At this moment, shock wouldn't be enough to describe Shino's emotion. During these few seconds, she could not understand what Asuna meant.

The girl's ample and glossy looking lips said a location. And that was the city where Shino stayed in until she graduated from middle school, the place where that incident happened, the place where she really wanted to forget and didn't want to go back.

Why, why, why?

Shino could only feel this question spin in her head. Finally, she asked, "Why...must you do such a thing...?"

She continued to shake her head and moved to stand up as she hurriedly tried to get away from here.

But just before Shino stood up, Kirito's hand was pressing down on her left shoulder. At this moment, his nervous voice entered Shino's ears.

"That's because you never met the people you should have met, Sinon...and you didn't hear the words you needed to hear. I thought that you would be hurt...but I, I just couldn't sit by and let this go. So I used the database of the press to investigate that incident...I thought that it wouldn't be clear to say it on the phone, so I went to the post office where that incident happened, and asked them to tell me how to contact that person."

"People...I should meet...? Words I should hear...?"

Shino could only repeat the words blankly, and sitting beside her, Rika shot Kirito a look, got up and went deep into the shop. As the door with the plate PRIVATE was opened, a person appeared.

It was a woman in her thirties. She had shoulder-length hair with slight make-up on. She was also dressed in a rather mature manner. She was more like a housewife than an office lady.

And then, a set of footsteps proved that Shino's impression was correct. A little girl who looked like she hadn't entered primary school yet came running out. They looked really similar, and they're most likely mother and daughter.

But even after seeing these two people, Shino merely felt puzzled. She did not know who this mother and daughter pair was. She had never met them in her hometown before, let alone Tokyo.

As the woman saw Shino standing there in a dazed manner, she looked sad yet happy for some reason, and then bowed deeply at Shino. The girl beside her bowed too.

After maintaining that for a while, Rika prompted them to move to the table in front of Shino. Asuna got up to let the lady sit in front of Shino, and the little girl sat beside her mother. At this moment, the shopkeeper who continued to remain silent walked out silently from the bar, served a cup of cafe au lait in front of the mother and milk in front of the girl before heading back.

Even at such a close distance, Shino still didn't know who they were. Why did Kirito say that this woman should be someone 'I should meet'? Was he mistaken or something...?

--No No, it felt like...deep in a certain part of her memory, a spark was suddenly created. She didn't know them, so why- At this moment, the woman again bowed deeply at Shino and said her name with a slightly trembling voice.

"Nice to meet you. You should be Asada...Shino-san, right? My name is Oosawa Sachie. This girl is called Mizue, and she's four years old."

As expected, she had no impression of those two names at all. Speaking of which, Shino herself wouldn't have any relation with a mother and daughter of this age, but her memory continued to hurt.

Shino couldn't even greet them as she widened her eyes while sitting on the chair. The mother called Sachie took a deep breath and said with a clear voice, "...I moved to Tokyo after giving birth to this child. In the past, I used to work in the ...city, and the location where I worked was..."

The moment she heard the next few words, Shino understood everything.

"...The Post Office at Third Street."

"Ah..."

Shino let out a soft voice from her mouth. That small and ordinary post office-was where that incident took place. Five years ago, Shino and her mother went there, and she had the incident that caused the biggest change in her life.

The criminal with the gun killed the man at the window, and then looked like he did not know whether to shoot the two female workers at the counter or Shino's mother. However, Shino lost control of herself and rushed at the man, snatched the gun-and squeezed the trigger.

That's right...this mother called Sachie was undoubtedly one of the female workers she met at the post office.

In other words...Kirito deliberately went with Asuna and Rika to that post office, got the address of the female worker who resigned and moved to Tokyo, and after establishing contact with her, invited her to come over to meet Shino today.

Shino could roughly get the gist of things, but there was still a greatest question withing her.

Why? Why did Kirito do such a thing even if he had to take leave?

"...I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, Shino-san."

Sachie, who was sitting in front of Shino, teared up as she said that.

Shino didn't understand why she apologized at all and could only remain in her seat blankly. And the other party continued with a trembling voice, "I'm really sorry. I...should have met you earlier...but I really wanted to forget about that incident...so I came to Tokyo while using the fact that my husband was posted out...I could have thought it through and understand that you felt really hurt...but I didn't even thank you or even apologize to you..."

The tears in her eyes flowed out cascading down her face. That braided-hair girl beside her called Mizue seemed to be worried for her own mother as she looked up. Sachie silently patted the girl's head.

"...During that incident. Th, this girl was still in my stomach. So Shino-san, you didn't just save me back then...you saved this child too. Really...really, thank you very much, thank you very much..."

"...I saved...your lives?"

Shino merely repeated those words.

In that post office, Shino, who was only 11 years old, squeezed the trigger 3 times and took a person's life. That was what Shino did, and what she always thought. However-this woman in front of her clearly said, That she was saved by Shino.

"Sinon."

Beside her, Kirito said with a trembling voice, "Sinon, you had been blaming yourself all this while, punishing yourself. I can't say that what you did is wrong, but-you also have the right to think of those you saved. In that case, you'll find that you have the right, to forgive yourself. That's what...I wanted to tell you..."

Then, Kirito seemed like he didn't know what else to say anymore and could only bite his lower lip.

Looking away from the boy, Shino looked at Sachie again. She knew that she had to say something, but she just couldn't say anything. She couldn't even talk, or even think of anything for that matter...

To-on.

At this moment, a sound of light footsteps could be heard.

That 4-year-old girl called Mizue jumped off her chair and ran around the table to Shino in small steps. Sachie should be the one who tied her hair which looked so silky and smooth. Her round face was showing a cute pink, and her large eyes were showing the purest and most innocent glow in this world.

Mizue should be wearing a kindergarten uniform as she had a little bag on her back. She reached her hands into her bag and took out something.

It was a drawing paper that was folded into a rectangular. She opened the paper clumsily and passed it to Shino.

The picture that was drawn with crayons immediately entered Shino's eyes. At the center of the picture was a woman's face with long hair. That smiling face should belong to her mother-Sachie. And the braided girl on the right side should be herself. The bespectacled person on the left was her father.

At the top of the picture, there were the words "Shi-no-o-ne-e-san-he" (To Shino onee-san) that were written in hiragana, probably just learnt in school.

Mizue handed over the picture with both hands, and Shino received it with both hands as well. Mizue smiled and took a deep breath.

It seemed that the girl practiced it many times before as she said each word one by one with an innocent and tender voice, "Shino onee-san, thank you for saving mama and Mizue."

At this moment, Shino's eyes were covered-with the colors of the rainbow, and then, it was all jumbled up.

After a while, she found herself crying. Before today, she did not know that such warmth, clarity and tears that could wash any stain away existed.

Shino continued to cry as her hands continued to hold that piece of large picture.

A small hand that was so tender felt somewhat timid right from the beginning, but then grabbed her right hand tightly.

And what was held was the black spot, where the firepowder remained on her right hand- To accept all my past would likely take some time. Even so, I like this current world now.

My life will have many pains from today onwards, and the path in front of me will have lots of thorns.

But I believe that I can continue to walk on.

Because my right hand that's being held and the tears on my face are so warm.

(END).

References.

Koukyo is a palace that has a moat around it.

Around $28.31 US dollars.

Around $6,400 US dollars.

Author's Notes.

I am Kawahara Reki, and this is the final volume in year 2010, "Sword Art Online 6, Phantom Bullet".

Ever since February '09, this series SAO and the other 'Accel World' series were released in alternating months, and 12 volumes were published. However, the reason why this seemingly impossible task could be completed was because "the SAO series had its original script in the first place". I thought that I just needed to edit the web publishing a little bit and that there wouldn't be too much work.

But after reading through my original script, I found that there were parts that couldn't be edited slightly, but modified heavily...however, volumes 1 and 2 were still "edited", 3 and 4 were "added on", 5 was more like a "rewrite"...but 6 was already "an original script" (laughs). Also, the number of pages in this volume exceeded every single previous volume...now that I can successfully (or unsuccessfully) write my afterwords, even I felt that it was a miracle. So to warn myself, I have to shout-WHY! DID! THINGS! END! UP! LIKE! THIS!

Well, I spent so much effort with unknown meaning to complete a volume, but I'm glad if this can allow me to understand my new friends through single volume releases and that my old friends who I know on the web version can feel refreshed by reading the main works. The next volume's slate to be on Asuna who we waited for a long time. She's the main heroine but almost didn't have a chance to appear in volumes 5 and 6. She'll be extremely active in the next volume, so everyone, please look forward to it! (It won't become a rewrite, most likely...) And then now, for the final apologies today...

I guess a few readers knew about it, but during the "Dengeki Bunko Autumn Festival 2010" which was in October at Akihabara, abec-san, who's in charge of the illustrations, and I were supposed to be attending the autograph session. Yes...I was late! And really late! We ended up being late by 30 minutes! The reason was that my brain data was damaged and viewed the time "12:30pm" as "2:30pm"!

...It's said that during the 4,000 year history of Dengeki Bunko, I was the first author to delay the autograph session because I was late...to the readers who registered to take part in the autograph session and waited for a long time, I really don't know how to apologize to you...I'm really sorry, I won't do this again. (But it feels like they won't let me do another autograph session again!) In the end, because of how I was late and that the late submission of the script, I caused a lot of problems to the editor Miki-san, but I would like to say to him and the illustrator abec-san that I hope to get along well with them next year. Also, I'll wish you, who read through the entire volume, a brilliant year 2011! And I also hope that I won't be late again!

A certain day in October 2010, Kawahara Reki.

end.