"No way, really?"
"What? Even if it's just our wimpy Onii-chan, isn't that kind of extreme?"
"Hey, Kei, quit sneaking in jabs at your brother," Shana said.
Even Shizuka couldn't hide her shock at Pitohui's revelation about giving Shana her driver's license. Benkei had dropped all pretense, reverting to her usual self. Sinon, wide-eyed, turned to Pitohui.
"Are you completely insane?"
"Aw, I'm blushing from all this praise!"
"That's not praise!"
"Isn't it, though?"
"What are you even saying…?"
"If I'm not insane, then what, Sinonon? Are you saying you shoot people with guns or slice them with knives while perfectly sane?"
"…"
Pitohui's logic was forced, but it carried an undeniable weight.
"Shooting people while sane? Cutting them up while sane? I couldn't do that—I'm a normal person. If anything, being a little crazy is healthier."
"That's…"
Sinon couldn't muster a clear response. Shana stepped in to help.
"Hey, Pit, don't derail the conversation. That's about the real world."
"Whoops, caught me!"
Pitohui stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Listen, Sinon, don't let her mess with you. In reality, you don't go around killing with guns or hurting people with knives. That's just in-game. Don't overthink it or start questioning yourself."
To most, Shana's words might have been convincing. But not to Sinon. She had killed someone in the real world as a child. That was Shana's miscalculation.
"I… I…"
Shana saw Sinon's face drain of color, panic setting in. Her eyes were vacant, as if she might collapse. She muttered under her breath.
"I… back then… I killed someone…"
Shana's eyes widened.
(Damn, did she actually kill someone in the past? This is bad. What do I do?)
"Shana, is this…?"
"Yeah, it's the AmuSphere's safety protocol kicking in—a precursor to forced disconnection. She's in mental distress."
"What do we do…?"
Shana glanced at Pitohui, then made a resolute decision.
"I'll call her back with my voice."
"How?"
"I didn't want Pitohui to hear this yet, but I'll talk about my sins."
"Your sins? You don't mean…"
"Exactly. Hey, Sinon, can you hear me? Sounds like you've got a rough past too, but so do I. In SAO, I killed four people. And later, indirectly, one more."
It wasn't clear if his voice reached her, but right after he spoke, Sinon's eyes flickered open, regaining focus. Breathing heavily, she locked eyes with Shana.
"Who… who are you?"
"I'm an SAO survivor. There was a group in that game who enjoyed killing. We went to take them out one day, and I killed four players I didn't even know. The guilt hit hard at first. But I told myself it was to save innocent people, and that kept me balanced. Still, a sin's a sin—I'll carry it forever. Later, with my trusted comrades, we drove another player to their death, and that's how we returned to reality. That's my sin, and the truth of SAO."
"That's the truth of SAO? I heard it was cleared by chance on the 75th floor."
"It wasn't chance. During the campaign, I zeroed in on one player I suspected was Akihiko Kayaba. We proved it, challenged him, and took him down, freeing six thousand players. The one we killed was the last of the Four Heavenly Kings."
"What?! The Holy Sword?! No way, that's…"
Pitohui muttered, stunned.
"Pit, don't tell anyone. Sinon, I'd prefer you keep this quiet too."
"Of course, I won't tell a soul—not even Em!"
Sinon, who'd heard rumors of SAO's Four Heavenly Kings, pressed further.
"You freed the players… Are you one of the rumored Four Heavenly Kings? The Black Swordsman? Silver Shadow? Or maybe Flash?"
"That's right. I'm Silver Shadow."
"You're a real hero… That's incredible. I… I…"
Sinon averted her gaze as Shana looked at her.
"When I was a kid, I ran into a bank robber and shot him dead with his own gun."
"I see."
"Do you think… I could ever be as strong as you?"
"Probably, someday."
"Really?"
Shana paused, thinking carefully.
"When you meet a player you feel is the one, tell them about it. Not us—we already know your story. That encounter will set you free from your curse, I guarantee it."
"You're guaranteeing it?"
"Yup. Trust the word of a hero… no, trust my word."
"Okay… I'll trust you."
With those words, Sinon felt the weight she carried lighten just a bit.
"For now, enjoy the game. Next time we head out, we'll invite you again."
"We haven't even started this adventure yet," Sinon said with a small laugh.
Shizuka pulled Sinon into a tight embrace. Sinon closed her eyes, letting herself relax into Shizuka's warmth with a peaceful expression. They stayed like that for a while. Kei watched with a delighted smile. Shana, after ensuring all was well, returned to the driver's seat, closed his eyes, and leaned back, arms behind his head, looking a bit worn out.
"Phew… I hope this works out," he muttered.
"Shana!"
Pitohui, who'd followed him, called out.
"Pit? What's up?"
"Just wanted to say good job. That was hypnosis, right?"
"You caught that, huh? You're sharper than I thought, Pit."
"'Than I thought' is uncalled for!"
Shana's plan was to use hypnosis: reveal his truth to establish himself as a hero in Sinon's eyes, offer a path to salvation, and make her believe her sins were forgiven once that path was achieved. It was his psychological remedy for her trauma.
"And sorry… this happened because I was joking around," Pitohui said, genuinely remorseful.
Shana patted her head gently.
"It's fine. No one could've predicted this unless they were a god."
"Okay…"
"If you feel guilty, cover Sinon's share of the cake at our next meetup. That'll square it."
"Got it!"
Pitohui nodded, though Shana would likely forget and end up paying himself, as usual.
"Really? Then I'm picking the most expensive one, Pit," a voice interjected.
It was Sinon.
"Sinonon! I'm so sorry…"
"It's fine. You didn't mean any harm."
"But still…"
"Just make sure you treat me to the priciest cake next time, okay?"
"Deal!"
And so, the all-you-can-eat cake offline meetup was set. Around this time, Pitohui, perhaps influenced by Shana's presence, showed a slightly childish side. After the third BoB and several Squad Jam team battles, when Sinon reunited with her in GGO, Pitohui was a mess—grieving Shana's absence with rough speech, reckless behavior, and self-destructive tendencies. Alarmed, Sinon informed Hachiman, who, as previously mentioned, returned to GGO briefly to give Pitohui a stern talking-to. This led her to secretly buy ALO behind Em's back and join Valhalla Resort, but that's a story for another time.
"Alright, let's move out!"
At Shana's command, the group piled back into the Humvee, heading straight north. According to the official map, their destination was the Spaceship Graveyard, a brutal area with powerful, numerous enemies—hardly a place for a party with newbies. When Pitohui pointed this out, Shana shrugged.
"This is my personal hunting ground. No problem at all. It's our first run, so let's keep it chill."
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