Middle East.
Bang-!
Bang-!
Waves of bullets splattered all over the place. They ones firing didn't mind if they ran out of ammo.
"Another one?!"
"It's no longer safe here."
Two girls wearing the same hoodie went to another cover after the las tone has been punched with bullet holes.
"Three... Five... Ten... About 30 men..." The younger one scanned with a spell. "They never stop."
"It'll be the end of the world if they do."
The younger girl—Konno Yuuki—brandished an HK416 and returned fire.
'[Lockon].'
Bang-!
Bang-!
She scored one hits after another without being harmed. It's as if she knew when they will return fire. It is the combination of her instincts and magic.
"We need to run. The last motorcycle I hid is one kilometer away."
Hearing her older sister's words, Yuuki let out a bright smile.
"It's as if you expected this already, no?" She said.
"It's better to prepare for the worst."
Konno Aiko—Yuuki's older sister—recalled that special day. Yuuki told her that she talked with a strange guy before she miraculously found that her body's alright. She no longer feels anything associated to her Aids.
Surprisingly, the same went to Aiko. When their special cases occurred, they were discharged from the hospital, but not without trouble. They 'have' to provide samples to the government once a week.
That wasn't the problem, however. Once their case spread out, they became famous. They were the first case to be cured of HIV-AIDS in the entire world. Naturally, many took notice to them, and that included malicious people.
Their security was bypassed and they were kidnapped. The mastermind planned to profit off on the said cure. They decisively cut off Japan's sources of sample and kept them to their own.
Fortunately, Yuuki noticed something in her memories. It was a strange portion. It detailed something about 'magic'. Through that, they managed to escape from their pursuers, only to land in another country.
Due to the previous events, they planned to settle down peacefully in another country. Then again, their fame reached the entire world. Every few months, they have to change their dwelling.
Their pursuers kept increasing, too. From private corporations to countries, they kept finding them. Due to what happened to them, their life was 'ruined'. Still, they couldn't bring to resent the "man" who caused all of this.
"Really... I'm glad I could experience something like this." Yuuki said. "It's better than slowly dying in that room."
This was why she loved virtual reality in the first place. She could travel to wherever she wants to, just like now. She didn't mind they are living on the real gun gale online.
"Don't talk like that. You will enjoy this life more."
For the first time in a while, her serious sister smiled.
Suddenly, all the shootings stopped. Their surroundings became extremely silent. Only the sound of wind blowing could be heard by them.
"What is happening? Did they run out of bullets?"
Yuuki wore a skeptical look. She took a swift peek and saw a lone man. He stood still on this eerie moment. His black trench coat swayed along the wind as he looked at their direction.
"How was your new life?" He asked.
"You—!"
Yuuki became speechless. The man she saw is none other than the strange guy she met inside the virtual reality. His appearance matched the one from a year ago perfectly.
"Are you..."
The man interrupted Aiko's question, "I am. I gave you the cure around a year ago, I believe."
Hearing this, the two sisters went out of their cover. They saw the man's appearance and felt it is incredibly surreal. It's as if he could not be affected by the environment. The winds brought sand, but he did not get dirtied by it.
"You're the one who taught us magic!"
"That isn't the most important thing now..."
Aiko sighed as she looked at her younger sister.
"But, what are we supposed to do?"
"That..."
They imagined this exact meeting many times and thought of things they wanted to say to him. However, they could not voice it out.
"Why aren't you angry at me?"
This time, the man became interested.
"Angry..?"
Aiko became confused at this question. The same went for Yuuki.
"Why would we?" She replied. "This is better than living on that hospital room. Virtual Reality is cool and all, but real life is even more beautiful.
During their journey, they saw many incredible sights and experienced many strange occurrences that they could not in virtual reality. The two of them understood the beauty of life and the things they missed out while they were sick.
"I understand..." Shiro affirmed his guess. 'They wouldn't have experienced this without my intervention.'
In the past, he viewed it as an "interesting" action. Now that he regained his memories, he saw it as being irresponsible.
"Do you have any ties to this world?"
"No." Yuuki replied. "Why do you ask?"
With their parents dead, all that were left are their distant relatives... which seldomly visited them.
It is now time to resolve things.
"Do you want to go to another world?"
Shiro made a very abrupt request.
*****
[Private] Shiro: "I'll arrange them to live in your world."
[Private] Kuroneko: "No problem. I will look after them for a while."
[Private] Shiro: "Thanks."
After the sisters' decision, Shiro began making arrangements for the two to live in a parallel world Japan. It is his way of making up for his whimsical decisions in the past.
"Man... You're really the center of attention, Kirito-kun."
He made an unannounced visit on Rath's branch office in Roppongi. He planned to resolve everything normally unlike his previous maneuvers.
"You must be Whitefield-san."
"Greetings."
Shiro shook hands with the bespectacled man. He wore a traditional Japanese outfit which contrasted the black suits behind him.
"I have heard from Suguha-san. You are here for Kirigaya-kun?"
"I am." Shiro replied. "I mentored him back in Aincrad."
"It seems so. Though, it's unexpected that one of Nexus Corp's board member is actually the top one player."
"Me and gaming go a long way back."
Inside Aincrad, [Shiro]'s identity remained an enigma to all. He is absurdly strong to rank one on the entire server. Many players also saw his prowess first-hand. It was not only his stats that are absurd, his control skills are on another level.
Nobody expected for him to dodge every attacks of a floor boss. Not once did he take direct damage from it. Moreover, he also took the lead for clearing the dungeon and ultimately defeating Kayaba Akihiko in a two-on-one fight along Kirito.
His real life identity was unknown even for the government. That is, until, a corporation changed its name to and rose to popularity due to their advanced technology.
Their products included an advanced version of , which led to many countries entering a partnership. That alone is something they want to have since the current are only in experimental stages.
In such a corporation, Shiro is known as "Mr. Whitefield".
"What's his current situation?" Shiro asked as he saw the sleeping Kirito beyond the glass wall.
"To be honest... We couldn't get a grasp on his situation. His vitals and brainwaves are fine. However, he couldn't seem to wake up."
Kikouka Seijirou answered with a half-truth. He couldn't leak out the project Rath had been working with the Japanese Government.
With Takeru Higa's diagnosis, he knew something went wrong with his [Fluctlight]. It is something different—far more beyond the scope of human understanding. Even so, they have a hypothesis as to what it is—a soul.
"Hm... Experimenting with [Fluctlights] is still a risky thing."
"..!"
Kikouka was shocked.
"What did—?"
"We can stop pretending. Nexus knows all about Fluctlights and more importantly, the Underworld project you guys have."
"...How?"
That was the only words he could mutter.
"If I say that Kayaba Akihiko left a small present, would you understand?"
"..!"
Shiro pushed their involvement to Kayaba's knowledge. Knowing he is the top one player, he must've talked with Kayaba before Aincrad was deleted.
"I understand."
"Don't worry, though. We don't have any plans to intervene your project."
Kikouka believed this statement. Just from the way he talks, he could see his confidence with things regarding fluctlights. More so, Nexus is a huge corporation with many country partnerships. It was also evident that there are select countries that received "more" from them.
One could guess how protected they are at this moment.
"We will take care of Kirito-kun. In return, we will provide extra benefits to Japan. You'll have to talk with the ones responsible for negotiating."
"Okay." Kikouka agreed to his conditions. "I will relay this to the higher-ups."
Another trouble was solved by him. Then again, it isn't his last stop.
'It's time to place another contingency.'
Middle East.
Bang-!
Bang-!
Waves of bullets splattered all over the place. They ones firing didn't mind if they ran out of ammo.
"Another one?!"
"It's no longer safe here."
Two girls wearing the same hoodie went to another cover after the las tone has been punched with bullet holes.
"Three... Five... Ten... About 30 men..." The younger one scanned with a spell. "They never stop."
"It'll be the end of the world if they do."
The younger girl—Konno Yuuki—brandished an HK416 and returned fire.
'[Lockon].'
Bang-!
Bang-!
She scored one hits after another without being harmed. It's as if she knew when they will return fire. It is the combination of her instincts and magic.
"We need to run. The last motorcycle I hid is one kilometer away."
Hearing her older sister's words, Yuuki let out a bright smile.
"It's as if you expected this already, no?" She said.
"It's better to prepare for the worst."
Konno Aiko—Yuuki's older sister—recalled that special day. Yuuki told her that she talked with a strange guy before she miraculously found that her body's alright. She no longer feels anything associated to her Aids.
Surprisingly, the same went to Aiko. When their special cases occurred, they were discharged from the hospital, but not without trouble. They 'have' to provide samples to the government once a week.
That wasn't the problem, however. Once their case spread out, they became famous. They were the first case to be cured of HIV-AIDS in the entire world. Naturally, many took notice to them, and that included malicious people.
Their security was bypassed and they were kidnapped. The mastermind planned to profit off on the said cure. They decisively cut off Japan's sources of sample and kept them to their own.
Fortunately, Yuuki noticed something in her memories. It was a strange portion. It detailed something about 'magic'. Through that, they managed to escape from their pursuers, only to land in another country.
Due to the previous events, they planned to settle down peacefully in another country. Then again, their fame reached the entire world. Every few months, they have to change their dwelling.
Their pursuers kept increasing, too. From private corporations to countries, they kept finding them. Due to what happened to them, their life was 'ruined'. Still, they couldn't bring to resent the "man" who caused all of this.
"Really... I'm glad I could experience something like this." Yuuki said. "It's better than slowly dying in that room."
This was why she loved virtual reality in the first place. She could travel to wherever she wants to, just like now. She didn't mind they are living on the real gun gale online.
"Don't talk like that. You will enjoy this life more."
For the first time in a while, her serious sister smiled.
Suddenly, all the shootings stopped. Their surroundings became extremely silent. Only the sound of wind blowing could be heard by them.
"What is happening? Did they run out of bullets?"
Yuuki wore a skeptical look. She took a swift peek and saw a lone man. He stood still on this eerie moment. His black trench coat swayed along the wind as he looked at their direction.
"How was your new life?" He asked.
"You—!"
Yuuki became speechless. The man she saw is none other than the strange guy she met inside the virtual reality. His appearance matched the one from a year ago perfectly.
"Are you..."
The man interrupted Aiko's question, "I am. I gave you the cure around a year ago, I believe."
Hearing this, the two sisters went out of their cover. They saw the man's appearance and felt it is incredibly surreal. It's as if he could not be affected by the environment. The winds brought sand, but he did not get dirtied by it.
"You're the one who taught us magic!"
"That isn't the most important thing now..."
Aiko sighed as she looked at her younger sister.
"But, what are we supposed to do?"
"That..."
They imagined this exact meeting many times and thought of things they wanted to say to him. However, they could not voice it out.
"Why aren't you angry at me?"
This time, the man became interested.
"Angry..?"
Aiko became confused at this question. The same went for Yuuki.
"Why would we?" She replied. "This is better than living on that hospital room. Virtual Reality is cool and all, but real life is even more beautiful.
During their journey, they saw many incredible sights and experienced many strange occurrences that they could not in virtual reality. The two of them understood the beauty of life and the things they missed out while they were sick.
"I understand..." Shiro affirmed his guess. 'They wouldn't have experienced this without my intervention.'
In the past, he viewed it as an "interesting" action. Now that he regained his memories, he saw it as being irresponsible.
"Do you have any ties to this world?"
"No." Yuuki replied. "Why do you ask?"
With their parents dead, all that were left are their distant relatives... which seldomly visited them.
It is now time to resolve things.
"Do you want to go to another world?"
Shiro made a very abrupt request.
*****
[Private] Shiro: "I'll arrange them to live in your world."
[Private] Kuroneko: "No problem. I will look after them for a while."
[Private] Shiro: "Thanks."
After the sisters' decision, Shiro began making arrangements for the two to live in a parallel world Japan. It is his way of making up for his whimsical decisions in the past.
"Man... You're really the center of attention, Kirito-kun."
He made an unannounced visit on Rath's branch office in Roppongi. He planned to resolve everything normally unlike his previous maneuvers.
"You must be Whitefield-san."
"Greetings."
Shiro shook hands with the bespectacled man. He wore a traditional Japanese outfit which contrasted the black suits behind him.
"I have heard from Suguha-san. You are here for Kirigaya-kun?"
"I am." Shiro replied. "I mentored him back in Aincrad."
"It seems so. Though, it's unexpected that one of Nexus Corp's board member is actually the top one player."
"Me and gaming go a long way back."
Inside Aincrad, [Shiro]'s identity remained an enigma to all. He is absurdly strong to rank one on the entire server. Many players also saw his prowess first-hand. It was not only his stats that are absurd, his control skills are on another level.
Nobody expected for him to dodge every attacks of a floor boss. Not once did he take direct damage from it. Moreover, he also took the lead for clearing the dungeon and ultimately defeating Kayaba Akihiko in a two-on-one fight along Kirito.
His real life identity was unknown even for the government. That is, until, a corporation changed its name to and rose to popularity due to their advanced technology.
Their products included an advanced version of , which led to many countries entering a partnership. That alone is something they want to have since the current are only in experimental stages.
In such a corporation, Shiro is known as "Mr. Whitefield".
"What's his current situation?" Shiro asked as he saw the sleeping Kirito beyond the glass wall.
"To be honest... We couldn't get a grasp on his situation. His vitals and brainwaves are fine. However, he couldn't seem to wake up."
Kikouka Seijirou answered with a half-truth. He couldn't leak out the project Rath had been working with the Japanese Government.
With Takeru Higa's diagnosis, he knew something went wrong with his [Fluctlight]. It is something different—far more beyond the scope of human understanding. Even so, they have a hypothesis as to what it is—a soul.
"Hm... Experimenting with [Fluctlights] is still a risky thing."
"..!"
Kikouka was shocked.
"What did—?"
"We can stop pretending. Nexus knows all about Fluctlights and more importantly, the Underworld project you guys have."
"...How?"
That was the only words he could mutter.
"If I say that Kayaba Akihiko left a small present, would you understand?"
"..!"
Shiro pushed their involvement to Kayaba's knowledge. Knowing he is the top one player, he must've talked with Kayaba before Aincrad was deleted.
"I understand."
"Don't worry, though. We don't have any plans to intervene your project."
Kikouka believed this statement. Just from the way he talks, he could see his confidence with things regarding fluctlights. More so, Nexus is a huge corporation with many country partnerships. It was also evident that there are select countries that received "more" from them.
One could guess how protected they are at this moment.
"We will take care of Kirito-kun. In return, we will provide extra benefits to Japan. You'll have to talk with the ones responsible for negotiating."
"Okay." Kikouka agreed to his conditions. "I will relay this to the higher-ups."
Another trouble was solved by him. Then again, it isn't his last stop.
'It's time to place another contingency.'
