Sword Art Online

Chapter 1

"Welcome, table for one?"

As the waiter bowed respectfully, I replied that I was looking for someone, and swept my eyes across the vast expanse of the cafe.

From a window seat inside, a loud and unreserved voice immediately called me over.

"Hey Kirito-kun, over here!"

Elegant classical music circulated around the dining area, and the low chattering of pleasant conversation died down within a split-second as I entered, all eyes focused on me with criticism. Dressed in my old leather jacket and patched jeans, about 80% of the store —upper-class women taking a break from shopping— seemed to feel that I was in the wrong place; I felt resentment starting to swell up from deep within towards the person who asked me to come here.

If it were a sweet and attractive girl, I would have been able to put up with it, but unfortunately the hand waving at me belonged to a man in a suit. I didn't bother to conceal my displeasure and sat into the chair roughly with a 'dosun' sound.

A waiter emerged at my side to present me with a cool glass of water and a warm hand towel, along with the menu. As I picked up the elegant wooden and leather cover, a sunny voice expressed itself from across the table.

"It's my treat this time, so order whatever you like."

"I would have even if you didn't say that."

I retorted sharply and scrolled my eyes down the menu; shockingly, their cheapest item «Choux à la Crème»[1] was already in the 1200 yen range, and I almost ordered a plain coffee by pure reflex. After remembering that this man was a highly paid bureaucrat, and that the cost of such entertainment would be covered as a business expense by hard-earned taxpayer money, I, who had nearly been taken for an idiot, calmly began ordering.

"Aah... I will have the parfait au chocolat... and a mille-feuille... and finally a hazelnut coffee."

Somehow, I had managed to say the entire order without biting my tongue despite having absolutely no idea what I had just ordered. The menu choices added up to three thousand nine hundred yen. I had considered asking for just a hamburger and shake, using the difference to line my pockets with.

"Very well, Sir."

Waiter-shi[2] eloquently took his leave, and finally taking a breath, I looked up at the man, called Kikuoka Seijirou, as he ate a ginormous pudding stacked over a veritable mountain of fresh cream.

His face resembled your typical serious and strict Japanese language teacher, with his black frame glasses and tacky hair look. Despite not looking the part, he was indeed a Japanese government official. He belonged to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Technology, Second Separated Advanced Network Division, or, as it's called within the ministry, the Virtual Storage Management Sector of the Communication Network's Management Division; the «Virtual Division».

In other words, this man monitored the state of chaos in the new VR world, as an agent of the State... or a potential scapegoat. Normally, I would feel bad if he did get fired from his position, but in reality, I thought it was highly possible.

It is this unfortunate Kikuoka-shi who, having finally inhaled the last of the pudding into his mouth, looked up to reveal an innocent smile with pure bliss plastered over his face.

"Yah, Kirito-kun, sorry for calling you out on such short notice."

"If you feel any remorse then you should not have called me to Ginza in the first place."

"The fresh cream here is the best. Maybe I should get a Cream Puff while we're at it..."

While wiping my hands with the citrus scented towel, I let out a sigh and said:

"...and also, I don't think you have the right to call me 'Kirito'."

"That's so cruel ~~ wasn't I the first person by your side when you woke up a year ago?"

ー Unfortunately, that was a fact. Waking up after having escaped that «Death Game», the first person to visit was Kikuoka, the acting home-side agent of the counter-measure team, at my bedside.

Back then, I had used polite and courteous speech, as he had seemed well-meaning and genuinely concerned, but I soon realized that was not his only reason for getting close to me, and I started using a sharp tongued manner of speech. It could have been his intentions to exploit me from the start— but that might just be me over-analyzing things.

I glanced over to Kikuoka, who seemed distressed over the decision of placing yet another order, and opened my mouth after realizing that I should not let myself get caught in his pace.

"News has it that a huge deposit of rare metals was discovered at Sagami Bay, and the related big shots have organized a celebratory Oklahoma mixer dance. Don't be so troubled over just one cream puff."

These words caused Kikuoka to raise his head, blink a few times, and smile.

"Well, no matter the yield gained, because it is unrelated to my department, I do not believe we will benefit from it. I'll just bear with my hunger, for the sake of our economy."

The diplomat snapped the menu shut and I let out yet another sigh.

"Ok then, it is about time you tell me why you called me here. ...I bet it's just to investigate another virtual crime isn't it?"

"Oh, Kirito-kun saying it straight out really makes this easier."

After such a bold statement, Kikuoka took a briefcase from the chair next to him and pulled out a very thin tablet terminal.

—Yes, after all, this man used survivors of Japan's largest net crime, «The Sword Art Online Incident», like me as informants.

Normally, to investigate the origins of a crime, Public Safety would generally pay a fee for information provided by «Collaborators» and «Watchdogs», among other things, making it like a «Business Deal». If that were the case, then calling me out to eat cake like this could be seen as just «Business» with Kikuoka.

I really wanted to think of it that way, but this was the same man who had broken the rules to tell me which hospital Asuna was in, and that was a debt that I still owed him.

Without that information, I would have been delayed in finding Yuuki Asuna in the real world and as such, it may not have been possible to find out the devilish plots of Sugou Nobuyuki and rescue Asuna from his clutches.

As such, for the time being given the circumstances, I did not object to being Kikuoka's «Watchdog» very much. Although quite recently I have stopped using polite and courteous speech and started ordering the more expensive cakes.

Meanwhile, whether or not he was aware of that fact, my benefactor played around with his tablet terminal and said lazily:

"Weeell, about that, this time it's about the increase in the rate of virtual space crimes, you see..."

"Hmm. Specifically?"

"Let's see... Just this November more than 100 cases of virtual theft, property damage, and etc. were observed and filed. Moreover, there have been 13 cases in which VR game disputes have lead to real world manifestations with one incident leading to death... That one case had been quite a big incident so Kirito-kun must know about it already, someone made a replica western sword and swung it around Shinjuku Station slashing two people to death. Uhyaa, the blade was 1.2 meters long, and weighed 3.5 kg. How did he manage to swing that thing around?"

"It seemed like a hardcore player using drugs and hallucinating... Although looking at this one case alone doesn't help very much when put into a general perspective compared to all the other cases..."

"Indeed, in terms of the overall national crime rate, these barely amount to anything, but concluding from a myopic perspective it may be VRMMO games that breed such social unrest. However, as you had previously mentioned..."

"—VRMMO games do cause people to lower certain boundaries in reality. It is something even I recognize."

At that time, the waiter returned with silent footfalls and placed in front of me two plates of dessert and a cup of coffee.

"Would this be everything Sir?"

After a nod, he placed a bill with a scary figure face down on the edge of the table. I took a sip of the coffee that exuded a nutty aroma and continued our conversation.

"... As PKing is seen in most of these games as just another daily occurrence, it isn't impossible for such an environment to serve as a training ground for real world murders. Especially in this new genre of games, where cutting off a wrist leads to blood spurting out and slicing open a stomach results in internal organs spilling out. Above that, are also hardcore maniacs who would rather commit suicide than log out."

A throat was cleared from a nearby table with an interrupting 'ahem', to reveal two prim and proper women glaring daggers directed at me. I lowered my head, and continued in a quieter voice:

"Given such common daily occurrences, it isn't much of a mystery for some idiot to have brought back that practice into reality. I too, feel the need for some sort of counter-measures to be put into place, although the law would be nearly useless in such a case."

"Useless?"

"Useless."

With a golden spoon, I carefully skimmed off a thin layer of pink cream and cake, cautiously transporting it to my mouth as I thought to myself, that each spoonful was worth 100 yen. While savoring each delicious morsel as it literally melted in my mouth, I continued on our debate of savagery.

"...Not even if you closed off the network. Because the VRMMO networking server is relatively easy to set-up, no matter how much you ban it in Japan, users and traders will just move overseas."

"Hmm..."

Kikuoka's dignified gaze fell onto the table, and after a few seconds of thought, he opened his mouth.

"...Your mille-feuille looks good... may I have a bite?"

"..."

I directed my third sigh, along with my plate, towards Kikuoka. This career dignitary then proceeded to steal with great gusto, approximately 280 yen's worth of my mille-feuille, and stuffed his cheeks.

"But you know, Kirito-kun, I was just thinking... Why PK? Isn't getting along nicely with everyone else more fun than just killing them?"

"...You play ALO too, so you should already have an idea, as long before FullDive, there'd already been MMORPGs that stole from each other. To say the least, because such games do not technically have definitive endings, some form of endgame content has to serve for player's motivation... like seeking and playing for the feeling of superiority over others, I think."

"Oh?"

In the midst of his chewing, Kikuoka raised his eyebrows as if to request a further explanation. Seriously, why did we have to talk about that, deep inside I considered poisoning him, half for the sake of revenge as I continued:

"...It's not just limited to the game. Wanting to be recognized, wanting to climb even higher than others, isn't that the basic structure of our society? Even you should understand as those in the same department as you, there are government officials who are envious of others with a better university degree or have faster promotions due to connections; but on the other hand, they look down at the non-government officials with a smug sense of superiority. Finally those with both inferiority and superiority in balance can eat cake with peaceful faces, isn't it?"

Kikuoka swallowed the mille-feuille, and smiled gingerly.

"You are quite frank with your spite aren't you? So what about Kirito-kun? How do you take the balance?"

"..."

Of course, despite having an inferiority complex as high as a mountain, I have no intention of telling this guy. With an ignorant face, I fired back:

"...Well, at least I'm together with my girlfriend."

"I see, I am jealous to death over that one point, Kirito-kun. The next time we're in ALO, wouldn't you introduce me to some girls? Take the Sylph Lord for example, she is just my type."

"I'll tell you in advance, the moment you say 'I'm actually a high ranking bureaucrat', you'll get decapitated."

"If it's by her, then I wouldn't mind being killed once. —So?"

"So, about this superiority complex, it's surprisingly hard to fulfill in the real world. It's not something you can get unless you work really hard. You'll have to study hard to get better grades, to get better at sports, become cooler, or more attractive... All of which require a lot of time and energy and there is no concrete guarantee of payoff, above that the requirements are near impossible to achieve anyway."

"I see. After all, I did study to death for my exams, and still did not get into Toudai[3]."

For some reason, having seen Kikuoka smile so happily while speaking about the subject, I suppressed the desire to make a smart remark and quickly continued talking.

"Then, MMORPG to the rescue. Here, time sacrificed doesn't pass in vain like in reality and your character will become stronger as you find rare items, learn more skills, and have higher stats. Of course you'd still have to work hard, but that's because it's still a game. Rather than studying or training your muscles, this is a lot more fun. Equipping expensive gear to show off your high level while walking down the avenues of a main street, you will definitely attract a lot of envious attention from those weaker than you... virtually, that is. If you go to the hunting grounds, you can defeat monsters with overwhelming power, or save a party in a pinch. Be thanked, be respected—"

"Virtually?"

"...Of course, that's only one aspect of it and MMO games also do have many other elements to them. But, network games with social networking as the main theme have been around for a long time, and none has been more successful than MMORPG."

"...I see, that kind games are hard to satisfy the need to feel superior?"

"Yes. —Then VRMMO games came out. In these games, you can walk down the street yourself instead of through an avatar character. Where previously you would have had to settle for fantasizing about it through your computer screen, you now actually feel the gazes fixed upon you."

"Hmn. That is true I guess, because when you walk side by side with Asuna-chan in Yg-city, everyone stares."

"...You say such spiteful things so bluntly. In any case, in VRMMO games, so long as you take the time to do it, anyone can achieve a sense of superiority. Compared to how well you study, how good you are at soccer or how much money you have, is much simpler, much more primitive, and appeals directly to human instinct.

"...In other words...?"

"In other words, it's «Strength», physical, arduous strength. With your own hands, the power to destroy your opponent. In a way, it's like being on drugs."

"...«Strength» ...Or the greatest «Power», huh."

Kikuoka murmured with some kind of nostalgia.

"...Boys will, no matter who, always seek strength at one point or another... doing things such as reading fighting-based manga and wanting to train the same way they do. But, usually most of them will immediately recognize the futility of doing so, and start to pursue a more realistic goal... —I see, then are VRMMO's not another chance to pursue such goals, I wonder."

I nodded, and as I rarely speak so much, soothed my dry throat with some coffee before speaking.

"Aah. Some games from the fighting genre also seem to merge into reality, where alliances and schools of martial arts are formed."

"Oh? Which means?"

"In other words... What characters learn in-game could very well lead them to become experts in things like This-and-That-Styled-Karate or Here-and-There-Styled-Kenpou. That in turn could reproduce some of the stereo-typified scenes of Shinjuku and Shibuya, leading to some outlaw bros taking out enemy characters, the Tekken system of justice. ...Following that, obviously I can't teach you to understand their hearts. People who live in this kind of games might want to try out the skills they learn in VRMMOs in the real world... or might already have, that possibility does not exist, is unfortunately not something I am able to say— such are my sentiments."

"I see... It's an invasion of the VRMMO concept of «strength» into reality, huh. Hey, Kirito-kun."

Kikuoka, his face once again turning serious, looked at me.

"That, are we only talking about psychological issues here?"

"...What do you mean?"

"Beside their psychological resistance to committing acts of violence being lowered, and also being able to gather the knowledge and skill required to commit violence... In reality, their physical attributes somehow accommodating these changes... that kind of thing doesn't occur, right?"

This time, it was my turn to think and reflect.

"...That is, using the example from before, that the physical strength required to swing around a 3.5 kg sword in Shinjuku, was developed by the man in the game-world... you mean?

"Yes, that."

"Hmm... As for the FullDive system affecting the human nervous system, it seems that research has just begun. But in reality, lying down for long periods of time would certainly result in diminished overall strength, although such brute strength surfacing just for an instant could be due to the rush of adrenaline in the heat of the moment... —But that's more your field than mine, right?"

"A long time ago, I went to listen to what a professor had to say about neurophysiology, and it was like Greek to me... We may have gotten off track a lot, but we've reached today's objective. Please take a look at this."

Kikuoka played with his tablet, and handed it to me.

I accepted it, and on the LCD screen, I saw the mug-shot of a man I did not recognize, with his home and other profile next to it. He had extensively long hair, silver rimmed glasses and quantity of neck and cheek fat.

"...Who's this?"

Accepting the terminal back from me, Kikuoka moved his fingers around.

"Riight, last month... on the 14th of November. At an apartment located in Nakano Ward, Tokyo, the landlord noticed an unpleasant smell while cleaning up around the area. He tried to reach the resident through the inter-phone, but there was no response and there was no answer on the regular phone either. But as the room's lights were still on he released the electronic lock out of curiosity, and found this man... Shigemura Tamotsu, age 26, dead. It seems he had died five and a half days ago. There were no signs of the room being ravaged, and the body was lying on the bed wearing on his head..."

"An AmuSphere, I'm guessing."

I had one of those in my room too, two overlapping golden rings that formed a piece of head gear, the FullDive machine popped up in my mind as I said it, then Kikuoka lightly nodded.

"That's right. —Immediately we contacted his family members, and ordered a post-mortem autopsy to investigate the mysterious death. Cause of death: acute heart failure."

"Heart failure? The one where a heart suddenly stops beating right? Why did it happen?"

"We don't know."

"..."

"As a long time had passed since the time of death and the probability of it being a crime is low, we didn't do a detailed autopsy. But it seems like he had not eaten for 2 days after having logged in continuously."

I frowned once again.

To be honest, such cases aren't all that rare. Why? Because although having eaten nothing in reality, having consumed something while inside a VRMMO means that you still feel full, and the feeling lasts for a few hours. Addicts, or those so-called hard-core gamers, tend to consider time outside gaming as time wasted, and cases where people don't eat for 1 or 2 days really aren't that rare.

However, if such routines are consistent, it'd be impossible not to have negative repercussions on the body. A malnourished victim living alone having an attack... wasn't a very rare case at all.

Closing my eyes for a moment and after praying for Shigemura-shi to find happiness in the next world, I opened my mouth.

"...while this is tragic, but..."

"Indeed it's depressing, but it is common these days. Because such an incident won't appear on the news, and the family members won't say much as they want to conceal the fact of dying from this way due to a game, we can't seem to conduct any further investigations. In a way, such a death can also be seen as an invasion of VRMMOs, but... "

"...You wouldn't normally call me out just to hear a surface theory right? What's up with this case?"

At my question, Kikuoka glanced at his terminal, and answered.

"This Shigemura-kun installed only one game on his AmuSphere. «Gun Gale Online»... heard about it?"

"That's... obviously a given. Due to the fact that it's the only VRMMO game in Japan with «Pro» playing; I haven't played it myself, though."

"It seems that in Gun Gale Online... Abbreviated GGO, he was ranked as the top player. That was decided in an event during October to find the strongest. His character's name was «Zekushiido»."

"...Then, did he die while logged into GGO?"

"Actually, no, he didn't. His avatar, «Zekushiido», was being featured on «MMO Stream», a channel hosted by one of the net stations."

"Aah... You mean M-ST's «This Week's Winning Group»? That reminds me, I remember hearing that one of their guests lost connection during a show and it stopped in the middle..."

"Yeah, probably that one. He suffered heart failure while on the show. Their log recorded everything to the exact second. Then, this is unconfirmed information... Around the time of the heart failure, something weird happened in GGO, according to a user's blog."

"Weird?"

"MMO Stream also broadcast in GGO right?"

"Aah. They usually air in pubs."

"It happened in a pub that was airing the show, off a street in the capital city «SBC Gurokken» of the GGO world. So, the problem is that around that time, one of the players happened to do something really strange."

"..."

"Anyway, toward a televised image of Zekushiido-shi, «He» discharged a gun while screaming about judgment and death. Having seen that, one of the players who had coincidentally been recording the event uploaded it onto a video site. The uploaded clip also included a counter in JST[4]... And... The gun was fired on the 9th of November, at 11:30 PM, 02 seconds. Shigemura-kun's sudden disappearance from the show, at 11:30 PM, 15 seconds."

"...Just a coincidence right."

I said, as I moved my second plate in front of me.

Taking a spoon-full of some tea-colored cylindrical thing, I brought it to my mouth. At once, its coldness surprised me. If it were a type of cake, it'd be an ice-cream cake, I thought. With sweetness that was barely contained, the densely packed chocolate essence began to unfurl, overpowering the bitter taste of the conversation that Kikuoka had started.

I polished off a third into my stomach and continued from where I had left off.

"Becoming the top ranked player of GGO would naturally cause others to hate him and envy him beyond the degree found in other VRMMOs. To shoot the actual person might require a lot of bravery, but it's not very strange for the TV image to have been shot at."

"Yes, however, there was another incident."

"...What?"

My spoon-hand froze, and I looked up into Kikuoka's unchanging poker face.

"This time, it happened just about 10 days ago, on the 28th of November. A dead body was found in the unit of a 2-story apartment building in Ômiya Ward, Saitama City, Saitama prefecture. A newspaper seller thought he was being ignored as the unit's lights were still on, despite there being no answer, he tried the door knob and it wasn't locked. Looking inside, a man was found lying on his futon wearing an AmuSphere, with a similar odor..."

Ehem! A deliberately cleared throat put our conversation on hold; we looked at the same two women from before, at a table near ours, as they glared condemningly and gave us the evil eye. But, in a surprisingly bold move by Kikuoka, he nodded at them and continued our conversation.

"...Well, let's skip the details of the postmortem autopsy. This time, it was also confirmed to be death by heart failure. His name... let's skip that too. Male, 31 years old. He was also a very strong GGO player and his character's name... was «Usujio Tarako[5]»? Is this the right name?"

"A while back in SAO, there was a guy called «Hokkai Ikura[5]», so they're probably related. Was this Tarako-shi also on a TV program?"

"No, this time it was an in-game incident. From the AmuSphere's log, his connection was cut off about 3 days before the body was found, on the 25th of November, at 10:00:04 PM, Estimated time of death is also thought to be around that period. At that time, he was at Gurokken's town square attending a Squadron —a guild, apparently— meeting. He'd jumped onto the stage to voice an opinion, and a player who crashed the meeting shot him with a gun. Although city streets are areas where all and any damage received would get instantly voided, he was angered by the gunman's assault and went after him, then suddenly disappeared. This information was also taken from a net forum thread, so the authenticity leaves much to be desired, but..."

"The gunman, is it the same player from the «Zekushiido» incident?"

"You can think of it that way. After all, words like 'justice' and 'strength' were also spoken by a player with the same character name as from the previous case."

"...What kind of...?"

Kikuoka checked his tablet, and frowned.

"«Death Pistol»... That and «Death Gun»"

"A Death... Gun..."

—In other words, «Death Gun»?

I placed my spoon on the now empty plate, as I repeated that name to myself over and over in my thoughts. Such a character name, no matter how much it was intended as a joke, really did give off a certain impression of the character. Death Gun, the impression that name evoked was of black metallic coldness.

"...You're sure that Zekushiido and Usujio Tarako both died of heart failure, right?"

"If I said yes?"

"And... No brain damage?"

Upon hearing that, Kikuoka caught my drift and grinned.

"That bothered me too. And I confronted the forensics team about it, but they couldn't find any abnormalities like cerebral hemorrhages or cerebral arterial occlusions."

"..."

"Also, with Nerve Gear... Ah, are you fine, discussing this?"

"I'm fine."

"...With Nerve Gear, when it kills a user, its signal sensors turn into a high powered microwave which destroys a part of the brain, but AmuSpheres are not made to emit such high powered electromagnetic waves. 'Such a machine can only transmit auditory and visual types to the 5 senses with very low and mild signals', is what the developers had claimed."

"So you have already talked to the makers... you did your homework for this meeting, huh, Kikuoka-san? Is it an accident that you manage to do your job just by looking through passing rumors?"

As I stared through the lens of his glasses at his narrowed eyes, Kikuoka erased that expression in a second, and immediately, his lips widened into a smile.

"I get flown everywhere; so actually, I'm quite free on a daily basis."

"Then, next time why don't you help the front-line clearers of Aincrad. Sir Eugene praised you for being a good mage, you know."

Actually, I had never once thought this man to be the joke of an officer that his appearance and demeanor portrayed. He created a character in ALO not because he had an interest in the game, but most likely for the sake of easily collecting intelligence on the VR world. Although the business card I had previously received placed him under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Technology, there was definitely something suspicious going on here. That his real unit was a part of the Department of National Security was something that I had already considered.

But leaving that aside, it seemed that the «Virtual Division» during the «SAO Incident Victims Rescue Countermeasure Team» period, had only managed to accommodate all the players into hospitals due to his efforts. Therefore, with that and the favor regarding Asuna's location, I am dealing with him at a ratio of 60% gratitude to 40% suspicion.

So whether he knew my inner thoughts or not, Kikuoka just scratched the back of his head and gave an embarrassed smile.

"You're too kind; I can memorize the spell words, but am not good at chanting them. I have been really bad at tongue twisters since a long time ago. ...Anyway, well, regarding this case, I think the chances are over 90% that it is either a coincidence or a hoax. That's why, we need to disprove it. —Kirito-kun, you think it's possible? Is it possible for a person shot in-game, to consequently suffer an episode of heart failure in reality?"

Kikuoka's proposal conjured up an image in my head, causing me to frown.

Dressed completely in black... A faceless gunman peered into the void and pulled the trigger. A black phantasm bullet was shot forth piercing through the virtual wall; the packet invaded the network world. From router to router, server to server, making various right-angled turns, the bullet charged onward. Eventually, it would reach a certain apartment unit, materialize outside the LAN connector mounted on the wall, and hit a man's heart while he was laying down...

Shaking my head to clear that disturbing image, I raised a finger.

"I do think it's impossible, but... Just assuming, that... «Death Gun» is our gunman, and he somehow managed to send some signals to the AmuSpheres of «Zekushiido» and «Usujio Tarako»..."

"Oh, let's start from there. Is it even possible to do something like that?"

"Yea... If what was sent was not some deadly mysterious force, but normal sense signals... You still remember the «Imaginator Virus» that caused a commotion from a while back?"

"Aah, that surprise mail incident, right?"

Imaginator, that was a piece of software developed by someone for the AmuSphere. That piece of software generated a virtual space for diving, where you face the camera and whisper a message, and then compress it into a mail format. The receiver can then replay the file, which would reproduce the sender's virtual body and the spoken message, that kind of thing. Since you could convey videos, audios and even sense of touch, it became very popular.

Eventually though, a security loophole was found, and there was a virus infected mail that would accompany the original message, which caused a major disturbance. If you tried to dive with that mail in your inbox, it would force open a preview, and before your eyes in surround sound and color, something shocking —usually erotic or gross, one or the other— would start to play.

Of course, eventually a patch file was uploaded, and the incident was solved, but...

"—Most AmuSphere users should have installed «Imagine» by now. But if there were unknown security holes, and the victim's e-mail or IP address were known..."

"...I see, setup a sending timer ahead, then send the signal at the same time as the gun shot— something like that is possible."

Kikuoka weaved his fingers together, and nodded as he rested his chin on top of them.

"Then that part is cleared. —But it wasn't a cursed fatal bullet that was sent. Ultimately it's normal senses stimulation."

"In other words, enough feeling to stop a heart... Probably things like taste, smell... light and sound...Right? Let's talk about them one by one. First sense of touch, feeling on the skin."

I paused with the speech, and pressed my right thumb into my left palm. Earlier, what I had eaten was not chocolate cake as I had thought, but ice cream, I remembered I was shocked then.

"...What would happen, if you sent the full body to the limits of its cold tolerance? Like if you jumped into a bath full of ice water. Could that stop a heart?"

"Aah... Jumping into ice water could stop the heart, as the difference in temperatures would cause shock to the body, and the body's blood vessels would contract, which would over-stress the heart... It couldn't be that."

"—Then, I guess we can't go down this line. Even if the brain feels the cold, the capillaries of the other body parts won't feel a thing..."

"Then, how about this?"

This time, Kikuoka rubbed his hands together while speaking. It probably was a mistake on my part, but Kikuoka seemed to smile heartlessly.

"Super small insects... Smaller than a beetle, somewhere in the long worms category. Something like a caterpillar or centipede, the feeling of being dropped into a hole filled with those. Of course, it'd be accompanied by video. Urgh, just imagining it gives me goose bumps. "

"..."

With no other alternative, I too tried to imagine it.

While taking a leisurely stroll through a field, the earth suddenly collapses beneath my feet, and I plummet through the earth collapsing into a deep pit. A thin, long, creature slithers nearby, circling my body until it crawls up near my wrist towards my collar, and finally makes its way underneath my clothes...

"...Seriously, I've got goose bumps."

I rubbed my hands together, and shook my head.

"But that degree of a shock, even that «Imagine Virus» could do it. All of a sudden a huge caterpillar or a Nomura's jellyfish falls from above your head. But there weren't any fellows who had their hearts stopped... I think. In the first place, the moment you enter a VRMMO, you're unconsciously prepared for unexpected situations. In some fields, a boss monster can suddenly pop out right beside you and if your heart stopped every time, it wouldn't make for much of a game."

"You have a point."

Kikuoka shrugged, picking up the cup and turning it slightly.

"...So, the next sense to be considered should be taste and smell. But how would that work? If someone suddenly tasted or smelled something disturbing... like the taste of kiviak [6] reproduced. That person might vomit. That kind of vomiting reaction might affect the body as well..."

"If that's the case, it's not exactly stopping the heart. But could the vomit material stop breathing? Also, what is a kiviak anyway?"

At that moment, seeing the excitement flashing in Kikuoka's eyes, I regretted asking. This man liked to talk about bad tasting things. Though obviously an elite, he did not have a girlfriend and this could be considered one of the reasons responsible.

"Oh, you don't know? Kiviak is an Eskimo food. At the beginning of summer season, they will catch small migrating sea birds called Appaliarsuk and stuff them into a seal skin bag with the meat taken out. Then the entire bundle is placed in a cold, dark corner for a few months, until the seal fat permeates the birds and they ferment nicely, or more specifically, become rotten. At that time, they take out the birds like melted chocolate, the internal organs taste like that kind of food. The stink is supposed to be worse than Surströmming[7], but once you acquire the taste, you just can't have enough..."

Clank! I glanced toward that loud sound and saw the ladies near us covering their mouths in disgust and they were leaving their table with due haste. Once again, I sighed deeply, and then interrupted Kikuoka.

"If you have a chance to visit Greenland, then please try it. Also, you don't have to explain that Surs whatever."

"Oh, okay."

"Don't be regretful. —And no matter what, eating disgusting things won't stop the heart. Let's go for the next... Video huh..."

The rich aroma of coffee erased Kikuoka's foul words and I continued speaking.

"Similar to the insect example from before, just a significant video probably can't stop a heart no matter how fearsome or cruel the images are. Basically, it might cause great trauma, I think, but it would be really difficult to investigate."

"Hmm— You said significant right?"

"Yeah. ...for example, and this was long before I was born so I don't exactly know the details, but many children who watched a certain TV anime collapsed at the same time all over the country with symptoms of epilepsy."

"—That event. I was in kindergarten then and I saw it in real time."

Kikuoka said with a nostalgic feeling.

"I think it was the continuous flashing of red and blue lights in the show that caused it."

"It is probably that. If the same intense flashing lights video was sent, people would normally shut their eyes in reaction. That isn't possible if it was sent directly into the brain and some kind of shock happening is not entirely inconceivable."

"Yes, indeed so."

Kikuoka nodded his head, but then shook his head and continued.

"—But then, that question was debated on when AmuSphere was developed. The result was a safety device in the form of a limiter setting. Video images with more than a certain level of vibration amplitude are not shown by the AmuSphere."

"—Hey you."

This time I shot Kikuoka a 100% suspicious look and said.

"It seems you have already investigated all the possibilities, right? If you had already picked the brains of the ministry elites, then you don't need me now to debate about this. What are you really trying to do?"

"No no, that's not it. Kirito-kun's way of thinking is really stimulating, it was a huge reference and I also like speaking with you."

"But I do not like to speak with you, and as for sound perception, that should also have a limiter. Therefore, in conclusion— influencing the human heart inside a game is impossible. «Death Gun»-shi's shootings and the two men's heart attack are completely coincidental. Good bye, I'm going back and thank you for your hospitality."

I have a hunch that if this topic continues, it will certainly not result in anything pleasant. So I hurriedly said my thanks and stood up.

However, Kikuoka frantically called to stop me.

"Waaaa- wait, wait. From here on is the real main topic. You can order another cake; just stay with me a little longer please."

"..."

"Well, I am relieved that Kirito-kun reached that conclusion. I also thought the same thing that these two deaths were not from being shot from inside a game. Saying this however, I do need a favor—"

Here it comes, I frowned while thinking, and continued to listen.

"Can you log into Gun Gale Online, and contact this «Death Gun» guy?"

He then smiled at me.

To this bureaucrat's innocent smiling face, I used my coldest voice.

"Contact him? Why not just be open about it, Kikuoka-san. Go get shot, you mean, by this «Death Gun»."

"No, well, ahahaha."

"No way! If something actually happens, what should I do? You go get shot and have your heart stopped!"

I stood up once again but Kikuoka grabbed onto my sleeve.

"Earlier, we both agreed that this can't be real. Also, this «Death Gun»-shi has a very strict requirement for his targets."

"...Requirement?"

I asked him and I could not help but sit down again.

"Yes. The two people, «Zekushiido» and «Usujio Tarako», which «Death Gun» shot, were both famous top players. That is, if they are not strong, they won't be shot, probably. For me, even years won't get me that strong. However, for you who even Kayaba-shi acknowledged as the strongest..."

"It's impossible for me too! GGO is not that easy of a game and «Pros» are in it."

"That er, what does «Pro» mean? You said it earlier as well."

Recognizing that I am being sucked into Kikuoka's pace after all, I explained reluctantly.

"...It literally means people who make their income from the game. Gun Gale Online is the only game in all of VRMMO that has a «game coin to real money conversion system»."

"...Really?"

Even for someone like agent Kikuoka, he still didn't know all of the game details as his question seemed to actually be genuine this time.

"That is, simply, the money earned inside the game can be converted into real money to be returned to you. In truth, it's not the Japanese yen, but electronic currency. But because there's nothing that couldn't be bought with it now it's the same thing essentially."

"...But can a VRMMO stay in business by doing that? Company operators and staff are not exactly volunteers right?"

"Of course, it doesn't mean that all the players can make money. It's the same with pachinko machines and horse races. The monthly fee, if I remember correctly, is 3000 yen and for a VRMMO, this is quite an expensive one. But, the amount that an average player gets on a monthly turn is at best, a tenth of that... in the area of a few hundred yen supposedly. However, perhaps you can say that their gambling nature is high... and on rare occasions, some guy will come out with a bang and find a precious rare item. After disposing of it through in-game auctions, if they exchange the electronic money from the sale it can amount to anywhere between tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yen. If you heard about a story like that you will probably get the feeling that 'some day it will happen to me too...' Inside that game is like being inside a huge casino."

"Hmmm, I see..."

"So, a «Pro» is someone who earns money constantly every month. Top players get around 200,000 to 300,000 yen[8] per month supposedly. If you compare that amount with real-world standards it might not seem like such a big deal... but, without luxuries, it's enough to live on. In other words, what it comes down to is that these people are making their income from the monthly fees paid by the players in the volume zone. That's what I meant by what I said earlier, about the top players in GGO being envied more than in other games. It's similar to a government official eating stupidly expensive cakes with taxpayer's money."

"Fufufu, as usual Kirito-kun says things in such a harsh way. I like that part of you."

Without taking notice of Kikuoka's words of feigned ignorance, I interrupted him.

"—For those reasons, the time spent and enthusiasm of GGO's high level crowd can't be compared to other MMO players. I, without any intricate knowledge of the details of game mechanics, cannot go in blindly and compete with these people. In the first place, as the name implies, it's a game where gunfights are the main form of combat... I'm not good with projectile weapons. My condolences but you'll have to pick someone else to do your bidding."

"Wait wait, there's really no one else I can rely on. For me, you're the only one because you're the only VRMMO player that I can get into contact with in reality. Besides... if you're saying that professional opponents are a heavy burden and that they get their salary from this game, then it's fine if you treat this as a job as well."

"...What?"

"Paid compensation for collaborative investigation. It may... not be the same amount that top players in GGO earn monthly, it is only this much."

Seeing Kikuoka's gesture of raising 3 fingers—

Frankly, I shuddered. If you had that much, the latest 24-core grade CPU in a new machine could be paid for with spare change left over. However, once again, renewed suspicion arose.

"...Don't lead me on, Kikuoka-san. Why does this matter have to be obsessed over this much? This is almost certainly a retrofitted rumor, occult talk that's common to occur on the net, I believe. The two people that got a heart attack, who hadn't shown their figures in game because of it, that kind of fabled story being concocted."

When asked openly, Kikuoka used his slender finger to adjust his glasses, hiding his expression from me. There was no doubt that he was considering just how much of his answer would be the truth, and how much of it would be deception. What a cunning man.

"—Actually, my superiors are the ones concerned about it."

The high-level official who began to speak returned to his usual smile.

"Full Dive technology's influence on reality is the most notable among the fields at the moment. The impact on society and culture is certainly great, but in the field of biology it has also attracted much controversy. Such as: in which ways can virtual worlds change a human's way of existence? Hypothetically speaking, if there are any signs of danger, and that kind of conclusion was reached, a movement to put regulations on it will come about. In fact, it reached the stage of right before a legislation being passed at the time of the SAO incident. But I— or rather, the virtual department, did not consider retreating in front of the flow as the proper course of action for the enjoyment of VRMMO games, and for the sake of your new era of youths too. That is why, before this one incident attracts strange attention, we want to know all the facts before it can be used by the regulation advocates. It would be best if it was merely a hoax but what we want is to be certain of it. —Up until now, in any way we can."

"...With that understanding of the youths of the VR game generation, your principles, I'll just interpret them as good will. But if you really are concerned about that issue, what about direct hits on the operating company? If you analyze the logs, you should be able to investigate the player who shot «Zekushiido» and «Tarako». Even if the personal information registered in the game is fake, you could still contact the provider from the IP address, and you would find out his real name and address that way."

"—As long as my arms are, even they cannot reach the other side of the Pacific Ocean."

Kikuoka's frown had, this time around, seemed to display an unfeigned weariness.

"«Zasker», the company that develops and operates Gun Gale Online... is an unknown organization that we know next to nothing about and they have their server in America. While the in-game player support seems to be fairly solid, let alone the real address, even the phone number and e-mail address are kept private. Good grief, ever since «The Seed» got publicized, it's one of those sort of shady VR worlds that have been sprouting non-stop like weeds."

"...Oh, is that so?"

I interrupted, while shrugging. Only Agil and I knew about the origin of the VRMMO development support package «The Seed». Similarly, the sudden appearance of the floating castle Aincrad in the reborn ALFheim Online was, to the general public, a leftover from the former SAO server that was managed by the currently non-existing RECTO Progress, which is how the matter was settled.

"And well, for that reason, if we're thinking about grasping the truth of the matter, we have no choice but to get into direct contact within the game. Of course, we'll consider even the most remote possibilities, and the utmost of safety measures will be taken. Kirito-kun will, in a room prepared by us, dive into the game, and we will disconnect you right away if there are any abnormalities in the output of the AmuSphere being monitored. I won't ask you to get shot; it's fine as long as you get me an impression from what you see. —You'll do it right?"

Before I had realized it, even my mind was stuck in this situation where I couldn't say no.

I really shouldn't have come to meet him... While seriously regretting the decision, I began to feel a slight amount of interest at the same time.

The ability to interfere with the real world from inside the virtual world... If such a thing really existed, then was it a clue to the world alteration that Kayaba Akihiko was striving for? The incident that began in the winter three years ago, was it still unresolved...?

If that was the case, then the obligation of witnessing the destination of its development would be mine as well.

I shut my eyes tightly, took a deep breath, and spoke.

"...I understand. As annoying of a ride as it'll be, if it's just going into the game then I'll go. But I don't know whether or not I will encounter this «Death Gun». In the first place, even his existence is questionable."

"Ahh... About that."

Kikuoka grinned with an innocent face.

"Did I not mention it? During the first shooting incident, one of the players present took an audio log of it which I compressed and brought the data along. It's «Death Gun»-shi's voice and by all means, listen to it."

To the Kikuoka holding out the wireless earphone, I seriously cursed 'that heart of yours should stop' in my thoughts, while glaring at him.

"...thanks for going out of your way to do this."

After putting on the earphones I had received, Kikuoka prodded the screen with his finger. Soon, a low bustling was playing in my head.

Then, the bustling disappeared suddenly and the strained silence that followed was torn by a sharp declaration.

"This is real power, real strength! Foolish people, engrave the fear of these names in your hearts!"

"This gun's name and mine: «Death Pistol»... «Death Gun»!"

It was tinged with a somewhat inhuman, metallic sound.

And yet, from behind the cry, I could strongly feel the presence of the living player behind the character. The owner of this voice, rather than just role-playing, seemed to radiate the genuine urge of the desire for slaughter.