"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
Hearing the sudden scream from upstairs, Kirito was shocked and the cup in his hand fell to the ground involuntarily.
Judging from his tone, it didn't take long for him to realize that Sinon was sleeping on the second floor, but Kirito turned his face to the stairs leading to the second floor of the wooden house.
"The voice just now was Shino!?"
"What else besides Shino! Something must have happened to Shino, hurry up!"
Kirito nodded and ran up the stairs with Laylan on his shoulders. I usually don't make too much noise when climbing stairs, but if something happened to Shino, I wouldn't have to worry so much, and most importantly, I wouldn't be in such a mood.
After climbing the stairs and kicking open the bedroom door, I found Shino screaming and twitching on the bed at the back of the room. Kirito was startled and ran to Shino and shouted loudly.
"Shino, Shino, what's wrong Shino!?"
Sinon did not respond to Kirito's call, but repeatedly raised her voice, flapped her legs, covered her eyes with her hands, and grabbed her hair and pulled. Seeing Shino's actions that he had never seen before, Kirito was confused but continued to call.
"Shino, Shino!"
It is unknown whether the blow to his head caused some kind of disturbance in his consciousness. No, that's not right. Indeed, they may have received electric shocks, but there have been no reports of mental abnormalities such as losing consciousness or going crazy due to the impact of the boss monster's attacks. There have also been reports of people fainting after being attacked. Never seen anything like this before.
"How on earth did Shino do that? Shino was just sleeping, why did this happen?" The rerun echoed in my mind again, and my brain became a mess.
"Kirito, stop Shino! Give me a chance to come into contact with this word!"
"Partition!? Why Partition!?"
"It doesn't matter if you stop Shino! Then let me go to this part!"
Kirito didn't know what was happening, so he stretched out his arms to hug Sinon's twisting body. Sinon's trembling legs hit her arm. Kirito realized that things were not easy and quickly hugged Sinon's body to stabilize it. Then, have him stand up and signal the run again.
"Run again, is this okay!?"
"thumbs up!"
Lilan ran from Kirito behind Sinon, aimed at Sinon's paragraph, and took a bite. Although the dragon's fang was small, its sharp teeth easily bit into the girl's head.
Immediately afterwards, Shino's screams and rage stopped, and eventually her movements stopped. Kirito tremblingly shouted to Shino, who was as motionless as a doll with its strings cut off.
"Shino?"
As if responding to Kirito's call, Sinon slowly raised her head. However, Kirito's expression looked a little empty and tired, and Kirito took a deep breath.
The moment Kirito was about to speak, Sinon opened her mouth slightly and made a weak sound.
"Kili's here?"
"Ah, yes. I raised my voice and panicked, so I panicked and flew away."
Kirito let go of Shino's body. In fact, she would be drenched in sweat, but Shino's face seemed to turn pale as a result.
"Shino, are you okay?
"That's when Kirito remembered."
That's right, in the battle with the werewolf, Shino took advantage of the werewolf's weakness alone and continued attacking as if she could defeat the boss alone. She forgot to switch with Asuna and used her sword skills to close the gap. Werewolf attacks and faints.
This kind of vigilance and life-saving behavior is really outrageous in the death game "Sword Art Online". I have to ask him why he did it.
"Yes, Shino. I'm sorry to wake you up, but why did you do such a thing? For example, you attacked alone, continued fighting alone, and then got seriously injured and passed out."
Shino just lowered his head and said nothing. To be precise, he seemed to be staring at Kirito's abdomen, but Kirito's body was not reflected in his eyes.
So far, through my contact with Shino, I have found that Shino will try to look at her face when speaking seriously, but Shino no longer does this.
In other words, this was an indication that he had no intention of answering Kirito's question. However, even if Sinon is like this, Kirito does not think that Sinon is careless.
All the light in Shino's radiant black eyes disappeared. Kirito noticed that the situation was obviously different from usual, tilted his head and asked.
"Shino, what's going on? What's wrong with you? What's wrong with you?"
"I remember I took it out and everything I remember"
"picture?"
Since Shino came to SAO, she has been unable to recall important things due to lack of memory. No, I can remember, but even if I remember, I will forget immediately. Even if I remember, I will forget. I will repeat such things endlessly. In the end, I will not be able to recover my memory at all. .
When Shino said he remembered, it meant that the memory that was about to be restored finally returned to Shino.
"Is that so? Do you still remember? Was it the shock of being attacked by the boss monster?"
"perhaps"
"Yeah. Then you're lucky. By the way, Shino, can you talk about this?"
Shino's eyes suddenly opened wide and her body began to move. Then his expression changed into one as if he was afraid of something.
"Shino, what's wrong? Do you have such bad memories?"
Shino lowered his head and lowered his head. Kirito was about to talk to Sinon again, but Sinon said something nice.
"I'm sorry Kirito, I'm still not feeling well. Can you let me take a break?"
Sinon's pale expression was enough to tell Kirito that she wasn't feeling well. Kirito nodded unconsciously, because he felt a little uncomfortable talking to Sinon, because Sinon's face was pale and her eyes were horribly hollow, which he had never seen before.
"I understand, Shino. I'm sorry for forcing you so much. Is there anything you want? If so, I'll bring it to you."
Sinon did not turn around to face Kirito, but squatted down and shook her head, making a suppressed sound.
"Give me a break"
"Okay, you go and rest."
After saying that, Kirito got out of bed, and Sinon lay down on the bed again, covering his whole body with a quilt, motionless.
Kirito couldn't help but worry about Shino's condition, so he thought of staying in this room, but reluctantly agreed when Leren suggested that he leave. Lilan and I quietly walked down the stairs to the first floor.
It was already past six o'clock in the afternoon, and it was supposed to be the time for Sinon to prepare dinner, but Sinon had already rested, so she did not prepare dinner.
But Kirito's mind was already filled with things about Shino, and he no longer cared about whether there would be dinner.
Shino's expression just now was very unusual. It was as if he remembered something he clearly didn't want to remember, and as if the memory he remembered contained nothing but despair.
To be honest, I couldn't help but wonder why he had such a face, or what memory made Shino look like this, and I didn't want to talk anymore.
Although he realized that he wanted to know, Kirito's desire for knowledge had subsided because he wanted Sinon to rest and be alone.
"But what is that?"
"what is it?"
"It's Shino's memory. Shino asked her to restore her memory."
"Of course. He may still remember the good memories, but the bad memories may be erased. Even if he wants it, as long as he is presented with desperate memories, I'm afraid he can endure it. Sure enough, I don't even know myself Remember something."
"But I'm sure you've recovered very painful memories. But I don't know. I'd love to know, but right now I don't want to talk to Shino."
Ruilan sat quietly on Kirito's shoulder and raised his head. That's where the bedrooms are on the second floor.
"All in all, Shino is the one who feels the most pain from suddenly regaining her memory and having those painful memories. Let Shino do whatever she wants now. The inside of this house is within range, so my HP won't decrease, so very safe."
Kirito nodded and looked at the ceiling as well.
"Just leave Shino alone for the rest of the day." It doesn't change when you go to bed at night. Kirito thought that Sinon would have this room to himself for the rest of the day, and then they would sleep in this room.
There is even a sofa in this room that can be used as a bed. You can take out a blanket by opening the storage window, so you don't have to worry about catching a cold.
"How about I sleep here and have dinner tonight?"
"I can't go to town to eat. It's dangerous to leave Shino behind."
Kirito also agreed. Even if Shino is left at home, it is still very dangerous to leave her alone in this home. I must have dinner here.
Kirito immediately opened the item window and further opened the material tab to sort. Seeing the delicious smell of the grilled fish, Kirito nodded.
"Yeah, let's have grilled fish for dinner. If it's barbecue, my cooking skills can do it, and you won't hate it."
"Is this a brown fish? Not bad. It might be a good idea to sprinkle some salt on the grill."
"As expected, I won't eat it raw. What should Shino do?"
Laylan turned to face the second floor again, but his expression immediately darkened.
"Maybe I should prepare it, but just from the look of her, I don't think she has an appetite. Even if I force him to eat, he might vomit like this.
"It is true that Sinon's appearance now is very similar to the way she looked when she had a cold." No, although I didn't think he had a cold, even Kirito knew that he had lost his appetite.
“Well I’m going to prepare dinner first.
Shouldn't I? If you try to eat it, it will come off you. "
"Then you can definitely do it. Shino tries to do everything by herself, so when she needs food, she will make it by herself."
"I understand. Now, I have to make sure that Shino doesn't push herself too hard. Even if I say this, I don't think she will just fall down."
Lilan turned her gaze to the second floor again, with a somewhat sad expression on her face.
"You should get checked before you go to bed. Maybe it's not happening, but I'm still worried if she hasn't changed.
"I agree.
After saying that, Kirito summoned the two large freshwater fish ingredients on the table, then summoned the salt he bought according to Sinon's request, which was used to make the freshwater fish, and then called the cooking instructions to heat and select.
Immediately afterwards, the fish in the river seemed to spontaneously combust, and were engulfed in the fire, and the fire was extinguished. The raw river fish turned into grilled fish, with a fragrant aroma and a golden surface.
With Kirito's cooking skills, he could probably do so much, but if it were higher-grade ingredients, he would fail and end up with burnt meat and burnt fish. So, this is the limit of what Kirito can cook.
Leiluen said to Kirito with a confident look on his face.
"Well, wasn't it cooked well?"
"This is the limit of my cooking skills. If you want to eat more delicious food, you have to ask Shino or Asuna."
""I do not care. So come on now. "
Kirito nodded, grabbed the wooden stick stuck on the grilled fish, and brought the grilled fish he cooked to his mouth. After saying that, Liran bit into the grilled fish and ate it without saying a word. It looks more like a dog than a wolfsaurus.
The laughter buried in my stomach disappeared in the blink of an eye, moved by the aroma of grilled fish and the taste of salt mixed with fish fat.
The two of them ate with gusto. In just a few minutes, only the head and spine of the grilled fish were left. Not long after, it turned into a light blue figure, turned into polygonal fragments, and disappeared quietly. Having finished dinner in such a short time, Kirito felt a little regretful and smiled bitterly.
"As expected, unlike the dishes prepared by Shino and Asuna, it was over quickly."
"no way"
Kirito, on the other hand, doesn't care much about cooking. Because I couldn't help but worry about Shino, she might still be sleeping, or she might be awake but just couldn't move after eating. Lilan seemed to notice immediately that Kirito's attention was not focused on Sinon, but towards Sinon, so she shouted to him.
"Are you worried about Shino?"
"Yes.
"Would you like to see it? Please don't make any noise
Kirito nodded, stood up, put Lei Lun on his shoulders, put his feet on the stairs connecting the living room on the first floor and the second floor, relaxed his body to avoid making any noise, and walked up step by step. . Then when we arrived in front of the bedroom where Shino was, I opened the door and checked inside, trying not to make any noise.
The room was darker than before, but the moonlight shone through the window, making it pale, and it was wrapped in silence like a forest.
Just then, Kirito looked around for Sinon, only to notice that the futon on Sinon's usual bed was rising, and realized that Sinon hadn't changed at all since then.
At times like this, I suspected that the futon might be stuffed with stuff, making it look like someone was hiding, but when the enemy search skill was activated, the player's reaction came back, so I knew that wasn't the case.
(Keep the change, please)
Kirito quietly closed the door, walked down the stairs with as little steps as possible, and returned to the living room. Then Raylan got off his shoulders and sat in the chair.
"Shino seemed to have fallen asleep like this"
"Yeah, but I'm really worried. Screaming, pulling your hair, and slapping your legs like that means you saw something really scary. If you just go to bed like that, you're going to have that dream again." Hands.
"That might be the case but I can't say. Let's try calling again tomorrow morning. It might be better than it is now, it might be worse, but either way, Shino will continue to suffer. I have to find a way to deal with it."
I thought I saw Shino suffer a little, but this was the first time I saw her in such intense pain. The fact that the usually calm Shino became like this meant that something unusual was happening in her heart.
It's not a good thing for Shino to continue to suffer like this, and more importantly, I feel my chest tightening as I watch this scene.
"No matter what, I have to listen to Sinon and come up with a solution." Kirito didn't want to know Sinon's memory, but he wanted to do something about Sinon's affairs and alleviate her pain.
But Kirito thinks the question is when to ask. Ah, it seems that Shino is a tight-lipped person, and she also has a stubborn side. She sticks to what she thinks she can do.
"So it is extremely difficult to listen to Shino's mouth and her memory." Originally, even if Shino wanted to know, she would probably not say it.
"I don't know what to do. You can see how stubborn Shino is. It must be difficult to get him to reveal what he is holding."
"Leave it to me then. I would love to say it, but the way he is now is as you can see. It's hard even for me to figure it out. But ultimately, his heart has to be healed.
"Cure the heart?"
Leiluen looked at Kirito in surprise.
"Didn't you notice? Now Shino is seriously injured. Recalling the memory left a deep wound in his heart, and there is no scar until now. That's why they reacted like this and tried to escape from us .
"No, no, I understand. You screamed when we left because you were hurt. I released the faith of the Heart Barrier, but it is definitely different from when Asuna was."
"That's it. Unlike Asuna this time, I'm afraid it's not something I can handle alone. So, Kirito, maybe we can borrow your power this time.
Kirito stared blankly at Lilan's red eyes. I don’t have the special gift of opening people’s hearts like Lilan, nor do I have the ability to negotiate.
"my power?
Lilan sighed, an annoyed look on her face. Although it is supposed to be a werewolf, its movements and facial expressions are very similar to those of a human.
"You don't know anything. "You are someone Shino trusts very much. He was also the only person Shino could open his heart to. "
“Am I the one who opened her heart to me, Shino?
"Why did Shino tell you about her memories? Why did she cook almost all three meals for you? All this is because I opened my heart to you
Kirito was shocked, remembering Shino's actions. Shino sometimes said some unpleasant things, but after she regained her memory, she still wanted to talk to me and cooked me three meals. Considering that Shino opened her heart, I somehow believed it, and I also understood why the days spent with Shino were happy and warm.
Because Shino opened her heart to me, the days I spent with Shino seemed brighter than every day I spent in Aincrad, I felt comfortable, and I wanted to protect Shino if danger came, I was there.
"Is that so?"
Laylan sighed and showed a calm expression, as if he had understood what Kirito had already understood.
"So, you are the key to Shino's recovery, Kirito. First, I will introduce my method, but it may not work like Asuna."
"That's my role. Shino is indeed an important person to me. I don't want to see someone important to me suffer like that. I have to support Shino."
"That's it. The entrance will be completed tomorrow, Kirito, come on.
However, at this time, Kirito suddenly couldn't understand Lei Ran's idea of approaching Sinon.
Lelan is really good at listening to people's situations. However, I want to find out the truth from Shino, not Lilan.
I don't know if it's because I've been told that I'm the most open person, but I just can't accept that Lelan would do this.
"Lilan, can you let me start from the beginning?"
Kirito's unexpected words made Laylen open his eyes wide and let out a surprised sound.
"What are you talking about? Is it possible, such a thing
"I don't know. However, although Shino opened her heart to me, I still didn't thank her. I will find out the truth from Shino, understand the real Shino, and accept her. I think this is also a good one Choose. "This is to thank Shino for everything I have done. "
Kirito put his hands on the small shoulders of Leren who was sitting on the chair.
"Then, Lilan, please let me do it."
Lilan said nothing, stared into Kirito's warm eyes, and nodded.
"Understood. I'll leave it to you, but if Shino rejects you, then let me take over. It doesn't matter."
"I do not care"
"I understand. Try to approach Shino from your side."
Kirito nodded, smiling like Lilan.
"Thank you, Lilan. I owe you a favor."
"Well, you are such a troublesome master"
Kirito smiled bitterly and nodded his familiar's head.
"Sorry, I am a beast tamer who is taken care of by a demon pet."
As soon as he finished speaking, Kirito suddenly felt dizzy and his consciousness receded. Is this drowsiness?
"Indeed, I've exhausted my brain for today's boss battle." I've been thinking about Sinon and the like since then, so I guess there will be strong opposition.
"It's only seven o'clock, should I go to bed now?"
"Yes. You and I both fought hard. You deserve a break."
"Kirito sleeps on the second floor."
I turned to Shino and whispered "Good night", then lay down on the sofa and pulled a blanket from the storage window to cover myself.
I tapped the couch to open the pop-up menu, pressed the lights-off button to turn off the lights in the room, said goodnight to Leland, and closed my eyes. And it wasn't long before he fell asleep.
◆◆◆
"When I woke up, it was pitch black and I couldn't see anything." I felt a strange warmth, and it seemed that I had fallen asleep wrapped in a quilt.
When I rolled up the futon and checked my surroundings, I realized that this was my regular bedroom on the second floor of the wooden house where Kirito and I lived together. There was no light, so it was dark, but the moonlight shone through the window. I looked at the time and it was already 11:00 pm. I thought I woke up at a weird time.
Then, when my consciousness became clear, those lost memories immediately spread to my entire head, those memories of hatred.
Memories told me I was a murderer, evidence that I shouldn't be with anyone, evidence that I had nowhere to belong.
"I have to stay here"
I got up and got out of bed. I checked the nearby bed that Kirito often used, but there was no sign of Kirito. I don't know if she didn't like sharing a room with me so she went somewhere else.
"But it's just right. "If you're outside somewhere, you can leave the house without being discovered. It would be too bad if I left without doing anything, though. Should I write something?
No, I think there is no need for such a thing, you may not want to hear my words, and you may not want to see the letter I wrote with blood on my hands.
"Hurry up, let's get out before they find out"
I was startled as I left the room without a word and went downstairs without a word. On the sofa in the living room, Kirito and Lilan fell asleep covered with blankets. After all, she doesn't like being with me, so she sleeps in a place like this. You know, you don't want to sleep with a murderer.
"But these two people really helped me." Even when I lost my memory, Kirito always protected me, and Leirun listened to a lot of my stories and said the food was delicious and ate it.
"But that's over." If they knew my memories, maybe these two would leave too. Even Kirito will hate me and stop protecting me. No, just stop now. After all, I will never meet these two again.
The memories of Kirito and Leluen, as well as the memories of murder, were mixed in his mind. I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore. If everyone hated me so much, wouldn't it be better to live with a broken head and bloody hands?
"Sorry Kirito. I'm leaving first."
I said goodbye to the people and dragons I would never see again, and left the cabin I would never return to.
"If you want to go, why don't you go to the front line?" If you are on the front line, the enemy will be stronger. No, I still prefer the 53rd floor. There are many werewolves on the 53rd floor.
"Okay, anywhere will do, but I've decided." Let's go to the 53rd floor.
The sound of opening and closing the door woke Lilan. I didn't know who was coming. I looked around, but I didn't see the person who was supposed to come in.
Then I thought Kirito might have left, so I went to look for him and found him sleeping on the couch.
"WHO?"
With an ominous premonition, Ruilan used his search skills to confirm whether there was any trace of Shino in the wooden house.
——There is no trace of Shino in the wooden house, and it can be confirmed from a long distance.
"Shino!!!"
