It was strange, to say the least. For Asada Shino, it always seemed to look that way in the long-run. She had just finished coming home from school tutoring -though, she admitted, quietly to herself that it would have been sooner with cab fare.
Endou-san and her friends, earlier, had pressed her into giving them close to 5,000 yen. Apparently blowing it all on karaoke. Sure, she had refused their request at first but, Shino already knew from the get-go that it wasn't going to do much good for her. There were three of them and only one of her. Plus, the last time she tried to walk away... didn't end too well. Her bruises on the side of her left arm were still there.
The cold whirling winds of December's weather would have been worse for anyone not used to it at a series of times. Yet, on the other hand, she did feel used to it. Despite wearing her black school uniform and skirt, accompanied by an overcoat and scarf.
The teenager on the other side of the apartment complex door? He didn't look too comfortable with the weather. Even after she caught the lock paper to his entry in the nick of time. Just as the winds were tempting to blow it away.
His pale face went whiter than a ghost. The boy looked back up at her, both hands grasping onto the leaflet in terrified dismay. "You know how much trouble I'd be if I lost this?" He stuttered hesitantly.
Shino's breath formed a cloud of white when she sighed in sober understanding to him. "I can imagine it wouldn't be pleasant if you had somewhere else to be?" She replied. Hoping that would ease the boy's nerves. It didn't
The teen dipped his head to show as much. "Please," His accent started a little off to sound completely fluent. "What would have happened if I didn't realize I had dropped my code again?"
"Well…" Shino tried picking her words carefully for this one. "Let's say you were running late and had to change your clothing, but the code to your lock wasn't in your pocket?" She paused and rubbed her cheek a bit. "U-Unless, Taka-san, the landlord, was still in her office -she usually is- you will be able to access another from her in no problem!"
The boy's dark brown eyes met hers. Then sighed gloomily. His face resembled a sort of relief after what she said. "That figures,"
Shino gave him a small smile to reflect it. Although her hands were lightly shaking from her school bag dangling off it. And not because it was cold or cramping, either...She wasn't used to having conversions this long.
The boy then asked another question, "And... what'll happen if she wasn't there in her office?" From the way he sounded, he already knew the answer to that question.
Shino saw as much and gave him a thoughtful expression, nevertheless. "Not..too good," But, quickly followed it up with, "But, you have it now, luckily! Just remember to saved and store it in a safe place," She suggested, "Won't want someone who doesn't belong in your home to break in when they feel like...right?" Shino tried a tiny chuckle to accompanied her joke. What came out instead was probably too nervous about being heard as much. Which promptly made Shino want to kick herself for even attempting it.
But, much to her comfort, the boy only sighed at that and, after another moment, nodded in agreement. "You're not wrong there, I'm afraid. Still," He brought himself up. "If anyone wanted to do that..." He tapped the brim of his gloved knuckles. "They'd have another thing coming. And you can take that to the bank."
"Take what to the bank?" Shino cocked her head, a little confused, and to what he was referring to.
"Er- right...it's nothing." The teen promptly thanked her for her assistance. Adding, "Forgot this isn't Virginia anymore…" Under his breath in a sort of disgrace -in English. So, he isn't from around here, then? Shino wasn't quite sure at first. But, his mannerisms, accent, and attire were a bit of a giveaway.
Fixing the glare from her glasses, he did look a bit of a newcomer. Though he wasn't that much taller than her. How odd?
Pushing that aside for now. Respectfully, Asada bowed her head. "I'm glad I could help-!" Her phone inside her jacket decided to buzz to life. "S-Sorry, please, excuse me," she drew her smartphone out and saw the glow of the touch-screen: revealing she got a text.
It read: 'Yo, Sinon. Are you still up for tonight? You know those low-levels from last week aren't going to ambush themselves,' -DYNE.
Shino felt her expression dropped, just like the boy in front of her earlier. Oh no, I almost forgot! She looked back at the boy in alarm. He raised both his eyebrows in surprise in response.
Promptly, she bent her head just as fast. "Gomen nasai!" She apologized, "I wish I could talk longer, but, I forgot about the time," She threw her carrying-bag over her shoulder and began rushing down to her apartment room. Adding behind her, "Ha-Have a good rest of your afternoon!" And rapidly continued down the platform.
She must have made it only a few steps inland before the boy called out, "My name's Reggie, by the way!"
She stopped dead in her track. W-What? Did she hear that correctly?
Peering over her shoulder, she asked, still hesitant, "I'-I'm sorry?"
"I said my name is Reggie," The light boy promptly repeated as he walked over to her. "Sorry I forgot my manners."
"Oh." That..was not at all what Shino was expecting. Let alone the first thing she shot in her mind. He's...He's giving me his family name? Asada -assumingly- thought unclear. But...why would he want to be friends with someone like me? We just met!? She hadn't had much practice talking to other people. Let alone making friends.
Before, even when she was trying to be helpful -like she was when she found and returned this bo...Reggie's code to him- most people would have swatted the gesture away. Often saying, "Ew, don't touch me!" Or, "I didn't ask for your help, you murderer!"
It took a while but, when she thought about, who could blame them? After what had happened at the post office when she was a little girl. She shook her head, I wouldn't even want to be around me…
Reggie gave her a funny look. She was still staring into his open palm for what felt like a deer caught in headlights. Shino yelped back to reality. Calmy, or, as best she could without acting rude about it, accepted the gesture. And shook Reggie's gloved hand. It was pretty cold. "R-Reggie-san?" He nodded promptly. Shino bit her lip. "Mine's Asada.."
"Asada?" He asked warily. Sounding as if he'd heard her name before (at least that's the way it looked to her).
"Y-Yes," She confirmed apprehensively. "That's...mine."
After a moment of rubbing his chin in thought, Reggie nodded at that. "I like it."
"Really?" She blinked rapidly when their hands broke away.
"Yes, ma'am," Reggie continued with a small smile of his own. He paused for a moment, "I do thank you kindly for helping me, and, to be honest, I reckon it wouldn't be fun standing outside the landlady's door out in this kind of cold now, would I?"
"No, of course not!" Shino returned with distress. It was only when Reggie laughed a little did she understand he was just -hopefully- joking. She hadn't even noticed she joined in a bit.
The slim teen then touched the brim of his hat and agreed. "Well, I should really get back inside and try not to catch a...cold..." Even though he was wearing a copper-colored jacket, gloves, slim pants, and a cap over his head, the teen still looked as if he was stuck in the thick of a blizzard. He had to sneeze to show he wasn't just pretending, either (Wasn't she the one wearing the skirt, though?). He went on, "Thank you very much, Asada. Hopefully, I see you around sometime," He added in his reasonable Japanese.
"Yeah." Shino held her hands together and looked away for a moment. "I...would not mind that, either…" She admitted, in deep thought, "Thank you, Reggie-san." She added the honorary, not sure if in America -the place he muttered was somewhere around there, according to her history book- used their own titles.
Reggie waved her one last bye before returning and shutting the door to his apartment behind him. After he did this. Shino found herself standing there, still in avid surprise. Comparable to the sort of which you get when you're deathly afraid of doing something you wouldn't normally do, such as riding a scary roller coaster.
Sure, there was the anticipation and, often, the exaggerated fear of making the ride worse than it was. But, after you go on and ride it all the way through, you feel exhausted and still shaken up but, flush through the sweat of your palms and head -you felt accomplished. Was that the right word to describe what she just did right now? After all, when was the last time she talked and was treated like another human being? Another...hopefully, friend?
Sure there was her only companion, Shinkawa-san, but he approached her in the library while she was reading a book about guns. Not the other way around. Still, when was the last time she talked to another person on her own? Let alone become friends off the bat?
Too long, She conceived in discomfort. She couldn't remember if her chest always felt this hollow whenever she thought about how alone she was. It hurt, then. And it definitely still hurts, now. Maybe, Reggie was just kind for me helping... perhaps he doesn't really mean it.
Just then, another cold breeze whistled by her nose to remind her of its presence. "I should get inside.." She'll have time to think about this later.
She pulled her dark black scarf over her mouth and nose and, after punching in the code to her lock and the click following it. She entered her pitch-black apartment room. Liberating the area with light by flipping a switch.
With an exhausted sigh. Shino quickly took off and changed into her casual clothes, a white shirt with a pair of black shorts. Since she was running late, Dyne wouldn't let her hear the end of it. So, once her AmuSphere was up and running, Shino laid with her back against the bed. Placing her oval-cut glasses on the nightstand and drawing the VR device over her dark black eyes.
When she was sure, she was in the best possible position. She closed them, then mutter the words that gave her comfort when she got into VR games months ago: "Link start!"
. . .
December 7, 2025, was starting to become an eventful day, indeed. Or, at least, as much as one to Kirito when he thought about it. The last thing he expected when he got of Ginza was leaving with the notion he would be working with Seijirou, once again. For another?
He didn't wait to get someone to help with this particular job, either. Let alone someone who wasn't entirely from around here. The fact that, even after leaving Ginza, Kirito still wasn't too sure how to feel at the moment about the Death Gun case.
His worried expression on top of the grassy mushroom he was on must have shown to his girlfriend/wife, Asuna. "Everything okay, Kirito-Kun?" She asked, leaning over to his prone shape.
"I hope so," He muttered. Asuna's blue eyes widen. "I-I mean everything's fine, Asuna!" He corrected in radical assurance. Saying, "I was just...thinking out loud."
"Hmm," Asuna looked distressed at his answer. Almost like she wasn't sure he was telling the truth or not. She'd always been that way. Ever since they decided to first-party up back in SAO. The last thing Kirito imagined was for that to become something more, later on.
He decided to give her a better answer than that. Or, more like his own question to her. "Asuna," He began, "Can I...tell you something?"
"What is it?" She blinked from how sudden his voice came off. Like before, she leaned in enough for her pale features, and long-blue hair and eyes to come into view. She was so close that he almost gulped from how stunning she looked. Again, just another reason why Kirito wanted to tell her this now than later.
He took a deep breath. "I have to leave ALO for a bit."
Asuna's jaw dropped. Kirito might as well have been breaking up with her since that's almost the face she gave him. "Y-Y-You're leaving? Why?!"
"I-It's only for a few days!" Kirito assured -he was doing a lot of that lately. He followed it up with, "I er- found a job that requires me to do so, for a short while." He left it at that and hoped it would be enough for her to be okay with. Considering, any more and that wouldn't be partially fun in his part.
She frowned and gave him her famous(deadly) stare. "Why'd you sound so hesitant when you were telling me that, Kirito-Kun?" Her voice sounding precise what he feared. Crap! She went on, asking, "Is the job that important that you need to convert? You'll lose all your items from here if you do!" She remarked more softly this time.
Kirito rubbed the back of his head in distress. Was I really being that hesitant telling her that? His hands were shaking a bit from the thought. That thought was the player's body...Pale ride, from what he remembered from Seijirou's photos of the scene. It still bothered him. And he wished he didn't have the pleasure of witnessing it.
"Remember that government worker after what happened back in ALO?" He waited until she nodded. He went on, "He asked me to help on this...certain aspect of the game he's having me participate in." He scratched his slight-tan cheek. More so since he was trying not to slip up on his wording, this time. "Apparently, he thought of me first to do the job since I'm uh...reliable, he said."
"Wow," Now, Asuna seemed pretty satisfied with that answer. Moreover, if her expression looked somber when thinking about it. Just enough for Kirito to wear a similar look in response. "Well, if Kikuka-san needs your help..." she looked across the field and dirt-tail they traveled to help Lizbeth and the rest of their friends with gathering material for her shop the same way.
From how quiet it was, it looked like the girls were just about done mopping up this area's gang of flytrap beasts.
Kirito found himself looking over to the fields too. He smiled at that. The chilly winds in ALO always reminded him of his time back in SAO, Sword Art Online.
It was strange in a way. It'll be almost a whole year since we got off that game. Yet, it feels as if I'm still fighting to make sure to stay alive.
The number of people that died, close to around a thousand players in the first couple months, really set the tone of how to separate the game would be straight forward. He was only fourteen back then. Now, after close to two years, it still felt unreal. Was that even a good thing?
Whether it was or not didn't matter. Kirito was just happy he got lucky this time to come back to see the end of it. Or, at least, help end the death game twenty-five floors early. Which didn't bother him too much?
He felt Asuna's warm hand brush up against his. He turned and met her striking sky-blue eyes with his. Her tender smile reminded him that it was even better. What did she say next? -not so much. "So, are you going to ask me to come with you?"
Kirito nearly fell off the elevated position he was in. No, he did fall off, but his wings made sure that didn't happen. Sort of. The first thing the swordsman did (besides climbing back up) was asked nearly as fast: "Asuna, I don't think!... that'll be a good idea."
"Why not?" She shot back indignation.
Kirito delayed. Then somewhat turned away. "Because.." He started up. But, just as hastily as he did: he stalled down. How do I put this? If I say outright why she can't come, she'll know something is up.
It was because of this thought that Kirito knew what he'll have to say. Even if he was pushing the edges of how much he could tell about the Death Gun case...Well? What else could he do?
He sighed then looked back at his girlfriend. Sternly, he replied, "Because Seijirou already sent me someone who knows the workings of the game, he needs help in already." Asuna's eyes open a bit, again. Kirito bit the side of his cheek and went on, "According to him, any more help and the beta testing might be more…troublesome." The fact he said this all without stuttering was a miracle all in itself.
Asuna's eyes and sterner face she gave him before was enough to possibly leave a whole guild to turn tail and run for the hills. As a matter of fact, Kirito would be lying if he didn't have that notion too when she aimed it at him.
This time, though, the ex-sub-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, simply groaned, dishearteningly. Kirito would also be lying if he didn't do the same -on the inside. She rocked her head, "He really said that?"
"Yeah.." He brushed the back of his black, short hair, "I'm...sorry I couldn't tell you sooner."
"I know you would," She spoke, sounding pretty satisfied Kirito would do something like that. Again, another thing the swordsman bit his tongue for.
The fact she didn't ask who his partner was another surprise in itself.
Preferably, she met his eyes and smiled warmly to him. It surely gave his avatar quite the heartbeat trace when her paler, soft hand with their wedding rings, clasped together when he embraced hers. "Well?" She began, "Whatever Kikuoka-san needs your help for, just remember who's waiting for you back here. Okay, Kirito-Kun?"
"Yeah, I know." He smiled at that. Enough so that he hadn't noticed -not only were his other friends yelling their heads off for the two "preoccupied" lovers to shut up and come down- but their daughter, Yui, smile at them, too in her ALO form above them.
Seeing as it was their cue. Kirito and Asuna got up to help clear the respawning monsters the rest of that afternoon.
All the while, Kirito wondered if he did the right thing? He thought about it when Yui called out another flytrap was busy trying to look under Silica's skirt during the fight.
I'll probably have to call Reginald on how to join GGO, earlier than I thought. Then they went to saved Silica from meeting the ground with her face again.
. . .
Reggie McKnight had to admit one thing still about GGO: the travel-time around SBC Glocken was terrible. Even on the Japanese server.
Before, he had begun to set-up his AmuSphere to play the game. Even way back, when he lost his password. He was ordered to stay and cooperate with his counter-part from across the ocean. The Black Swordsman, or Kazuto -also known as Kirito, according to the papers his boss provided for on the slender swordsman- hadn't proved quite a pain to interact with on his first day. He was oddly observant, which Reggie had to give him credit for when he barraged him with questions regarding his presence on the case at all. And Reggie did his best to provide him with not so the answers he was looking for.
Orders from Mr. Seijirou, the government worker (and his boss), had told him to keep quiet about certain conditions, and Reggie intended to do just that. That was his business. Not Kirito's.
Navigating the endless stairwells and escalators accompanying the massive, sunken city-ship of Glocken. Which GGO was based on when this hurling behemoth came spiraling. And, for all intents and purposes, crashing down in the middle of the wastelands.
Even back in America, the guilds starting-stage weren't much different compared to here.
Of course, that didn't mean Reggie McKnight wasn't fed-up with his continued walking in circles routine when, after going up another flight of escalator stairs, did he turn to the shops. He blew a cold sigh of relief when he was sure, even the Japanese servers had the bar he was looking for. "Found it," He blew another, "Thank god."
BOUNTY BAR it read in dull red- right below its equivalent title in Japanese syllables in brighter, more vivid colors. If it wasn't for the smell of oil, dust, and gunpowder in the air, Reggie would have forgotten he was playing Gun Gale entirely. Even his bows to other people he didn't know as much were, well, lacking. But what could he do?
Entering the almost music blaring bar -this part was actually the same, but with more beats and far more retro music- did McKnight take the nearest bar-stool seat overlooking the counter. The bartender, a large man who could have passed up for a linebacker in American football, was wiping one of the wine-glasses a player had left spilled with a white wrap when he went over to him enter his business."What will it be, sir?"
"Fizzy Pop," McKnight answered automatically.
The bartender gave him a questionable look. Almost the type of look you give someone when they meant, or at least they thought you said, something else that wasn't on the table. "...Do you mean 'Fizzy Sweat'?"
Reggie quirked an undesirable eyebrow at the name like the barkeep had just asked him if he wanted glue with a side of the lead.
If Reggie's eyes' hadn't dialed back to the menu showing his drink with that name, he would have started to think he was in the wrong place entirely.
His expression showed he had made the connection. "Oh. Right," Apprehensively, McKnight nodded to that. "Yeah...Thank you." I'm not going to get used to here at all.
As the barkeep poured in the dark drink's namesake into McKnight's glass, Reggie had the strangest feeling this place was quieter than usual. And not because of the bumping of the music either.
He looked over his shoulder to the rest of the bar.
Besides a few fellow mercenaries, some in odd unregulated hair-styles and attires that look around the same level (all of which were spilled into two or three groups) -it was empty.
When his drink was filled to the top, the bubbles floating up and poping inches away was always a right touch, did McKnight peek his head and started to asked: "How come this place is so-?"
"Dead?" The barkeep finished for him.
Reggie looked his way, quite surprised. "Yeah...actually,"
The thick-accent worker shrugged. "Beats me, friend. But, if I had to guess, it probably has to do with the tournament in a couple of days." He then returned to wiping another empty glass bottle.
Even if he knew the answer to that question already. Reggie decided to entertain the thought and asked, "The Bullet of Bullets?"
"That's correct." The worker confirmed. "The past two, most of the regulars here would take the week or so to prep up and see what they could improve on to participate. Let alone actually compete. So, this place becomes-" He took a second to encompass his establishment "-as you see here. Why? You looking to register it?"
"Something like that," Reggie answered crisply, then threw back some of his Fizzy Pop (He refused to call it by that other name). Afterward, he added, "Though, -besides other things- I'm just here to get some trigger-time and then-some. Is the bounty board still posted in the back?" Reggie asked, this time unsure if they called it something different over here on this side of the equator.
Luckily they didn't. "Sure," The keep pointed directly behind Reggie, passed serval empty tables and even more 8-pools, to the room's left corner. McKnight looked back, too. There, sure enough, was the bounty board. A bright, baby-blue touch screen that displayed all incoming and previously posted jobs for guns-for-hire. Mostly for things like guard-duty or guild-wars to pep it up.
HE turned back and paid for the drink with GGO's currency system: credits (another stable unchanged, since he'd been playing this game for a good long while now). "Thanks for the information, friend," Reggie quickly paid and started to push up against the stool.
"But, I'd be careful out there in the wastelands, if I were you."
Reggie stopped. Then look back with a questionable look of his own. Though not precisely under the same circumstances, the keep gave him earlier. "What are you talking about?"
"You really must be new here, then kid," The barkeep held up a hand when Reggie made a face and explained. "There's a rumor going around that some guy that -calls himself 'Death Gun'- is stalking and killing several people around the game. I heard he was seemingly responsible for the one earlier, about two weeks ago, too."
"Hm," Reggie deliberated on that thought for the moment. He hadn't really thought it. Well, he did but decided it was nothing -for the moment at least. It was pretty late in the afternoon. The paved metal streets and shops around Glocken were roomier than usual. With really only the damn too many holographic-advertisements everywhere keeping him company.
If it wasn't for the fact he had an earlier issue regarding his misplacement of the code to his apartment's lock (IRL), Reggie would haven't been in such a rush to dive in. McKnight's neighbor, a girl somewhere his age named Asada, made sure to saved him from obvious embarrassment from it. Then, Reggie suggested, "And what makes you sure he had something to do with it?"
"Beats me," The barkeep shrugged, "Why else do you think this place is quieter?" The large barkeep disappeared into the back of the bar -surprisingly enough, still cleaning another empty mug with that white sheet.
It gave Reggie just enough time to realize how bad the situation really was. Sure, for the time being, the Death Gun rumor was, to put it lightly, being just that. A rumor. Something that either makes a person want to either float or drift more towards the truth.
Even if it was just a week before the third Battle Royale -from what McKnight read in the records during the plane ride over here- that no serious action was taken to derail the event for any reason. Other than it was another story? I'll find out sooner or later. He thought I have to.
After walking over to the Bounty board, which proved to operate the same as apps on the surface of your smartphone, McKnight was a bit disappointed in the turnout of jobs available. Some of which were planned events by players two or three hours ahead of time, while others seemed to fit the bill of fetching an item and bring it back to me in so-and-so time. Which wouldn't have been a problem if the fast-travel in this game didn't keep falling flat on its face every time? No teleporting, as a matter of fact.
The only other job listing on the board was posted about an hour ago. Apparently asking for hired gunmen on an escort mission from one of the East-Side's dungeons back to a safe zone just outside a ruined city for the meet-up.
According to the added message, the leader and his group were ambushed just last week and wish to punch the ambushers' ticket, incase they stick their head around the sand, again.
Then, before Reggie knew it, he was out in the middle of the empty sand dunes waiting for the group when he sent the message out to join them. The fact they were still on the move was a blessing. McKnight had to practically high-tail the rest of his uniform and equipment on. It was a good thing his outfit was the color butternut, or else he'd stand out like a Christmas tree in the middle of this desert.
When he noticed the slowly approaching group through the slits of his visor, McKnight promptly waved his blacked-gloved hand over to them. Holding tight to the sling that held his Thompson.
They must have recognized it was him since the leading member with binoculars went over and asked, "McKnight?"
"That's me." He confirmed with a half salute. Noticing the PvE group, in total, was about seven men -including one gun carrying a light-round Minimi, with another, much more massive guy, wrapped in a cloak. Which struck McKnight as odd. But, decided not to ask since that wasn't apart of the job. The fellow in binoculars nodded.
Once he got reinformed on the job, he and the group, now numbering eight men, proceeded down the sand dunes of the wastelands. With several of the players, the fellow he talked to only, scanning the field of any flashes of the opposing team that killed them last time.
McKnight didn't see how much good it did, though. They were marching in a vertical line out in the opening. So his main concern was looking out in the distance for a muzzle flash or bullet line. How much good that did? He couldn't tell for sure.
Better than nothing. And left it like that. As McKnight maintained to dial his eyes all around the sandy dunes and demolished buildings around them.
He wasn't even aware of the sniper's crosshairs aiming at him directly a thousand meters in front of him.
But...how could he have known that?
Author's Note (4/14/20): Small edit in the first few sentences with Sinon. I forgot to add tutoring next to "..from school" along with a few updates on text to all chapters.
