The crisis that arises when fighting the flying dragon is when confronting the flying dragon's fire breath attack. If a specific attack hadn't been aimed at the dragon then they would have probably lost the battle.
The person who guided their battle to victory, who could be said to have done the most credit, stood behind Kirito. ——Kirito immediately spotted her and walked towards that person.
She wore light clothing based on green and black, with a white iron breastplate on her chest and a large bow on her back. Her black hair was cut short, and ribbons tied with white ribbons hung thinly from both sides of her cheeks, seeming to cover her cheeks.
Kirito wanted to talk to this girl with these characteristics, but the girl spoke first.
"Kirito, are you okay? You looked so dangerous just now..."
"Ah, it was almost dangerous. I survived thanks to Shino's attack. Thank you."
A smile appeared on the face of the girl known as Shino. Shino usually had cat-like eyes with a sharp light, but at this moment her eyes became gentle.
"It felt like you two were about to lose, so I immediately decided to attack. Although I didn't expect to hit."
"Ah, so you weren't sure before?"
"Well, maybe my attack didn't hit."
Hearing Shino's unexpected words, Kirito was surprised when heavy footsteps came from behind. Kirito's important "familiar" Lilan, who was fighting the flying dragon in a beam breath duel just now, arrived here.
"However, it is true that we were saved thanks to Shino's long-range attack. Anyway, I want to thank you, Shino."
As Lilan's only way of communication, the "voice" echoed in her head. Shino must have received that voice. She turned to Lilan, smiled and said, "You're welcome."
Immediately afterwards, Diabel appeared next to Lilan, and he walked up to Kirito and the others and started talking.
While Diabel was speaking, the other companions were already heading towards the door at the far end of the room.
Yes, we defeated the enemy and opened the way to the next level. It would be a waste of time to stop here without going to the next floor—— As Kirito thought, Asuna continued to speak.
"What will the next town look like? Let's go and see it quickly."
"Okay, let's go ahead."
After confirming that the call had been conveyed to the surroundings, Kirito and his friends headed deeper into the large room and passed through the door.
What greeted Kirito and the others who had defeated the leader was a huge town that looked like a medieval European streetscape.
Although I have seen similar scenes several times since I came to this world, they are not exactly the same and give people a sense of freshness. In any case, I must go sightseeing after activating the portal. That's what Kirito thought at first.
By this time, however, the sky had taken on a deep red tint, and the curtain of night had begun to fill some parts of the town. The time was already 18 o'clock, there was not enough time to go sightseeing, and most importantly, I was tired after the battle and had no intention of sightseeing. Even if you go, it will only increase your fatigue.
Not only Kirito thought this way, but also his friends around him. After receiving the notification that the town portal on the 60th floor was open, they immediately used the portal to return to their respective residences.
In the end, Kirito took the same action as them, walking through the lively streets of the 60th-floor town, heading to the portal, and returned to his residence, his home on the 22nd floor.
Together with the important "familiar" Lilan and the important person Shino.
"However, it is true that Shino's long-range attack helped us. Anyway, I want to thank you, Shino."
As Lilan's only way of communication, the "voice" echoed in her head. Shino must have received that voice. She turned to Lilan, smiled and said, "You're welcome."
Immediately afterwards, Diabel appeared next to Lilan, and he walked towards Kirito and started talking to them.
"Okay, the boss battle has ended successfully. Let's quickly enter the next level and activate the town."
When Diabel spoke, the other companions were already heading towards the door at the far end of the room.
Yes, we defeated the enemy and opened the way to the next level. It's a waste of time to stay here, we should move forward - just as Kirito thought, Asuna continued.
"What will the next town look like? Let's go and see it quickly."
"Okay, let's go ahead."
After confirming that the call had been conveyed to the surroundings, Kirito and his friends headed deeper into the large room and passed through the door.
What greeted Kirito and the others who had defeated the leader was a huge town that looked like a medieval European streetscape.
Although I have seen similar scenes several times since I came to this world, they are not exactly the same and give people a sense of freshness. You must go sightseeing after activating the portal. That's what Kirito thought at first.
By now, however, the sky had turned crimson, and night began to creep in in some parts of the town. The time was already 18 o'clock, there was not enough time for sightseeing, and most importantly, I was already tired after the battle and was in no mood for sightseeing. Even if you go, it will only increase your fatigue.
This thought was not only held by Kirito, but also by his friends around him. After learning that the portal in the town on the 60th floor had been opened, they immediately used the portal to return to their respective residences.
In the end, Kirito took the same action as them, walking through the bustling streets of the 60th floor town, heading to the portal, and returning to his home on the 22nd floor.
Together with the important familiar Rilla and the important person Shino.
"I feel the same way. As long as you eat Shino's cooking, any fatigue will disappear."
On the table that was filled with food just now, there are now only empty plates and other cutlery, and there is a small dragon figure in one corner. The overall shape resembles a shrunken version of Kirito's "familiar" Liran, becoming small enough to sit on a human's shoulder.
Seeing the smaller Lilan appear in his sight, Kirito nodded.
"But having said that, Sinon really saved the day today. Especially when it came to the long-range attack. If it wasn't for that -"
Although the dialogue was not answered.
Kirito was sitting facing Shino, so his voice should not be inaudible, and they had been eating and chatting normally during dinner.
Kirito was also surprised when he suddenly lost his answer.
"Shino?"
His eyes turned to Shino, but he was stunned.
Sinon was sitting opposite Kirito, with her eyes closed at the moment, shaking her head and purring softly. Listen carefully and you can hear calm breathing.
Such words would definitely not be answered - Kirito understood and looked at Sinon who was dozing off.
Sinon not only has to deal with the powerful boss monster, but also has to detect the crisis of Kirito and Lilan in time and provide help. She was always very nervous.
And after coming back, I still have to cook and so on, so I am always busy. In addition, I ate beef stew that warmed my body, so I must have become sleepy.
Looking at the cute sleeping face that is usually hard to imagine, Kirito quietly motioned to Lilan. He carefully picked up the cutlery from the table, trying not to make any noise, and carried it to the sink.
After starting the cleaning command, the tableware returns to the clean state before use. After confirming, he put the tableware back into the storage space and walked toward the restaurant quietly, being careful not to make any loud noises.
When he got close to Sinon's position, Kirito finally called out softly to Sinon who was dozing off.
"Shino"
"Hmm. Huh huh?"
Sinon slowly shook his head, slowly opened his eyes, made a weak voice, and turned to Kirito. Her face looked very sleepy. She turned her face to the table and tilted her head to think.
"Kirito...? That... plate or something...?"
"I've packed it all up. So it's okay"
Shino looked up as if he was half asleep. There was an apologetic look on her face.
"I'm sorry...I suddenly felt very sleepy and caused you trouble..."
"It's okay. There is a boss battle today, and Sinon also performed well. Have a good rest."
Kirito reached out to touch the sleepy and adorable Shino, she smiled and took his hand, standing up. The warmth radiating from Sinon's body spread throughout her body through her hands, and at the same time, Lilan jumped on Kirito's shoulders.
They turned off the lights in the room and headed towards the stairs, carefully helping Shino go upstairs. They arrived at their usual bedroom. This bedroom is in the same wooden house style as the first floor. The bed is placed against the wall, with a table for lamps in between.
Although it was already dark, the pale moonlight filtering through the window kept the room from being completely dark.
They approached the bed and observed the two of them. Lilan was the first to jump to the bed and curl up into a ball. This is Lilan's unique sleeping position.
Kirito then planned to guide Sinon to his own bed, but Sinon whispered.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?"
"Yeah, okay. It's quite cold too. Let's sleep together."
Looking at Shino who looked tired, he smiled and supported her body while Lilan went to lie down on her bed first. Not long after, Sinon also lay down quietly, and Kirito covered her with a quilt.
Sinon, who was covered with a quilt, nestled against Kirito's chest slightly uncomfortably, and took a deep breath.
"Kirito...so warm..."
"Shino is also very warm"
"I'm... really happy to meet you..."
"I'm also very happy to meet you. Without you, I don't think I would have the life I have now. Really, I am very happy to meet you..."
Shino's words, movements, sounds, and body temperature, everything made Kirito feel precious, and he gently stroked Shino's hair. Shino showed an expression of enjoyment and began to fall asleep quietly.
Listening to her calm and peaceful breathing, Kirito closed his eyes.
Even now, it was still a miracle to him that Shino could fall asleep next to him. The beginning of this miracle was created by Lilan, a dragon that is not human but has a human-like heart and can understand each other with Kirito and others.
The encounter with Lilan was the beginning of everything, and various encounters and events unfolded from there. Kirito thought like this, and gently reached out to touch the little dragon sleeping on the pillow in a sleeping position. His hands felt the hard shell and the unique soft touch of the animal hair.
While feeling the warm touch, his consciousness gradually disappeared, and Kirito fell into a deep sleep.
