Shino quickly sat down on the bed, looked up, and found that Kyouji was standing at the door in a somewhat lost manner.

"Please take a seat. Ah...do you want a drink?"

"No need. There's no need for that."

"I'm tired now. There's nothing now if you really say so."

The girl said that jokingly, and Kyouji's face finally showed a smile. He placed the cake on the table next to the tea set and sat down on the cushion beside it.

"...I'm sorry for arriving so suddenly, Asada-san. But...as I said before, I really wanted to celebrate things with you fast."

He covered his knees like a kid and then looked up at Shino.

"Well...congratulations on becoming the BoB champion. Asada-san...Sinon was really amazing. You finally became the strongest gunman in GGO. But...I knew it. Asada-san would one day succeed. Because Asada-san had real strength like no others..."

"Thanks..."

Shino felt somewhat embarrassed, and thus, she shook her neck that shrank back, "But there're two winners this time...and if you saw the live telecast, you should have seen that there were a lot of unnatural things that happened...maybe, the tournament will be declared as invalid..."

"Eh...?"

"Well...how should I put it..."

For a moment, Shino couldn't think of how to explain the "Death Gun" incident to the puzzled Kyouji. She didn't really know about the entire thing too, and couldn't continue on with the explanation. And-right now, even she started wondering that this may be like an illusion.

Maybe...

All these were merely caused by coincidence...? Could shooting someone in the virtual world really kill a player by poison in the real world? To be honest, Shino only saw Pale Rider being disconnected. If he and the other player who disconnected were really dead, it would mean that Death Gun's crimes were real, but Shino would have no definite proof until she had news that they died.

The police would come over in another 10 minutes, and then I should explain everything to Kyouji, right? Shino had this thought and changed the topic.

"Oh well...it's nothing. It's just that there was a strange player. But you were really quick. The tournament just ended 5 minutes ago."

"Ah, well...I came over near your house and used the handphone to watch the live feed so that I could immediately congratulate you..."

Kyouji hurriedly said this, and Shino smiled on seeing him like this.

"I had a feeling that it would be like that. It's cold outside. You'll catch a cold. Let me brew you some tea."

But Kyouji shook his head to stop Shino. His face gradually lost its smile, showing a nervous look. Shino could only blink.

"Well...Asada-san..."

"Wha, what is it?"

"I...saw the footage of the desert cave...on the telecast..."

Shino could guess from these words and Kyouji's expression what he didn't say out. Thinking about what happened back in the cave, Shino couldn't help but blush.

"Tha...that was..."

Shino forgot all about it-or rather, she deliberately forgot about it; but she was lying on Kirito's knees when he sat down at the wall, crying and screaming. Kyouji did see that footage. She could only say that she was too careless and caused things to end up like this.

Shino lowered her head in a sorry manner, but Kyouji continued on. She thought that he would ask her about her relationship with Kirito, but what he said next surprised Sinon.

"That guy...must have threatened you, right? You could only do that because he got something on you, right?"

"Wha, what?"

Shino looked up in surprise.

Kyouji's eyes were giving off a strange light as he bent forward in a half-kneel position. A hoarse voice came from his irregular moving lips, "You were threatened by him, and even sniped at the player he was fighting against...but you made that guy relax and then brought him down with you with a grenade, right? But...I don't think that's enough, Asada-san. I said it before...you must show him some attitude..."

"Ah...that..."

Shino couldn't say anything, and then frantically thought of how to explain it.

"No...I wasn't threatened. I knew that it was too random in the tournament...but I nearly panicked when diving...and in this mess...I vented my anger on Kirito...that guy. Anyway, I said a lot of things too much."

Kyouji widened his eyes and silently listened to Shino.

"But...that guy infuriates me, but he felt...just like my mom. Because of that, I cried like a kid...it was really embarrassing, right?"

"...Asada-san...bu...but you did that because you relapsed, right? You...had no special feelings with that guy, right?"

"Eh...?"

"Asada-san, you said that you wanted me to wait for you, right?"

Kneeling down and bending forward, Kyouji looked extremely nervous.

"You said that before, right? If I wait, that you'll be mine, right? Tha...that's why I..."

"...Shinkawa-kun..."

"SAY IT! SAY THAT YOU HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT GUY. SAY THAT YOU HATE HIM!"

"Wha...what's with you...all of sudden..."

Shino did remember that she told Kyouji to 'wait for me' when they were at the park before the tournament.

However, the meaning was to 'wait until she finally shook off her demons'. And then she would become an ordinary girl once that day came.

"A...Asada-san, you're strong now that you became champion, so you won't relapse again. So you don't need that guy. I'll accompany you always. I'll...protect you forever."

Kyouji started muttering as if he was dreaming and stood up before swaying towards Shino and took a few steps-he then suddenly opened his arms and hugged Shino without holding back his strength.

"Uu...?"

Shino felt extremely tense as she was extremely shocked. The bones on her arms and abdomen started to ache, and the air in her lungs were squeezed out.

"...Shin...kawa-ku...n..."

The impact and force caused Shino to gasp. However, Kyouji exerted even more force and pressed his weight on Shino like he wanted to get her onto the bed.

"Asada-san...I love you. I love you. My Asada-san...my Sinon."

Kyouji's hoarse and breaking voice didn't sound like a love confession, but like a curse.

"Stop...it...!"

Shino tried her best to use both hands to support her body on the bed. She then exerted strength on her legs and used her right shoulder to nudge Kyouji's chest away- "...Stop it!"

Though she could only give a hoarse voice, she finally managed to push Kyouji's body back, and took a large amount of breath like she was panting.

Kyouji himself tumbled onto the seat and fell backwards. He then ended up knocking into the teaset, and the box that had cake inside drop and let out a little sound.

However, Kyouji himself didn't seem to notice it as he just continued to stare at Shino. The shocked expression on his face seemed to show that he wouldn't believe that Shino would reject him.

Those widened eyes soon lost their shine-and an empty voice came out of his trembling mouth, "This won't do, Asada-san. You can't betray me. Only I can save Asada-san, so you can't look at other guys."

After saying that, he closed in on Shino.

"...Shin, Shinkawa-san..."

Shino was still shocked as she could only mutter in a dazed manner.

It's true that she felt a dangerous impulse in Shinkawa's eyes when she invited him over for dinner and when she was hugged by him at the park. However, Shino felt that it couldn't be helped to a certain extent as he was a guy, and she couldn't imagine that kind and feeble Shinkawa to do something out of control.

However, to Shino, who's unable to move on the bed, Shinkawa who's looking down at her, had a mysterious glint in his eyes that she never saw before.

Don't tell me Shinkawa-kun's going to rape me...

The interrupted thoughts flashed through Shino's mind, and the fear went through her body in a way that surpassed the impact.

However- Though Shino was thinking in the right direction, it was of a completely different manner.

Kyouji opened his mouth slightly and let out a heavy breathing sound. He then reached his right hand into the military jacket and looked like he was holding something.

The right hand that he held out showed a rather strange object.

That thing was about 20cm long, made by translucent milky-white plastic.

The tip was tapered, and there was a cylinder about 3cm thick. At the back, there was a handle-like thing protruding out diagonally, and Kyouji's right hand was there. Also, his thumb was placed at the green button that's on the joint between the handle and the cylinder.

The tip of the round cylinder had a silver metal part on it, and what could be called a sharp tip had a little opening. Basically, it looked like a laser gun a kid was playing with, but it couldn't mask a certain function despite its simple look.

The right hand that was in Kyouji's hands trembled slightly, and then he placed the round cylinder carelessly on Shino's neck. That icy feeling made all the hairs on Shino's skin stand.

"Shin...kawa...kun...?"

Shino barely managed to squeeze these words out from her stiff lips, but before she could finish, Kyouji said with a deep voice, "Don't move, Asada-san. You can't scream too. This...is called a needleless syringe. It has a drug called "Succinylcholine". The muscles can't move once this is injected, and the heart will soon stop."

If her brain really had a mental protection shell, Shino's shell would have several layers punctured in today.

The cold air that came from behind her neck made Shino's limbs go cold. Shino realized that her limbs were starting to stiffen as she racked her brain to understand what Kyouji meant.

What that meant was that-Kyouji wanted to kill Shino. If she didn't listen to him, he would use that toy-like syringe in his hand and inject that really long English-name drug into Shino's body to stop her heart.

Thinking about this, another corner of Shino's mind was thinking and asking herself, Is this a joke? How can Shinkawa-kun do such a thing? But in fact, Shino's lips didn't move as they felt like a ton. And the cold hard metal cylinder was pressed at her neck-or more accurate-it was 5cm below her left ear. This cold feeling continued to deny the possibility that Kyouji was joking.

Shino couldn't see Kyouji's expression as she was facing the light, but still stared at his face blankly. His still tender-looking round face twitched its chin slightly, shooting out a voice without restraint.

"It's alright, Asada-san. You don't have to be scared. Soon...we'll be together as one. I want to offer all the feelings I had accumulated all~this while to you. I'll inject it gently into you...so you won't feel any pain at all. Don't worry, just leave everything to me."

Shino couldn't understand anything of what he said at all. It really sounded like Japanese, yet it sounded like a language from a certain country. Two words continued to ring in her ears.

This is called a needleless syringe, and it can stop your heart.

Syringe, heart. It felt like...she heard these words somewhere before.

In the desert under the night sky, inside the small cave, the boy who looked like a girl said this before. "Zekushiido" and "Usujio Tarako" may have a certain drug injected into them that caused heart failure...but that seemed like something that happened in a distant dreamland.

In that case-tha-that means...

Shino's lips moved like they were numb, and then, she heard her own hoarse voice.

"That...that means...you...you're the other "Death Gun"?"

The syringe that was placed at the neck suddenly jerked. Kyouji gave an admiring smile like how he would when talking to Shino.

"...Heh, that's too amazing. As expected of Asada-san...you saw through the secret of "Death Gun". That's right. I'm the other "Death Gun". Even so, "Sterben" before this BoB was controlled by me. I'm really happy that you saw me shoot Zekushiido in the Gurokken bar. But, for today, I want to be active in the real world. I can't accept other guys touching Asada-san. Even if we were brothers."

This umpteenth shock caused Shino's body to tense up again.

Kyouji did mention before that he had an older brother, but he merely mentioned how this brother of his was always sick ever since young and always moved from home to hospital. He never said anything other than that, so Shino never asked.

"B...bro...brother? The one who joined the red guild in SAO...was...your brother?"

This time, it was Kyouji's turn to widen his eyes in shock.

"Wow, so you even knew about that. Shoichi nii-san said that much in the tournament? Maybe nii-san really admired Asada-san. But Asada-san, you can relax. I won't let anyone else touch you. Actually...I didn't intend to inject this into Asada-san. Nii-san may get angry...but because Asada-san, you said that you'll be mine in the park..."

Kyouji paused. The intoxicated smile on his face disappeared, and his expression went back to being blank.

"...But...Asada-san, and that guy, actually...you must have been tricked by him. I don't know what that guy said, but I'll chase him away immediately. I'll make you forget about him."