After bringing Shino back and hearing the truth, we immediately teleported to the 22nd floor, changed clothes and went to bed. Looking around in the rain like this, it was originally after the boss battle, and I was refreshed by spitting out various things. These overlapped and I fell asleep peacefully.
When I finally woke up, it was already 8:30 in the morning. I woke up 30 minutes later than usual. Come to think of it, I forgot to set the alarm and go to bed. Or rather, I think I went to bed without setting an alarm because I wanted to get a good night's sleep.
As I stretched and moved my body slightly, I felt something hit my left hand. I was alone on the bed, but when I turned to see if there was anything on the bed, I was startled. Shino and Lilan were lying on the bed they usually used alone. Moreover, he seemed to be sleeping, and when I touched him with my hand, he did not even show signs of waking up.
"Shino"
"Now that I think about it, I feel like I slept with Shino last night, which made me very tired. "I don't really care about this kind of thing, but Shino always gets up earlier than me, but I can get up The early situation seemed a bit strange.
Shino is quite mature for her age and can basically handle any situation without panicking. When he found out that he was thrown into this death game, he was not too confused and was as calm as an old hero. I still feel that if I had been deceived by Shino, there would have been nothing I could have done. ——This kind of Shino's sleeping face seems to be very suitable for her age, or even younger, which surprised me.
I gently reached out my hand and stroked Shino's hair. It feels soft, like silk or something.
Up until now, Shino had been just a companion, but now she was more important than anyone else, and more than anyone else, she was the one you had to protect first. And the first person I thought was cute. Now just looking at your face sleeping like this, a feeling of love arises in my heart, and my heart feels warm. I really feel like Shino is very warm to me.
However, Shino has a painful past and is still tortured by it, and there is a dangerous part in her heart. Up to this point I had managed to support myself, but eventually I couldn't support myself on my own. So I have to support Shino when she's around her. But since I swore to myself a long time ago, I don’t want to say anything now.
"Because I will always be with you Shino."
Thinking this, when I let go of her hand, Shino made a weak sound from her mouth, and then quietly opened her eyelids.
"Shino, good morning. Did you sleep well?"
After Shino made eye contact with me, she stood up, covered her mouth with her hand, and yawned lightly. Then he told me with a slightly sleepy expression.
"Good morning, Kirito. What time is it now?"
"I picked up a nearby watch and showed it to Shino. "The dial read 8:35 AM. From Shino's usual point of view, it was time to oversleep.
"It's now 8:35 in the morning. Shino usually wakes up around 7:30, so she seems to have overslept. However, she doesn't have any plans or school, so it shouldn't matter."
Shino gently held his head and smiled slightly.
"I don't know. I feel like I slept soundly for the first time in a long time. I didn't even have nightmares."
Shino had never been able to sleep well in the past because some memories appeared in her dreams that seemed to come to mind but could not be recalled. But yesterday, I finally recovered my memory, and both Lilan and I accepted the content of that memory. Thanks to this, Shino could sleep peacefully. Anyway, I'm happy.
"Isn't this great? I feel like I can sleep soundly too."
Then, Shino gently touched her hair and smiled bitterly.
"But it's strange that you won't catch a cold even if you're soaked to the skin. Normally, if you're soaked to the skin, you'll definitely catch a cold the next day."
"Of course. But this world is in a game, so it's convenient because you won't catch a cold. Well, if you die, you really die."
Then, my back suddenly felt a little heavy. When I saw it, Shino had already rested her head on it. It feels like you are trusting me with your weight.
“But the warmth is real.
"...that's right"
This world is of course a game world, a world created by Kayaba Akihiko for his own desires. However, everything living here is real, the warmth and cold are real. I've always felt this way, but recently, no, ever since I met Lilan and Shino, this feeling has become even stronger.
Although we are trapped inside, I can now agree with Kayaba's slogan, "This world is a game, but it is not a game, it is reality." To be precise, Shino, Lilan, and I all live in this world superior.
Not long after, Shino raised her head and called me.
"Okay, let's have breakfast, what do you want to eat?"
"I don't mind anything, but okay, I'd like an egg sandwich."
At this time, Shino burst into tears.
"Kirito, what did you just say?"
"Uh, I think an egg sandwich would be nice."
"before that."
“Yes, egg sandwich”
Shino smiled softly.
"You'd say something like 'Lelan.' That's what 'Lelan' means, like 'yeah' or 'that's right.'"
"I thought I said it unconsciously, but it's a word that Lilan often uses, or rather, a tone of voice." Before I knew it, I began to say similar words to Lilan without even realizing it. . They say pets look like their owners, but I ended up looking like a familiar person.
"It is said that pets resemble their owners, but"
"As far as you're concerned, "tamer" is similar to "familiar."
The next moment, laughter welled up from deep in my belly, and I burst out laughing. As if she was invited, Shino also laughed loudly - but the laughter stopped immediately because of the 'voice' in her mind.
"What makes a pet look like its owner, or the owner look like a pet? I'm not Kirito's pet!"
He turned his eyes to Lilan who was sleeping next to Shino in surprise. Lilan was already awake, staring at us with a slightly angry expression.
"If you run again, are you awake?"
"I'm awake though. At least not until Kirito wakes up. Don't treat me like a pet!"
This is real. Lilan is not even a pet to me, he is an "acquaintance", a companion, and an important companion. This guy saved me so many times that when I think about that time, I can't hold my head up.
"I'm sorry, Lilan. Well, you are not a pet, you are my companion, our precious companion."
The anger on Lilan's face disappeared.
"If you know, that's good. By the way, Shino, today's breakfast is an egg sandwich."
"That's what I originally thought, but can Lilan's menu be the same as Kirito's?"
"I don't mind. Let's eat the same thing.
"I've always wanted to know what Lilan's eating habits are like?" Although it has a wolf-like outline, it has the body of a dragon, with wings on its back and a sword on its forehead. Because they have a wolf-like face, I think their eating habits may be the same as wolves, that is, canines, but even if they fall into the category of green onions and heavy-flavored foods, dogs should not eat them. Eat something. He looked peaceful and had a delicious meal.
"That's why, without a doubt, it's a creature with a different diet than canines, but now that it's actually in the game, anything is possible."
"I see. So Shino, please make me an egg sandwich and coffee this morning."
"I understand, let's quickly change our clothes and go downstairs."
At this time, Lilan made a gesture as if she had thought of something, and turned her face towards Sinon.
"Shino, I want to drink some tea"
The two of us couldn't help but turn our eyes to Lilan.
"Do you like tea?"
Lilan tilted her head and looked at us.
"What? Is it weird that you want to drink my tea?"
Shino nodded.
"Yeah, I didn't expect you to say such things. Not to mention the food, even the drinks are close to human eating habits, Lilan."
"Well, you're thinking of me and the wolves and dogs around you, aren't you? As you can see, I look like a wolf, but I'm a real dragon.
"It wouldn't be surprising if the food was different."
"No, if you look like a wolf, I think it's pretty normal to think that your eating habits are similar to those of a wolf." It would surprise anyone if a creature that looked like a wolf ate something strong-flavored like green onions . While I was thinking this, I said to Lilan.
"Well, you are such a weird guy, so if you put in your complaints one by one, you will run out of things. Now let this guy drink tea."
Shino gently crossed her arms.
"You are a woman, so you are a woman, right? Of course women like to drink black tea. Isn't it strange that you want to drink black tea?"
"That's it. Let's go downstairs quickly.
As she spoke, Lilan flapped her wings gently, flew up, and jumped onto my shoulder. A familiar weight rested on my shoulders, and I felt a sense of security.
"Well, Shino. As usual, please."
"give it to me"
Shino and I got out of bed as usual, went down the stairs, and came to the living room. However, perhaps because of some changes in the atmosphere of Shino, I felt that the living room, or the entire wooden house, became a little brighter.
Shino asked me to wait in the living room, and then headed to the kitchen and rice fields.
Shino's back exposed everything and she looked refreshed. Instead of a combat uniform, he wore a bright green hoodie and white pants that were cut just above his knees, making him look completely relaxed. Looking at Shino's back, I felt a strange sense of security. Probably because the burden on Shino's body has been reduced, and she trusts me more.
Just as I was praising Shino, Lilan's "voice" sounded in my mind again.
〈Don’t you think Shino’s movements are a little light? 〉
I answered Lilan in a low voice that Shino didn't notice.
"I think compared to yesterday, I was light on my feet and somehow the atmosphere was a little brighter."
I feel
"Shinon's body was still carrying a lot of burden until yesterday. But Kirito, you removed it. Because you accepted her memory.
"That's what I said, but Sinon accepted me from the beginning. "Although I destroyed a guild, Sinon didn't curse me or leave me. She accepted me and chose to live with me like this. . Even if I say "I will protect you", she will most likely be disappointed in me and leave when I confess my past, and Shino will do the same. Because this should be possible. But Shino never left me, and I felt like she was more open to me.
"Even Shino accepted me. That's why I was able to become Shino's familiar."
"To be honest, you destroyed the guild and let Xing and the others die. Even I was surprised. However, you accepted what you did and chose to face and live this way. I have accepted the loss of my comrades and their death. The truth and imprinted it on me and tried to move on so I didn't think about attacking you or leaving you. If you made excuses I might attack.
"Lilan turned to me." There was a hint of a smile.
"I won't cover up the fact that you let everyone in the Moonlight Black Cat die, and I can't directly apologize to them. But don't forget to move on, move on with your life, and don't repeat the mistakes of their deaths and sacrifices. I believe this is you Something can be done to make it up to them. If you don't forget this, I will continue to support you.
That's it. I won't cover up what I did, and I can't make amends for those who died. However, I can't be stuck with their deaths forever, and most importantly, I don't think this is what Sachi wanted, and if that happened, I'm sure I would make the same mistake again. Deaf. A lot has happened and I don't want to lose anything anymore. ——And what I don’t want to lose the most is right next to me, right in front of me. Shino and Lilan, that life.
As for Shino, she wants to be with her after she returns to reality and wants to protect her for the rest of her life. As for Lilan, I may break up when the world ends, but I want to be with Lilan until the last moment. I don't want to lose it until the end of time.
"Okay. Hey, rerun."
"What's wrong?"
"I put my hand on Lilan's head." The soft touch enveloped your hand.
"You and we will be together until the last moment. Until the last, last time."
Lilan was stunned for a moment, then smiled.
"What do you say? I will not die before you escape safely from this castle, and I will complete my mission as your "familiar".
"Ah, come on, man."
Immediately afterwards, Shino shouted to us, and we turned to him. Shino held a plate with an egg sandwich in both hands.
"You two made it."
After answering Shino's voice, I immediately shouted to Shino.
"Shino, could you put the plate on the table and come over here?"
Shino tilted her head, placed the plate on the table as I asked, and stopped in front of me.
"What's wrong, Kirito?"
"Can you hold your hand out for a moment?"
"Hand? Why again?"
"no problem, no problem"
Shino reached out to me with a strange look on her face, but grabbed my arm and pulled me towards me. Shino made a surprised sound and jumped into my body. I grabbed him firmly and hugged him completely. The soft fragrance of Shino flowed into my nose, and the gentle warmth gradually spread to my body.
"Hey, Kirito, what's wrong?"
Listening to Shino's impatience, I whispered.
"Although it is the second time for you, Shino, we will be together until the end. Forever, forever, forever together."
"A"
The impatience in Shino's voice disappeared and became softer.
"Yes. Kirito, please stay with me. But"
"?"
"Stop doing that in public, okay? It's embarrassing for people to see."
"I couldn't help but smile."
"No, no, I will only do this when I am alone with you. Let's continue arresting as before."
Shino nodded again and whispered in my ear.
"I believe you, Kirito."
"I nodded like Shino. "So, I made up my mind again.
"I will never let the world take away the life I hold so dear, the one who believed in me so much."
"I will protect you until the end." We will be together until the end. I will support this girl with all my strength.
