\"Mr. Alice Alice!?\"
The conversation between Shino and Alice surprised me unexpectedly.
I fell into deep thought for a long time
First, Alice calls Shino her real name, Shino, and Sinon calls Alice's real name, Alice-sensei. Currently, the only people in SAo who know Shino's real name are me and Lilan. If I have to say it, it's Egil. This should be the first meeting with Alice.
However, the fact that they call each other means that they have met in the real world, or know each other.
\"Shino, do you know each other?\"
"That person who has no acquaintances or anything"
Just when Shino was about to talk about her relationship with Alice, Yui, who was on my back, suddenly reached out her hand to the sky. Asuna was surprised by Yui's sudden action and shouted to her.
"Yu-chan, what happened?"
Yui looked into the void and moved her mouth.
"I'm not here I'm alone I'm in everyone's heart"
"Yui, what did you say?"
I could tell that Yui's body was shaking, probably because their bodies were so close. Even without looking, I could tell Yui's face turned pale as her voice turned frightened. Immediately afterwards, Lilan, who was standing on Asuna's shoulder, began to respond.
"Everyone's heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart"
What surprised us even more was Lilan's "voice", which sounded like the buggy game in his memory.
"Hey recap? Replay? What went wrong?"
The next moment, Yui let out a scream, and at the same time, a noise-like sound sounded in her ears. Although it was not as loud as Lilan's silent voice, it was enough to make Asuna and Shino instinctively cover their ears, and I couldn't hear any sound for a while. Immediately afterwards, I found that Yui let go of my hand and walked away from my back. I quickly turned around and tried to support Yui who was about to fall to the ground, but before that, Shino took action quickly. . When Yui was about to collapse, I woke up and supported her body.
"Depend on!"
After confirming that Shino was hugging her, she walked over to Yui and put her knees on the ground. Immediately afterwards, Yui began to tremble like Shino's body was convulsing.
"Mom, I, I, I, do, do, do, do, do, do, shine, shine."
"By, by, by!!"
Yui didn't even respond to Shino's call, looking up at the sky, her body shaking erratically. When I saw Lilan, who had the same symptoms, he was blowing bubbles and fell into Asuna's hand, twitching. Moreover, the "sound" seemed to occur at the same time as the actual cry.
"Quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, quick, go, go, go, go, go, go, go."
\"Go, gogo, heart, gogo, gogoro, here, heart\"
"Run again, run again, what's wrong, run again!?"
Immediately afterwards, Yui and Lilan stopped talking as if the rope was suddenly broken, and closed their eyes. Yui fell on Shino's chest, and Lilan also fell into Asuna's hands. They couldn't move. . Just after I panicked and thought they were dead, I immediately confirmed that both were in the same state and realized they were just passed out.
However, it was impossible to pinpoint the cause. What happened to them? I don't think disconnection or overexertion are common causes of fainting, and I can't think of any other reasons.
The speech and behavior are irregular, as if there is a bug. I have never seen or heard of any player showing such symptoms.
Just when Yui and the others were thinking about why they fainted, Alice and Sasha, who had been accompanying the children, rushed over and fell to the ground.
"What's wrong?"
"Just now, it seems that the child has fainted."
"Yeah, now is not the time to think about this." Since Yui and Lilan had passed out, I had to let them find a place to rest. And these people will definitely prepare the venue.
"Excuse me, is there a place to rest? This child seems to be suddenly ill."
Alice answered my call and stood up.
"Okay, okay. Now let's take this to our church. I'll hear the details there, about the kid and about you."
Saying that, Alice turned to Shino. Indeed, the relationship between Alice and Shino is also worrying, but first let Yui and Lilan rest. Besides, our business is in Alice and the church, so it just works.
"Thanks"
After thanking Alice and Sasha, I followed them with the children, followed by Yui and Lilan who had fainted, and Shino and Asuna who looked at them with worried expressions.
10:30pm
The church run by Alice is more like an orphanage than a primary school, with more than a hundred children around the age of twelve living in it. I wondered why there were so many children, but Alice had no answer. Finish. Of course, there is also "re-run".
Immediately afterwards, I wanted to talk to Alice, so I took Shino and Asuna to Alice's place, but Alice was making dinner with other nurses, so that was not the case at all. paddy.
Moreover, as soon as Alice saw Shino and Asuna entering the room, she invited them into the room and asked if she could cook. The result was that the two of us were forced to go to church to prepare dinner without any conversation between us.
In order to take care of Yui, we decided to rent an empty room in the church run by Iris and live there. I was invited to see Alice, who had taken off her headband and was wearing a white T-shirt and slightly longer skirt, in a room filled with antique furniture.
"Guys, I'm a little late introducing myself."
Sitting opposite Alice on the sofa, she lowered her head slightly.
\"I am Kirito, and this is Shino.\"
Alice smiled and nodded.
"You probably already know this, but my name is Alice. I run this church and have five nurses, including Sasha. The kids make a lot of noise at night. I'm sorry."
Hearing Alice's words, he shook his head.
"That's not true. But why are there so many kids? This game is not meant to be played by kids this young."
"Yes, the cERo of the game Sword Art Online is c, which means it is a game suitable for people over 15 years old, but cERo is a game for people of this age group, except for Z, which means it has ended " 18. This is not a warning that you can't play when you reach this age. That's why even though it's aimed at people aged 15 and up, kids play this game because it looks fun. "
Of course, cERo is just a symbol that it's a game for that age group, aside from the Z that is often added to games with criminal and dangerous emoticons. The hunting action game that was popular on handheld devices in the past is still famous as an online game, and its cERo is c, but it is a common phenomenon played by elementary school students and junior high school students, and it is obviously not that high.
"But this game is a death game. You can't get out if you don't clear the level."
After hearing Shino's words, Alice nodded and showed a slightly serious expression.
"The children who received this statement were deeply hurt inside. Not to mention the panic and confusion, the loneliness of not being able to see their parents, the sadness of being trapped and locked up, and the sadness of being trapped." Killed by Monster Death, various emotions hit the children, causing some children to be unable to do anything, or their lines were cut off.
Kayaba Akihiko's words could easily scare adults much older than children. It was easy to imagine what the children would have been like the day the news was announced, but I quickly put it out of my mind.
\"Alice-san, did you start running this church because you couldn't ignore it?\"
"No. It was Sasha who turned this church into a children's shelter. In fact, she was in charge of the facility, she was the director, but now it's me."
"Why are you doing this?"
Alice looked away from me, stared at Shino, and then looked at Shino.
\"Before this, Kirito-kun, have you ever worried about my relationship with the girl next to you? I think this may have a lot to do with this story.\"
I was surprised when I heard Alice's words. Think about it, when Alice and I met for the first time, Alice told Sinon's real name, and Sinon also said what seemed to be Alice's real name, and both of them looked very surprised.
I forgot about it because I was noisy with the children and worried about Yui and Lilan, but I wanted to ask Iris.
\"Yes, Miss Alice, you mentioned Sinon's real name. What is it? What is your relationship with Sinon?\"
"Alice smiled at me."
\"Sorry, it sounds like I'm answering a question with a question, but what is Kirito-kun to that kid? You're with him, you're with him all the time.\"
Before I could answer, Shino opened her mouth.
\"Kirito was the one who accepted me. And, although this is the story in the game, he became my husband and wife.\"
Perhaps because Shino's answer was unexpected, Alice's eyes widened.
\"That means Kirito-kun is Shino's lover? That means you, Kirito-kun\"
\"Yes. I accepted Shino.\"
Alice made a surprised expression and smiled slowly.
\"It turns out that there is someone who understands me better than me."
"Alice turned to face me."
\"If you plan to keep it a secret only from people here, then let's talk about my relationship with Shino.\"
"I will keep it a secret, or rather I don't want to tell anyone."
"Yes. Then I'll tell you."
Alice crossed her legs and placed her hands gently on her stomach.
\"Although it's a little disrespectful, my real name is Serizawa Airi. In the real world, I work as a psychiatrist, psychosomatic doctor, and psychological counselor at a major hospital in Tokyo. So I'm a person who understands poetry as much as you do. That's the past.\"
Come to think of it, when Shino told me everything, there was a teacher who was kinder to her than any teacher she had ever been tutored by. Moreover, this person's atmosphere is very candid, you wouldn't think he is a counselor, and his way of speaking is also very soft. Shino's description of the doctor's characteristics is not inconsistent.
\"So, you are Shino's most trusted teacher?\"
"Of course in fact, I care about Shino more than other patients and almost always provide consultation for her. Compared to other patients, Shino's past and symptoms are by far the worst, so I let other doctors treat other patients, And Shino himself takes priority."
As Iris said, no matter where in Japan, Yui Japan - a girl who stole a gun from a robber and shot back and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (ptSd) is Shino.
\"Kirito-san. If you heard about it from Sinon, you should also have heard that Sinon used medicuboid, but I want to confirm. Have you heard about medicuboid from Sinon?\"
\"I heard about it. As a result, Shino was dragged into SAo.\"
Alice put her hand to her chin thoughtfully.
\"So, did Shino come to this world at the same time as me?\"
When I opened my eyes involuntarily, Shino, who had remained silent, also opened her mouth.
\"Uh, Alice, no, Teacher Alice and I started the tutoring VRmmo together and got into it, didn't we?
Alice nodded.
"The reason is unknown, but it makes sense. The VRmmo we created has nothing to do with SAo, so it is basically impossible for us to enter the world of SAo. What happened?" When I discovered this world in Aincrad, I also When it came to Sword Art Online, a horror software that became a hot topic on TV and the Internet, I was so frightened that I turned pale.
Alice stopped crossing her legs and returned to her normal position.
\"Also, I was worried about whether Shino was involved, but it turned out that you were involved too. Only a bad premonition will have a bad impact on you.\"
"I listened and said nothing, but eventually an idea came to me." Perhaps from that point on, this man entered the church where Sasha was and eventually rose to the position of church director.
"So when you came to this world, you immediately came to this church?"
\"Although not right away, when I discovered that the world was in SAo, and it was on the 45th floor, I thought it was reasonable to return to the first floor temporarily. I found as many children as possible.\" "In SAo, Because I had kids coming to me for counseling. I couldn't leave them alone, so I went to a place where there were a lot of kids. I met Sasha. That's when I met Sasha."
"This person is different from ordinary players." I'm not just waiting for help, nor to advance the capture, but because I want to help the players living in this world, even just a little bit. With that in mind, I said to Alice again.
\"I have often been the director of the hospital run by Miss Sasha.\"
Alice smiled bitterly.
"I just taught Sasha how to treat children, how to comfort them, and how to counsel them. There didn't seem to be any benefit in saying no, and most importantly, I understood that I could stay here forever to take care of my children, so I accepted. "
Alice regained her expression, turned away from us, and turned her eyes toward the window.
"Besides, I couldn't have kids trapped in a city or world filled with sordid sentiments. I wanted to create a place, and that's what I set out to do here."
Sometimes I feel like the world is an emotional whirlpool darker than the real world. Laughing Coffins, criminal guilds, red player murders, robberies, robberies and assassinations.
"It is absolutely unacceptable to leave a child in a human world who commits such heinous crimes like a game and I don't want them to do that." That's why I can agree with Alice in creating a place away from such things idea.
\"Well, Alice-san.\"
\"What's wrong, Kirito-san?\"
"Classmate Alice, how much do you know about the names and characteristics of the children living here?"
Alice turned to me and crossed her arms over her chest.
"Everyone, there are indeed nearly 120 children under protection in this church, but I know their names and characteristics. Well, as expected, I don't even know the children who left the church and attacked."
"So, do you know anything about Yui? Yui is a child we found in the 22-story forest, but she has lost her memory and is in a state of not knowing where she came from."
When I mentioned Yui, I noticed that Alice's eyes widened.
\"Yui, you mean?\"
"Do you know what!?"
Alice was startled by Shino's voice and shook her head.
\"Sorry, there is no child like Yui here. Although he is protected here, he did not escape. I have never seen this name even in Sasha's attendance book.\" It says Yui Yui. "
Alice reacted, and I thought she knew something, but apparently she didn't. Even so, it bothered me that he was reacting like this.
\"However, when they first met, Komu seemed to call Kirito-kun father and Shino mother, but what did you do to her?\"
"I thought I wouldn't talk to players other than us, but I thought it would be okay to talk to Alice." We immediately answered Alice's questions and talked about Yui.
\"That's why when she lost her memory and woke up, she recognized Kirito-kun as her father and Shino as her mother, and started calling her that."
Shino nodded.
\"Yes. Moreover, Yui seems to regard Kirito as her real father and me as her real mother. Moreover, her speech and behavior are not consistent with her appearance. This is what Alice-sensei said. You A doctor knows a lot, so what do you know?"
Alice crossed her arms and lowered her head slightly.
“Of course, I’m a doctor and know this sentence very well, so it’s not that I don’t understand it.
As far as I know, Yui's symptoms are amnesia and mental regression. Either I stumbled across something that shocked me, or I had a nervous breakdown from a horrific experience. Either way, something bad must have happened. I don't know when my memory will come back, and even if it does, I don't know if my sanity will ever come back. "
"This world is a world where people are killed by monsters." If you go to a place with monsters, shocking events happen every day
"However, as you can see, she is a defenseless girl, and if her behavior is similar to that of a baby, then it is not an exaggeration to say that she is a baby. It should be easy to imagine if the baby was attacked by a monster."
Hearing Alice's words, I nodded.
\"If Yui calls Kirito-kun her father and Shino her mother, then I'm sorry, but to Yui, you are such people. Since we came to this world, in addition to being with you and taking care of you There is no alternative.\"
Shino rolled her eyes and raised her voice to speak to Alice.
\"Can you stay with Yui and take care of her!?\"
Alice looked confused then nodded.
"Oh, of course. Or rather, what else?
Shino nodded and said nothing. Shino must hate Yui leaving us the most, and she is probably also very scared. But now that I know that Yui is not a child here and that we can take care of her, I let go of those feelings and know that I can interact with Yui again and I feel happy from the bottom of my heart. Deaf. Of course, my I feel the same as Shino.
\"However, that person Shino had a lover in this world and gave birth to such a child. This is the most shocking thing today. I may never forget today.\"
\"I'm also surprised. I didn't expect that there are people who can understand Shino.\"
\"The same is true for me. Kirito-kun, the fact that you choose to stand by Shino's side should mean that you have appropriate determination, but you also know this.\"
"I nodded."
"Yes.
Alice smiled softly.
\"I wish you good luck. Work hard, Kirito-kun Shino. I'm glad you met a good person. If it's him, you don't have to worry.\"
Shino's face turned red for a moment, but soon returned to normal, her cheeks turning pink and she smiled.
"Yes"
After seeing Shino's smile, Alice turned to face me.
\"Basically, I'm in this church, so if you have any questions, you can send me a message or come see me in person. Especially Kirito-kun, if you have anything you want to know about Shino, I I'll tell you." I hope you can come. I will try my best to help you. "
As expected of a psychiatrist, I felt very warm and had no bad feelings when talking to him. I think I can understand Shino's dependence on him in the real world.
"Okay, then I'll take care of you."
There are three beds in the same room as Yui, so please use that bed. Now, Yui needs her father and mother by her side. "
We nodded, thanked Alice, lowered our heads, left the director's office, and returned to Yui's bedroom along a slightly dark corridor.
\"So, Yui? Is there some kind of coincidence in that name and appearance?\"
