Soon, they arrived at Shino's apartment, which Shido glanced at around with curiosity. When Shino reached her doorstep, she turned to him, bowed her head, and said softly, "Thank you for walking me home, Shido-san."
While she felt a twinge of sadness and disappointment that their time together had come to an end, Shino knew that everything must come to an end.
Even though she tried to hide it, Shido noticed the wry smile lingering on her face. Seeing this, he said gently, "You don't need to thank me. After all, I also enjoy talking with you along the way."
Hearing this, Shino's heart felt as if it were blooming, pounding wildly in her chest. She knew that opportunities to meet him were rare, so mustering her courage, she gripped the hem of her skirt and called out softly,
"…Shido-san!"
As if he already knew what she wanted to say, Shido simply smiled and replied,"Yes?"
Taking a deep breath, Shino looked straight into his eyes and asked,"Can I still contact you after this?"
"Why not?"
"Really? Thank you!" Shino exclaimed, her face lighting up with relief and happiness.
Feeling reassured that they could still stay in touch, Shino finally let go of the worries weighing on her heart.
"Then I'm going inside now. Thank you again for walking me home, Shido-san."
"Un."
He watched Shino enter her room before turning back toward his own apartment. As for his motorcycle, he quietly stored it in his inventory, deciding it was better to spend more time with Shino than to ride, which would only shorten the precious moments they had together.
Still, before he left, the corner of Shido's eye flicked toward a certain part of the dark street before he completely ignored it and continued on his way.
Hidden in the shadows at the corner of the street, a young man clutched the wall so tightly that his fingers nearly bled. His eyes were fixed on Shido's retreating back, filled with jealousy and hatred as he muttered under his breath,
"Asada-san is mine… Asada-san is mine… Asada-san is mine…"
Of course, there was no way such hostile intent could escape Shido's senses. However, he chose not to act for now. It wasn't the right time yet, and he was confident that the man wasn't impulsive enough to do anything to Shino at the moment.
...
YGGDRASIL CITY, Asuna and Kirito's lodging.
"…So, you two ended up together?"
"Well, that's the gist of it."
"Wow, you're the man!"
Klein exclaimed in amazement as he listened to Shido recount how he and Lisbeth had ended up together. And it wasn't just Klein listening, Lisbeth, Asuna, Leafa, Silica, Kirito, and Agil were all there as well.
As he had promised, Shido decided to be honest and tell everyone about his relationship with Lisbeth. The gathering took place at Asuna and Kirito's lodging, since Aincrad currently only had ten available floors, and there wasn't a suitable place to stay there yet.
So instead, they decided to talk at Asuna and Kirito's lodging, with Lisbeth practically dragging Shido there. It wasn't that Shido didn't want to go, rather, it meant he would finally meet the protagonist face to face.
And so, that moment finally came.
Kirito, Klein, and Agil were all surprised when they saw Shido, and even more so when they learned that he and Lisbeth were dating. Their surprise was understandable. For one, Lisbeth was their friend, and they had always felt that she harbored some feelings for Kirito, however, it seems that she finally let go of.
As for the other reason, Shido or Setsuna in-game was already a well-known figure. His past feats had earned him the fearsome epithet of "Sword Demon."
Of course, Kirito was the exception. He already knew what was going on, yet he had to admit that Shido was somehow different from what he had imagined. From what he had seen in the real world, Kirito had even suspected Shido to be 'that' person.
When the two of them finally met, there was no tense atmosphere at all. Instead, everything felt natural. There was no need for Shido to assert his dominance; he simply greeted Kirito and the other unfamiliar faces politely before everyone sat down and began talking.
As the conversation continued, Shido started recounting how he and Lisbeth had begun dating, eventually explaining everything, from the circumstances that brought them together to how things progressed, largely due to Silica and Klein's persistent nudging.
While some of the girls wore envious expressions, they still listened carefully, almost intoxicated by the story, wondering if something similar might happen to them one day.
That thought applied mostly to Silica. Ever since long ago, she had dreamed of receiving a romantic confession from her future boyfriend. Silently, she took a glance at Kirito, who was sitting beside Asuna, then shifted her gaze to Shido before quietly making up her mind. As for what it was, only Silica know.
As for Lisbeth, although she felt embarrassed hearing Shido openly talk about how they ended up together, she was also genuinely happy, and even a little proud to have such an amazing boyfriend.
"What's wrong?" Noticing her unusual behavior, Shido whispered softly while gently patting her back.
Hearing his question, Lisbeth shook her head and replied, "Uhm… it's nothing. I'm just happy, that's all."
As she said that, Lisbeth smiled blissfully and snuggled closer to Shido. He didn't reply, instead, he simply smiled as well and let her rest her head against his shoulder.
On the other hand, Leafa silently stared at Shido, watching how intimate the two of them were with a deadpan expression, yet, a vein nearly popped on her forehead.
When Shido noticed her gaze, he understood exactly what she was thinking and secretly flashed her a smile. This only made Leafa snort before she turned away.
Different from the girls, the boys had their own reactions. For example, Klein was both happy for Shido and Lisbeth, yet also envious that his friend had found a lover while he himself was still single at his age.
As for Agil, he was like a gentle uncle, constantly muttering, "Ah, youth…"
"Kuh! I'm so jealous!" Klein said unwillingly before letting out a dejected sigh as he watched how intimate the two of them were.
Seeing his friend's pitiful state, despite witnessing this almost every day, Kirito had to admit that it was quite tiresome.
Smiling wryly, Kirito tried to console Klein while patting his shoulder. "Well, don't say that. I'm sure you'll find someone someday… eventually."
"Ugh!" Instead of feeling better, Klein became even more dejected.
Seeing this, Kirito was left speechless, not expecting his attempt at consolation to backfire so badly.