"Stop it!"
"Thank you," Shino said, a strange, serene smile on her face. She looked at Hachiman. "You see? Now you can't die. Because if you do, you're taking me with you."
"You... you can't just drop that on me!"
"Shino's orders are absolute," the doll added. "Give up, me."
Hachiman slumped, defeated by her terrifying brand of logic. "Fine! Fine! I promise! I won't do anything reckless. Just... cancel that order."
"Good," Shino said, satisfied.
"But just so you know, I might not be able to stop Kirito from getting shot. He's determined, and he has a medical team."
"That's fine," Shino said. "If you were in a controlled environment like that, I wouldn't be so emotional about it. I just don't want you making a split-second, 'heroic' decision that ruins everything. I don't want to be the 'heavy' girlfriend, but..."
"You're already being pretty heavy..."
"You're a big, strong boy. You can carry it."
With that, she tossed the Hachiman-kun doll directly at his face.
"Oof!" Hachiman caught the doll as it clung to his nose. While he was distracted, Shino darted around him and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
"Hey, cut it out..."
Hachiman tried to pull away, but then he felt it. Shino was shaking.
"Hey... Shino? It's okay. I promised, didn't I? I'm stayin' safe."
"It's not that," she whispered against his back. "Talking about this... reminded me of something."
"Reminded you of what?"
"The player who died... Zexceed. Was it...?"
"Ah. That." Hachiman realized he needed to clear the air. "I asked my contact about that. There was no one who died in the real world at that exact time under those circumstances."
"Oh... thank god."
"But there's no doubt Zexceed was shot by Death Gun in the game. We're still investigating what happened to him."
"Wait, so he was shot?"
"Yeah. Someone uploaded the audio."
Hachiman pulled up two different clips to compare the sounds. As Shino watched the videos over his shoulder, she suddenly went rigid.
"Shino?"
"No... it... it can't..."
"What? What is it?"
"No... no, no, no..."
Hachiman spun around. Shino was deathly pale, her skin the color of ash.
"Shino! Talk to me! What's wrong?!"
Her hand was shaking violently as she pointed at the screen, specifically at the weapon in Death Gun's hand.
"That gun... the one he's holding..."
Hachiman's heart sank. He knew exactly what she was looking at. There was only one weapon that could provoke this level of terror in her.
"Is it a Black Star?"
"Y-yes..."
Hachiman immediately shut off the phone and pulled her into a firm, gentle embrace, rubbing her back.
"I'm sorry. It's okay. You're safe. It's just a video."
"I... I didn't notice it at first," she stammered, her voice small and broken. "But once I saw it... I couldn't breathe."
"You need to lie down."
He helped her over to the bed. Shino gripped his hand so tightly her knuckles were white, and Hachiman didn't even try to pull away. He let her hold on as if he were her only anchor to reality.
(Is this a coincidence?) Hachiman wondered. (It feels too targeted to be a coincidence...)
He looked over at the doll. "Do you know where the towels are?"
"I do," the doll replied.
"Get one. And bring some fresh clothes. She's drenched in cold sweat."
"On it."
The doll returned with the items. Hachiman wiped her forehead with a damp towel before handing the clothes to her.
"I'm turning around. Change into these. You'll feel better if you're dry."
"Okay..."
"And don't try to lie and say you're done before you are. I'll know."
"Heh... you caught me."
"If you can still joke, you'll be fine. Take your time."
While she changed, Hachiman stared at the wall, his mind racing.
(Maybe it's time to use that seed I planted. Kirito being here is the perfect catalyst. If I can just get the suggestion to take hold...)
"Okay. You can look now."
Hachiman turned around cautiously. Shino was dressed and looking a bit more like herself.
"Better?"
"Yeah. Sorry for worrying you."
"Shino, do you remember what I told you before? About your trauma?"
"You said... that one day I'd meet a player. Someone I could tell everything to. And you said that meeting would be the thing that finally breaks the curse. You were so certain."
"Yeah. I remember. Well, that player is Kirito. When the time is right, tell him the truth. He isn't like me; he doesn't do things with subtle plans. He'll just blow your troubles away with sheer, brute force."
Shino let out a small, genuine laugh. "Brute force, huh?"
"Yeah. I guarantee it. So don't worry anymore. Between me and Kirito, we're going to save you. No matter what."
"Okay," Shino said. "I believe you."
She said it without a hint of doubt. In her mind, if Hachiman said it would happen, it was already a fact. She was effectively using his certainty to hypnotize herself out of her own fear, though she didn't realize it.
"Alright. I should head out. You need to rest and get your head in the game for the BoB."
"I will."
Hachiman saw himself out. As he stepped onto the street, a prickle of unease crawled up his spine—that "nasty feeling" Kirito had mentioned. He turned back one last time.
"Lock the doors, Shino. And don't go out tonight. It's getting warm out; the creeps are starting to come out of the woodwork."
"Heh. You're so overprotective."
"Better safe than sorry. See ya, Shino."
"See ya."
She watched him go, her face flushed with a warmth that had nothing to do with the weather.
"Asada-san changed her clothes... and her face was so red..."
Kyoji watched from the darkness, his voice trembling with a mixture of jealousy and rage. He had seen Hachiman enter and Shino emerge looking disheveled and blushing. He drew his own conclusions, his mind twisting the scene into something it wasn't.
But strangely, he didn't look heartbroken. He looked resolved.
"It doesn't matter. Soon, Asada-san will spend eternity with me. Whatever is happening now is just a temporary distraction. We'll be united soon enough."
He turned and walked away into the night. The time was drawing near.
When Hachiman got home, he immediately called Argo. He had one final request—the "last push" Shino would need.
Just as he hung up, his phone rang again. It was Kikuoka.
"Hello? What is it?"
"Sorry to call so late, but this couldn't wait."
"It's fine. I just walked through the door."
"Good. Regarding that player, Zexceed... we found him."
Hachiman's heart hammered against his ribs. "Is he alive?"
"Well... about that..."
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