed sword was ready to strike, slashing at the Hero Apostle's face. Done. The Hero Apostle makes a strange sound and attacks Yuki with his claws, but Yuki dodges with his agile body.

"It's amazing, Ariki"

Kirito couldn't help but whisper. Is Yuki's action the result of the help provided by the app created by Lilan and Jupiter?

No, I don't think she'd do such an unfair thing. Perhaps, this is the athletic ability that her body already has. She's fast and strong in VRmmo, but Yuki is also fast and strong in real life.

The Hero Apostle targeted Yuki and attacked one after another with his claws and fangs. Its claws are unique because they emit blue light. That 'Heroic Apostle' should probably be called the 'Holy Claw Wolf'.

"I wasn't distracted!"

"We'll be here too!"

Lizbet and Diabel walked between the Holy Claw Wolf and Araki and raised their shields. The defense of the two, who had been fighting as tanks since SAo, easily blocked the attack of the Holy Claw Wolf.

It wasn't a parry, but being blocked made the Holy Claw Wolf lose its posture.

"This is it!"

"Yay!"

"Da!"

Filia, Sirika, and Kem immediately approached the Holy Claw Wolf and quickly attacked from the side, knocking the Holy Claw Wolf away.

The follow-up attack after blocking the boss's action caused praise and cheers from the people around him, but it was quickly stopped. The Holy Claw Wolf assumed a passive position in the air and landed without difficulty. It seems that the characteristic of the Holy Claw Wolf is that it is as agile as Yuki.

The Holy Claw Wolf surprised everyone around him and continued to bite, charging at breakneck speed. At this time, the three people who attacked earlier were Filia, Sirika, and Kem. Diabel and Lizzebet rushed in, but couldn't make it in time. There are no other tanks.

The saliva wolf's saliva fangs attacked the trio.

"So sweet! \"

"That's it! \"

Just as the Holy Claw Wolf's fangs were about to touch them, two huge shadows jumped out from between the three of them and the Holy Claw Wolf, intercepting the Holy Claw Wolf. There was a loud bang, it was dull, and the earth shook.

Appearing between the three of them was a huge white wolf dragon with the horns of the holy sword and the holy wings. Although it was smaller than the wolf dragon, its whole body was like that of a wolf, made of pale lightning energy, with metal bones exposed on its toes, head, and chest, and a pair of thick arms growing out of its shoulders. Two strange-looking monsters.

They are Kirito's "demon" Lilan and Asuna's "demon" Jupiter.

"Lilan, you're doing a great job!"

"Jupiter, great!"

Kirito and Asuna shouted "acquaintance" to each other as they approached the Holy Claw Wolf at the same time. Kirito slashed with all his might, and Asuna unleashed a sharp and powerful stab. At the same time, Lilan swings down with her front legs, and Jupiter throws a punch with an arm that grows out of his shoulder. Moreover, a large-caliber bullet was added from behind. It was an anti-materiel rifle that Shino had fired from the rear.

The Holy Claw Wolf was attacked by a total of five people at once, was blown away, and collided with the wall. It seemed certain that the shock was so great that he could not resist. And the reaction is also very strong, and it should be able to cause a lot of damage to the Holy Claw Wolf.

– The battle will continue.

The surrounding players seem to think the same way, and begin to approach the Holy Claw Wolf and shoot at it from behind. Everyone is excited about this battle against the "Heroic Apostles" on an ordinary scale.

In addition, Yuna's singing voice is also added to the bGm, which is particularly exciting. The battlefield was filled with exhilarating joy.

"Yes?"

However, Kirito found that only one of them was not excited. In a different direction of Shino, I saw a young man near the pillar behind me. A slightly taller man, dressed in a coat-like battle suit with purple light stripes on it.

It was the 'Dragon Trainer' who appeared in the battle the day before yesterday, and it must have been the same player that Asuna, Shiina, and Filia had also met yesterday. According to Asuna, Notilas, one of the members of the Knights of the Blood Pact.

Asuna also seemed to notice his presence, and the two approached the young man. As the two approached, the young man was still holding his arms and looking at the battlefield. Asuna shouted at the young man who looked like a statue from a different angle.

\"If I'm not mistaken, you're Lord Notilas of the Knights of the Blood Pact. \"

The young man no longer folded his arms, and his expression was a little disgusted.

"Deputy Head of Regiment, Miss Asuna, please don't call me that again. Now that's what I call it. \"

When the young man waved lightly, a window appeared in front of him.

Player name \"Eiji Era\"

Ranked second. This is a result that can be called a super celebrity on the ordinal table, but Kirito who saw this result was even more puzzled.

If this young man, Eiji, was really Notilas, a ghost member of the Blood Pact Knights, then he had changed too much since then. Since Notilas could not overcome his fear of death, he never appeared on the battlefield and was not even recognized by Kirito, who became the second captain.

"Eiji, you've changed a lot. By the time I became number one, you were gone. But as soon as this race starts, you become second. ”

"We're not the same as before, the second captain, Kirito-san. It's my game, a world I can enjoy to the fullest. Yes, I am yours yes. "A place where you can do things.

Eiji's words impressed me. Is this where Eiji will be able to accomplish what he wants to do? When he said this, it was as if he had his own mission, just like himself and Lilan.

I don't know if Eiji has grown up enough to take on such a mission. Indeed, Eiji has changed a lot since SAo.

This is because Eiji obtained the "Demon Messenger" and became a "Beast Tamer" like himself.

It's time. ”

Eiji suddenly looked back at the battlefield. Yuna appeared in front of my line of sight. She finished the first song with a calm mood.

However, the next moment, when there were five minutes left in the time limit displayed nearby, Yuna began to sing again. Just as Kirito wanted to ask, Eiji had already set off for the battlefield.

"Five minutes left? There's still plenty of time! ”

"I'll do my best in a moment!"

As Lizzebet and Ariki's voices sounded, the players began to walk towards the battered clawed wolf. With such a big damage, within five minutes, the Holy Claw Wolf was finished. Everyone went there in high spirits, and Kirito and Asuna also went there.

However, something unusual happened at this time. A halo appeared over the battlefield. Just as everyone stopped to stare, something wrapped in light, overflowed from the center of the aura, and fell to the ground.

When the light erupted, a small dragon covered in pale blue fur appeared. It was a dragon named Feathered Dragon, with feathered wings on its shoulders and two tails on its hips—this was Celica's "Enchanter" Pina.