Chapter 5: Explanation
June 29th, 2026
As the sun rose up, Klein and Shi-Eun were sleeping in the same bed, the both of them under the blanket as their natural bodies took shelter in it. It had been nearly over a month since the two of them were officially a couple. Although, they weren't quite in a position to be married just yet with the groom's housing proving to be lackluster. Despite it, they loved each other all the same. And all it took was a moment (even in the midst of a war with Laughing Coffin) for them to click in place.
As they continued to be together, however, Klein found himself unable to pay his bills and ended up evicted. When Shi-Eun heard about the incident, she offered him a place to stay: her house. Since then, Klein was trying as hard as he could to find work to repay his debt to him. When the stress of being able to make it right to her got to him through several rejected offers, Klein was ready to call it quits and pack it up. However, Shi-Eun wasn't blind to what he wanted to do and the pain it was causing him. In an attempt to relieve Klein of this, Shi-Eun was willing to give herself to him. And it worked.
The next morning, Klein was feeling much better as opposed to the night before. The comfort she gave him must've helped him ease the tension he's faced with. And from how long he'd been working just to find work, he needed that. So, you can imagine his great relief as he and Shi-Eun opened their eyes and saw each other as they smiled before the former spoke first.
"Hey, Shi-Eun."
"Are you feeling better, Klein?"
"Very. Thanks a lot. Seriously. I just wish we could keep doing that."
This gave Shi-Eun an idea as she sat up before she spoke.
"Who said we'd stop at that night?"
This made Klein raise his eyes in curiosity before she looked to the bathroom just down the hall.
"Huh?"
"My legs are still asleep from last night. I hope you don't mind carrying me over to the bathroom to shower. I just don't want to be a burden to you, especially with what you've been through the past month already."
This made Klein smile as he knew what she was getting at. Perhaps it was in case he still felt stressed in the morning. Or maybe she didn't get enough of their time together. Whatever the case, Klein took his turn to sit up and spoke to Shi-Eun.
"And here I thought I was the one worrying about that. Of course I'll take you there."
"Really?"
"Yeah. But, uh, just in case your arms are sleepy, too..."
With that, Klein gently placed his hands on her hips before moving towards her as she wrapped her hands around his neck before he lifted her up and inserted his penis into his vagina before standing up as Shi-Eun moaned in the bliss of its pleasures while leaning her head on him, trying to resist the urge to release as well as the urge to make him release before he spoke, making her look up to him.
"There we go. Now that you're all buckled up, this train is leaving the station. Choo-choo!"
As a result, Shi-Eun began to laugh at Klein's wordplay as she spoke, engaging in the banter herself.
"Let's hope it won't be too long of a trip."
"Don't worry. The warm springs of lavatoria are just around the corner, for you especially."
In the shower, as the water was running, Shi-Eun couldn't withstand the urge any more than she was able and gave him a warning about what she was about to do as she looked up at him with evident signs of increasing lust.
"I don't think I can stave it off any longer, Klein. I want to have more of you inside me..."
"Well, what are you waiting for?"
With that, Shi-Eun began to rapidly adjust her position back and forth vertically, using Klein's rod as a sort of back scratcher, in which case her itch would be all over the inside of her region as she felt its motions bumping her up each time she went down as Klein's rod began to get close to a release rapidly. As the pleasure of it filled her mind full, Shi-Eun began acting on her instinct to procreate as her moans rose and lowered with each time she went up and down before Klein felt the pressure of it all overflowing.
"Oh, boy. Here we go again, Shi-Eun! I'm gonna do it!"
"Go ahead! I can take it! I can take it all!"
In a few seconds since her word passed through the air, Klein released his liquid essence into her, directly into her womb as it filled up like a water balloon as they moaned before a part of the essence managed to escape and go out the way it came as it leaked out of her throbbing vagina while they panted for air as Shi-Eun looked to him and spoke softly.
"Look at that. You came inside me twice, now... Maybe we'll have some children this time."
This made Klein freeze up a moment in shock. To be frank, he wasn't sure he's at a level of being a father yet, especially not with his line of work, of which he had none. Upon seeing his shaken look, Shi-Eun brushed her hand on his face and soothed him before she spoke.
"Don't worry. As long as you're there for them, like you always are for me, I know you'll be a great father, just as you're a great friend."
As Shi-Eun's smiling face looked back at him, Klein found himself unable to look away, like he was in a trance. And what she said was true. He was always there for her, ever since that night at Yokohama. And as he was reminded of it, he smiled back before he spoke.
"Thanks, Shi-Eun. I appreciate it."
As she nodded, Klein and Shi-Eun leaned to kiss each other in the lips as the sunlight shone on them.
Later, Klein and Shi-Eun were at the table as the latter was preparing scrambled eggs as she hummed while Klein looked at his phone, seeing where he could find a job in his area with the same amount of luck as before as he mumbled.
"Seriously? Zilch again? I bet Korai never had to worry about finding work."
As he said his name, Klein realized that he hadn't heard from Korai or Yuuki at all yesterday. In fact, he didn't hear from Kirito either. Maybe his stress from failing to find work made him oblivious, but the fact that he didn't see or hear from them made him worried as Shi-Eun spoke up to him while she set the eggs on a plate and put it in front of him before setting her plate beside his and sat down beside him.
"Your breakfast is ready."
"Great. Thanks."
As they dined on their food, Klein felt the need to ask about whether or not she heard from her friend recently.
"Hey, Shi-Eun. You didn't happen to hear from Yuuki, did you?"
Upon hearing this, Shi-Eun widened her eyes before she replied while looking to him.
"Now that you mention it, I haven't. I tried to call her just last night, but I didn't get a call back."
This gave Klein food for thought. If he didn't hear from Korai or Kirito and she didn't hear from Yuuki, there'd only be one possibility: Laughing Coffin. Given their role in its defeat, it's most likely that one of their own managed to escape and dole out revenge against them. On top of that, they encountered a group of P. 's that worked a similar way. They must've gotten their addresses and ambushed them. However, just thinking about what could've happened to them was beginning to add to the stress, and for the worst.
Normally, Klein was always laid back, but since the stand at Yokohama, he realized he needed to be on his toes, act as if every moment was his last. It was partly what motivated him to be with Shi-Eun as she tried to recover, and why he needed to be his own man and find serious work. And now that he's just realized what could've happened, Klein was beginning to have an upset stomach from that possibility, but he didn't want Shi-Eun to worry about him any more than she did the night before, especially with what she did to help him calm down. Before it could get worse, Klein heard the phone ring in his pocket, stirring him out of his fear-driven train of thought and making Shi-Eun curious as she spoke.
"That's odd. Who could be calling us at this hour?"
As Klein looked at his phone, he saw the face of the man who talked it up with Korai and Yuuki at their wedding day before he spoke.
"I think I know who."
With that, Klein didn't hesitate to answer and put it on speaker, hoping that he knew what happened to them as he spoke.
"Hello?"
"Hello. This is Klein, right?"
"Yeah. Shi-Eun's here, too."
"I know you must be worried about where your friends are by now."
"Heck, Yeah. You wouldn't happen to know where Kiri-dude and the others are, would you?"
"Actually, I do. They're with me and the SDF."
Hearing this, it made Klein surprised as he widened his eyes before he dawned on a worst-case scenario.
"So you're the one who captured them!"
"I didn't capture them, Klein. I recruited them. And Kirito and the others, too."
This confused Klein as he recalled what he saw at their wedding reception.
"But I only saw you chatting it up with Korai and Yuuki before."
"Yes, but the husband told me to bring everyone into the loop. I assumed you'd be with them, but I was surprised to notice you were missing."
This made Klein dumbfounded as he spoke.
"What? You mean that while I've been working my butt off trying to look for a job, I could've gone with you guys and save myself the trouble?"
"Actually, that was on me. I honestly thought you were a student like the others."
"So because of that mix-up, I didn't go?"
"Basically. But it's being fixed as we speak. A ride is being sent your way, soon. He just needs the address, and then he'll take you."
Knowing better than to just blatantly give out the address, Klein found it difficult to believe in that.
"That's all, huh?"
"That's right. I know it's unconventional, but it's the quietest way to get transported."
This made Klein uneasy as he found it best to consult with Shi-Eun.
"Alright... what do you think?"
With that, he looked to Shi-Eun, wondering what she'd think about doing so. To answer his silent query on her permission, Shi-Eun nodded before Klein began answering.
"Okay. It's 713 Lycoris Garden Court. Got all that?"
For a moment, there was silence before Kikuoka spoke.
"Okay. Got it. We'll pick you up in about an hour. Take care of yourselves and prepare until then."
As Klein and Shi-Eun nodded, Kikuoka spoke again to him.
"Oh, and Klein? About your job search, consider yourself hired."
With that, the call ended, making Klein surprised about what he said as he spoke.
"Hey! Don't I gotta have an interview first?!"
Unfortunately, with the call having been ended, Klein was left hung to dry as he groaned before Shi-Eun placed her hand on his shoulder.
"Well, at least we'll find our friends, and your job."
"Yeah. I guess. I don't know if I'll like it, though."
As time passed, when they were picked up via limo before being taken to a helicopter, and then to the Ocean Turtle, Klein began to know the answer as he shouted just as he and Shi-Eun got out of the helicopter and stepped onto the platform.
"I love it!"
As the two looked around at the scenery around them, Klein continued to speak his mind as Shi-Eun admired the beauty of the ocean.
"No wonder Yuuki wanted to go. How could Korai say no to all this before now?"
Just then, Lieutenant Nakanishi went up to them and spoke, making Klein and Shi-Eun turn to him.
"Hello. Kikuoka's been expecting you for some time."
With that, Klein made a cool smile to him, in the hopes of impressing Shi-Eun. It was easy to forget about his stress and panic from being in debt with sights like the ocean and his now occasional ability to play it cool.
"Must've missed the memo. Can you take us to the boss, if it's not too much trouble?"
Ignoring the arrogance that came with Klein's get-up, Nakanishi only nodded before he spoke.
"Right this way."
As he walked forward, Shi-Eun walked with Klein before she spoke to him.
"Are you sure this is necessary?"
"Totally. We gotta blend in, in case they're... you know."
"It's highly doubtful they're Laughing Coffin, Klein."
"True. But Korai said no to them for a reason. And if he doesn't trust them, I'm not so eager to trust them. Besides, I found the guy sneaky to begin with."
"Well, if you say so..."
From there, Klein and Shi-Eun underwent several scans from metal detectors and the like before they finally reached the main room in front of them. It was in that room where they noticed a monitor showing a castle at the center of everything from above with five gates dividing the kingdoms as Kikuoka and Rinko watching the scene with Higa manning the controls before Rinko and Kikuoka turned to them the former having been expecting them to go with Korai and the others before she spoke.
"Oh. There you are."
"Well, well, well. Just the people I wanted to see. I hope you aren't too mad about being left out."
As Klein and Shi-Eun turned to Kikuoka, the latter of the group only spoke with a slight shake of the head before she got to the matter at hand.
"Oh, no. It's quite alright. It was an honest mistake. Although, we are wondering where our friends are at the moment."
"Well, I'll be happy to show you."
With that, Kikuoka turned to Higa before he spoke to him as to what he needs to do.
"Higa."
"Got it. Zooming in, now."
As Higa managed to zoom in, the monitor moved in closer on the grassy plains to show Kirito, Asuna, Sachi, Shino, Rika, Keiko, Suguha, Korai, Yuuki, their children, and Eugeo going along with them as rain fell down on them. Upon seeing them, Klein and Shi-Eun became surprised as they widened their eyes before she spoke to Kikuoka.
"What is this? Is it like virtual reality?"
"Not quite. What you're actually seeing is a datascape."
This made Klein curious as he looked to the Lieutenant Colonel before he spoke.
"A datascape? You mean they're inside a computer?"
"Not that kind of datascape. It's actually more complex than that."
"Really? Complex how?"
With that, Higa piped up and offered to explain.
"Well, wait till I tell ya."
And so, Higa explained to Klein and Shi-Eun about how the Seed helped Kikuoka establish a new world to raise souls in that system. Of course, they were obviously stunted to learn that they have not only managed to copy the souls of infants, but they'd also been raising them in what Klein called the datascape. From there, they were told about Kikuoka's plan to build a bottom up artificial intelligence. So far, only one of them managed to think and act for herself and encouraged others to do the same: Alice. Upon finding her out, Kikuoka sent Eiji and Yuuna to preserve her and her fluctlight. But that's not the only issue.
In the Underworld, countless A.I.'s would follow each rule given out by the Axiom Church in the Taboo Index one hundred percent, which was a great contrast between that and the real world where people still broke the law, but Kikuoka considered it too perfect. As Klein heard this, though, he began to wonder why Kikuoka needed Korai to begin with. The answer to that utterly shook them to the core: the Sorcerer. As they heard about how he's managed to survive via somehow copying his soul and plugging it in, Klein and Shi-Eun became very surprised. Yet, it made the objective all the more clear to them as Klein spoke to Kikuoka before the stifled Rinko spoke to him tensely about how Klein viewed Korai.
"So that's it, huh? Korai must not have wanted to face that guy again after what he's been through. That's why he couldn't go; he was scared to death."
"My son is not a coward. He didn't know about that at the time. Korai said no back then because he didn't know the risks that played in this datascape. It's a blend of both the real world and the virtual. So long as they're blurred, the risks would be worse than SAO. And he simply didn't want Yuuki to take those risks, not even if it meant seeing his father again. He cares too much about her to go chase after answers."
"And then the Sorcerer showed up, didn't he?"
"Yes."
At that moment, Shi-Eun had a different question in mind as she noticed Kikuoka's neck left with marks that described two hands upon it before she spoke.
"What happened to you, Kikuoka? You have marks on your neck."
Upon realizing this, Kikuoka didn't want to go into detail with that and rubbed his neck softly as he spoke.
"It was just a difference of opinion. It's nothing to worry about."
Klein didn't really believe that as he spoke before moving on to how his friends accessed the Underworld as he looked to the monitor.
"Yeah, right. Still, there's one thing I don't get. If their souls are in this Underworld or whatever, then where are their bodies?"
To answer him, Kikuoka spoke up to Klein as he and Shi-Eun were led downstairs to the STL room where several nurses looked after the divers.
"They're currently in their Soul Translators. That's how they're in the Underworld at present. And of course, we have nurses to keep an eye on them 24/7. So if anything happened to them, we'd be there to help."
Upon seeing their friends on the STLs, Shi-Eun felt them to be strangely familiar. After all, she recalled Yuuki's situation being exactly like this as she spoke to Kikuoka.
"Wait. Those STLs. Are they Medicuboids?"
As he took notice of the similarity between the two, Kikuoka smiled at her before he replied with Shi-Eun looking at the models in the room with Eiji, Yuna, Korai, Yuuki, Kirito, and Asuna present.
"Not necessarily. I understand the confusion, but the designs for them were actually based off of the Medicuboid."
"Right. There's about... six STL's here."
Just then, one of the nurses came from behind them and spoke to Klein and Shi-Eun.
"There are other units in Roppongi with the total adding up to thirteen. Although, they're in the lower shaft."
Upon seeing this nurse, Klein recognized her. And he should. She was there when after the Sorcerer was slain, and the one who nursed him back to health, no less. With that, Klein couldn't help but become confused as he spoke.
"Hold on. I saw you helping Korai out after he put the Sorcerer six feet under. Are you an actual nurse, or are you just faking?"
"I'm a nurse. I'm registered and everything, and I have the papers to prove it. Although, full disclosure, the nursing school I graduated from is affiliated with the Tokyo Self-Defense Force."
This made Klein and Shi-Eun widen their eyes in surprise before the nurse made a salute as she spoke.
"Sergeant 1st class, Natsuki Aki. As long as I'm on duty here, I swear I will protect Kayaba and his friends. We good?"
As Aki made a wink with a smile, Shi-Eun smiled back at her as she spoke to Aki. As she spoke, however, Shi-Eun's own worries were starting to kick in as she recalled how Yuuki was stuck in a Medicuboid for the past two years, causing her tears to appear as drops in her eyelids.
"Yes. But... I'd still feel better seeing Yuuki for myself. Seeing her like this in person, I know she doesn't have the virus anymore, but still... it brings back too many memories."
"I heard. Kurahashi told me about what she went through. But don't you worry about a thing. If Yuuki's as much a trooper as he told me she is, then she'll be more than okay. She is the absolute swordswoman after all."
As Shi-Eun looked through the glass, she couldn't help but smile, recalling how well she handled her situation compared to her. She always smiled, carrying on with the day like it was normal. And that was before she met Korai, too. Knowing how brave she is for herself, she couldn't help but feel Yuuki's optimism rub off on her as she smiled.
"That's right. She is."
With that, as Klein eased up with seeing Shi-Eun's smiling face, he still had feelings of distrust towards Kikuoka as he spoke to him.
"So, what were you really doing with them before you brought our friends into this?"
"I told you it was about a difference of opinion. Korai will explain when you find him."
Knowing that he's not in the mood to talk himself, what with an apparent attempt on his life, Klein shrugged his shoulders while keeping his tense gaze.
"You know what? Maybe I will."
Before they could get started on that, though, Rinko felt as though she was the one who placed them in this position with her role in the SAO incident before she felt the guilt of it rising up and threatening to spew out of her. To deter this, Rinko spoke to Shi-Eun and Klein.
"Can we talk?"
Upon hearing this, Klein and Shi-Eun turned to Rinko before the latter of the two turned to Kikuoka.
"Actually, can we talk with her first?"
"I don't mind. Take all the time you need."
Later, in Rinko's room, Kira was reading her study guides wearing headphones as Klein and Shi-Eun sat down on the bed beside her as he spoke about her to Rinko.
"Wow. Cute little bookworm, isn't she?"
"Yes. She usually likes to study and learn everything about the world's cultures. That includes technological advances in them as well."
With that, Rinko knelt down to Kira and took off her earphones before she spoke.
"Kira, can you go study with Higa?"
"Sure, Mother."
With that, Kira took her studies with her and walked out as she hummed. This made Shi-Eun smile at her before she spoke.
"You must be proud to raise such a resourceful daughter."
However, Rinko didn't quite feel that way as she frowned.
"Proud isn't the word I'd use to describe myself. There's... something I have to confess to you two. Mm-mm. Not just to you. I owe one to all the SAO players, both living and dead."
This made Klein widen his eyes before he spoke, thinking it could have a major impact, though he failed to see what she had in mind would blow their current situation out of the water.
"And what's that all about?"
"I'm sure you heard the story, about how during the SAO incident, Akihiko Kayaba and I were hiding in the mountains of Nagano?"
"Yeah. Kiri-dude told me about that about a year back. What's that got to do with anything?"
As an answer, Rinko parted her shirt and revealed her necklace sitting on top of her chest with a scar on the top of the left mound, making them widen their eyes with gasps as she explained.
"That scar is from a micro-bomb Akihiko implanted there. The news said he put it there to force me to stay and help him with his plan during those two years. But that's not the truth. Yes, the bomb was real, but I knew it would never go off. He put it there so that when we were caught, I wouldn't be charged with aiding and abetting and Kira wouldn't be left without a parent to look after her. Thing is, she was five years old, back then. It was a bluff to keep us safe, and the only present he ever gave me. When Akihiko got into the Toto Institute of Technology, he was already the head of development in Argus. But I didn't know about that. All I saw was a scrawny loner who only cared about his research. But Shiki... she saw more to him than that."
As she spoke about her, Rinko couldn't help but smile sadly about her best friend.
"She was just like Yuuki. But me and Akihiko were total opposites. Despite that, we started dating at her request. One thing I could never figure out was why he wanted to stay with me, let alone take the two of us together instead of one or the other. The other was him. That happened when Korai was at a young age, but Shiki... Sugou raped and murdered her. After that, he closed himself off from me and Kira, and kept his son by his side. Then, one day, I realized I had all that time together... and I didn't know him at all. At first, I thought he was doing this for petty revenge for what happened to Shiki. Misery loved company, after all. But regardless, I knew Akihiko was at his cabin. But I didn't go there because I wanted to help him; I... I went because I wanted to kill him. And then, I don't know why, but I... I... I couldn't do it. He knew what I was thinking, that I had a knife. But he just smiled at me and said, 'what am I gonna do with you?' Like he always did. And then, he went back to Aincrad."
This made Klein tense his hands as Shi-Eun took notice of this before Rinko began to shudder with regret as she began to sob before she spoke.
"I'm so sorry."
As Rinko sobbed her heart out, Klein kept his gaze at her before he spoke.
"So it's all your fault, then."
Hearing this, Rinko gasped before Klein began to stand up and tense his hand into a fist, intending to strike her down, making Shi-Eun worried about what he could do as she spoke.
"Klein..."
"You had your chance to end it all... but you didn't. Instead, you let so many people die! And for what?!"
As Klein swiftly slammed Rinko to the back of the wall with his arm crushing her neck, making Shi-Eun worried as she spoke.
"Klein, please calm down. She's not the one who did this to your friends."
"OF COURSE SHE IS! SHE HAD HER CHANCE TO HELP, AND SHE DID NOTHING!"
As Klein shouted this, Shi-Eun tried to further dissuade him from his current course.
"What's done is done! Killing her won't bring them back! It won't change anything!"
"You're wrong. One thing will change... I won't have to look at that pissant's face anymore!"
"KLEIN, DON'T!"
As Klein prepared to strike her in the face, he threw it hard at her. However, his punch only stopped short of her face by an inch, stunning her. At first, she was surprised that he held back. But as she saw Klein's look of hesitation, Rinko knew the answer. It was Shi-Eun.
"Think about it. If she did kill him, what then? Laughing Coffin would still be around, and then Korai would never have met us. And Yuuki wouldn't have been alive!"
This made Klein widen his eyes at her saying this before he retorted, clearly angry with what she didn't do.
"So what?! You honestly think she owes Kayaba anything?!"
"I do. It was his Medicuboid that saved her. And, in a way, that's what brought me to you."
As he heard this, Klein tensed at this before he quickly let her drop to the floor before Rinko coughed from Klein's roughness before he glared at her and spoke.
"The only reason you're alive... is because I have bigger fish to fry. After this is over, I will kill you. I mean that."
With that, Klein walked out of the room with a bitter look as he spoke.
"Come on, Shi-Eun. We're done here."
As Klein walked out, Shi-Eun held her head down out of worry. Why would Klein have acted this way, especially when it was in complete contrast with his usual character? Maybe deep down, he's angry with what happened in that death game. So angry he wanted to kill Kayaba for it. But if that were it, why didn't he get to Korai, then? He must know that Korai was as much a victim to it as he was. But he seemed to think Rinko was a different story. Regardless, Shi-Eun could only comply with him, if for no other reason than to keep her eyes on him if he should go rogue as she walked out with him.
Later, Rinko was sleeping beside Kira as she snuggled next to her mother before footsteps cane closer to them, making the mother stir as she heard a familiar voice.
'Coming all the way out here? What am I gonna do with you?'
Forgetting about all the events that happened between them, Rinko only moaned as she spoke to the figure above her.
"It's so early... come back to bed."
As Rinko shut her eyes again, she then heard Shiki's screams of terror before opening them to see her nude and murdered body in front of her, making her as pale as a ghost before the figure beside her, revealed to be the Sorcerer that attacked her son, glared at her before he spoke coldly to her.
'Her death is on your head.'
Just then, he pulled out a gun and shot a bullet at Rinko, sending her into shock as she woke up startled with a gasp. As she looked around, she could still see Kira snuggling by her before she got up and tried to see where the figure that talked first with her went. But sadly, she found that there was no one else before she tried to head to the main hall where the monitor was. Unfortunately, there was no trace there either as she clutched on her necklace before she spoke to herself.
"Was that... a dream?"
As an answer, Cancer's fluctlight popped up suddenly and spoke.
"It's a real mystery."
Upon seeing him, Rinko was taken aback by the suddenness of his reply as she gasped before he spoke.
"Rinko, I presume? I have a message for you..."