Asada!
Shino Asada!
Memories of Fresh Blood
Hey!
Get a move on!
My bad, Asada.
We ended up singing too much karaoke, and now we don't have the train fare to get home.
I'll pay you back tomorrow, so lend me this much.
Ten thousand yen? No way do I have that much on me.
Then go withdraw it.
No.
Huh?
No. Ms. Endo, I have no intention of lending you any money.
Damn you...
Don't mess with me!
I'm leaving now, so step aside.
Bang!
Listen, Asada.
My big bro has a few model guns, see.
Why don't I show them to you at school sometime?
You like them, don't you?
Pistols.
Hey, hey, don't hurl, Asada!
That time you hurled and fainted in the classroom,
it was such a drag, you know!
Anyway, just hand over what you've got and I'll let you go.
I mean, you don't look too good, Asada.
This way!
Over here, Officer!
Please hurry!
Crap!
Are you all right, Asada?
I'm fine. Thank you, Shinkawa.
CafÃ© Louvre
Hey, I heard. The day before yesterday,
you went on a total rampage, right?
As a strategy, it failed.
My squadron lost four out of five members.
If that's the outcome of an ambush, you really can't call it a win.
But it's so amazing.
I mean, that Minigun-wielder Behemoth was known for never having died in a group battle till now.
Oh, really? So he's that famous.
I've never seen his rankings on BoB, so I had no idea.
Well, of course.
No matter how powerful a Minigun might be,
carrying 500 pounds of ammo pushes you over the weight limit and you can't run.
Since BoB is a solo encounter battle, if you get sniped from afar, you're done.
Although if you have enough backup in a group battle, you're invincible.
It's a violation, a weapon like that.
By the same token, people are calling my HÃ©cate II a total violation as well.
From a user's standpoint, it does cause all sorts of headaches, though.
Damn, that's a first world problem, you know?
So what are you gonna do about the next BoB?
I'm competing, of course.
After all, I have almost all of the Top 20 players' data from the last one.
This time I'm taking HÃ©cate. This time, for sure, I'm going to kiâ€”
I'm going to try to crack the upper ranks.
If I can shoot down all of my enemies, and be sure that I'm the most powerful...
At that moment, I just know that...
I see...
You really are amazing, Asada. Acquiring that beast of a gun...
And your stats were practically tailor-made for STR builds.
I'm the one who invited you to GGO, but you've already left me far behind.
That's not true. In the last qualifying round, you made it all the way to the semifinals.
No... It's futile.
An AGI build can only take you so far, unless you can score some really rare guns.
I totally messed up my stats allotment...
Then you're not playing in the next BoB, Shinkawa?
Nope. Even if I played, there'd be no point.
I see. Hmm... Well, you do have your studies, right?
Are you trying for pre-med?
Yeah. Since my family runs a hospital.
I promised my dad I'd go to med school, so I have no choice.
You're taking the GED course at a cram school, right?
How are your mock exams?
Oh, right...
I'm doing fine. I'm still ranked the same as when I was going to school.
No problems on that front, Instructor.
Good job.
But you know, your log-in times are mind-blowing.
I was a little worried. I mean, you were always online whenever I logged in.
I study during the day. It's important to vary your routine, you know.
If you're diving all the time, you must be making a ton of money, right?
No, not at all. Since solo hunting is impossible now for AGI builds.
Well, as long as you can earn your connection fee, that's good enough, right?
Hey... Sorry.
I've got to get going now...
Oh, that's right. You make your own dinner, don't you?
I'd like to have some of your cooking again sometime.
Oh... y-yeah, sure, one of these days.
When I've polished my skills more, okay?
Thanks for the tea.
And also... Thank you so much for saving me. You were cool, you know.
I wish I could always be there to protect you.
Uh, listen. Do you want me to walk you home from school?
N-No, no, that's all right.
Because I've got to be stronger, too.
I'm home.
If I do it now...
I don't remember my father's face.
I was told that before I'd even turned two, he'd died in a car accident.
After the accident, my mother and I left Tokyo, and were taken in by her parents.
There, we led peaceful lives.
But one day, that peace was abruptly shattered.
Stuff the money in this bag! And don't press the alarm button!
Mother...
Come on, put the money in the bag! Every last bit of it! Hurry the hell up!
Y-Yes, sir!
I told you not to press that button!
Hey, you! Get over here and start packing the money!
If you don't hurry the hell up, I'll shoot another one!
I swear I'll shoot!
You little...
Give it back! Give it back, you little brat!
I look awful.
Save me...
Somebody... save me...
Wh-What?
K-Kirito, you're quitting ALO?
N-No, that's not it! It's just for a few days.
Then I'll convert back again, right away!
Really?
A-Actually... it's a little complicated...
I've got to go check out this other VRMMO...
Check it out?
But you've done that so many times already using new accounts!
If you convert, it'll reset your items, won't it?
Why would you have to go that far?
Well, the thing is... Uh... It's that guy from the Ministry...
If it's Mr. Kikuoka asking you, then I guess there's no way out of it, but...
I don't know why, but I'm not sure that I can totally trust that man.
Well, that makes two of us then.
Try to get back as soon as you can, okay?
Because there's only one place where our home is.
Of course. I'll come back to ALO right away.
I just need to do some research on the inner workings of a game called Gun Gale Online.
I believe that the Death Gun story is 99% rumor.
To kill someone in the real world from a virtual world...
I just can't believe it's possible.
This is true power. This is what true strength is about!
You ignorant fools, carve my name into your minds - with fear!
My name, and the name of this gun... is Death Gun!
But it's the remaining 1% possibility that's brought me here.
Excuse me...
Yo!
Long time no see, Kirigaya!
Hello. It's been a long time, Ms. Aki.
Hey... Now you've got some meat on you.
But it's still nowhere near enough. Are you eating right?
Y-Yes, I'm eating, I'm eating.
Anyway, what are you doing here, Ms. Aki?
That suit with the glasses told me all about it.
I hear you're going to do some research on a virtual network for the government?
It hasn't even been a year since you got back...
No rest for you, huh?
So since I was in charge of you during your rehab,
he asked me to keep an eye on the monitors, and I was let off my shift today.
He's even settled things with the Head Nurse.
You really have to hand it to the power of the government!
Anyway, I'm looking forward to this short stint with you, Kirigaya!
L-Likewise.
So the suit with the glasses - he's not here?
Right, he did leave you a message, though.
Email your reports to the usual address.
Expenses will be paid upon completion of the mission, along with your fee, so invoice us accordingly.
P.S. Just because you're alone in a private room with a gorgeous nurse,
don't let your youthful urges take over!
Uh, all right, I'd like to connect to the net now, so...
Oh, right. It's all set up.
Okay, then - strip, Kirigaya.
E-Excuse me?
So I can stick these electrodes on you.
I basically saw it all while you were hospitalized, anyway...
Um, would just the top be okay?
All right, we're ready to go now.
Uh... Then I'll be off.
I think I'll be diving for about four or five hours...
Sure thing! I'll be keeping an eye on your body, Kirigaya, so go on - no worries!
Th-Thank you for looking out for me...
Link start!
Yes, I'm doing all right.
I'm used to the school now, and I've made some friends.
Oh, I'm fine.
I haven't had that many attacks lately...
Right, I know. Don't you catch any colds either, Grandpa.
I'll come home for winter break...
Okay, then, talk to you later.
Ever since the incident at the post office,
all I have to do is see a gun in a photo or on TV, and it will trigger a panic attack.
Even after I started going to a high school in Tokyo, far from home,
my symptoms hardly improved at all.
I started playing Gun Gale Online, on Shinkawa's recommendation,
as a form of exposure therapy.
But strangely enough, when I'm Shinon in this virtual world,
holding a gun, or being at gunpoint doesn't bring on any attacks.
The stronger Shinon becomes, the stronger I can become in the real world.
Believing that, I've continued to fight, armed with HÃ©cate II.
If I can win the next Bullet of Bullets... then for sure... For sure!
Link start.
They haven't shown up, XeXeeD and Tarako.
Has it been almost a month now?
If anyone can reach them in the real world, please post any information you can get.
I told you, they're not around. Nobody's heard from them, right?
Since we know the date and time they were shot by Death Gun,
shouldn't we be able to find out if any VRMMO players died right at that time?
If they were living alone, nobody would know if they'd died.
And we already know that the police aren't talking.
By the way, if you ask ZASKAR by email in English,
you'll only get a standard reply about users' private information, blah blah blah.
When all is said and done, the only way is for someone to prove it with his own body.
So tomorrow at 2330 hours, I'll be waiting at the Glocken Central Bank,
wearing a red rose on my chest.
So Death Gun, please shoot me.
We have a hero in our midst!
But before you die, you'd better expose your real name and address, or it won't mean anything.
Better yet, why not do a public dive from some Internet cafÃ©?
Oh, whatever.
Next time: GGO