121[December 7, 2028 - Alfheilm: Neutral Territory ]
"Yui!" Leafa called out as she flew through the forest in the outer territories. She looked up towards the sun now setting, sighing in exhaustion. The Alfheilm territory was vast, taking hours to cross from one city to another. Finding a little girl in all of that...well, she just hoped that Yui wouldn't be able to get too far on foot. She fell to her knees, even knowing that every second wasted her niece was getting further away.
But, 5-hour gaming sessions weren't healthy. Crossing her legs, she pulled up her menu, pressing the text function, seeing that there were a few new texts.
[Kiyo: On the way back, bringing treats!]
Leafa smiled, sighing in relief as her sister was alright; as well as bringing back dinner. She estimated that Kiyo would be back in about another hour, enough time to possibly find Yui and start dinner. Stretching for a moment, she flew up, overlooking the sea of forest. Its vastness was overwhelming as she sighed again, now in frustration.
"C'mon Yui, this stopped being funny 3 hours ago!"
[Gun Gale Online - Wasteland field]
"Hey- Sinon, Sinon! Are you listening?"
The sniper glanced towards his teammate with an annoyed expression all eyes were on him. The small party was stationed on a ledge overlooking the desert with sun setting in the distance.
"Whatever Dyne says goes." He responded simply, glancing past Ginrou and towards a cowboy hat-wearing player who was loading his magazine.
"Were you even listening?!"
"Intel seems on the mark, we're all prepped for a small squad with energy guns. If there's a heavy hitter, take 'em out. We're gonna take them out by using the cover of the shadows of the buildings." Dyne informed, continuing to load his weapon, knowing that Sinon wasn't listening at all.
Even so, the sniper nodded as he closed his eyes again, crossing his arms as he focused on his breathing.
"They're here!" The scout radioed in as all the players were now on alert. Sinon glanced through the scope of his gun as the scout radioed what both were seeing right now.
" Six, four in a row with energy blasters, one on the back right has a high-caliber laser rifle, one physical gun: Minimi.
"Sinon, that's your target." Dyne said as Sinon narrowed his eyes.
"Lotta dust for 6 players." Sinon remarked as he noticed something strange behind the players, he couldn't place it as his scope couldn't zero in that far.
"Don't worry about it," Dyne said as the rest of the players prepped their weapons, "On my cue take out Minimi. Anything else goes down we're gonna rely on your fire."
"...Roger."
...
...
Sinon didn't take his gaze off of the Minimi, awaiting the signal as he kept his hand on the trigger. But out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the desert below.
"Enemy hasn't changed speed or course, they're taking the main road, 400 meters from you, 1700 from me." Sinon informed.
"That's a longer range than you're used to, can you make the shot?"
"Who do you think you're talking to?"
He heard Dyne smirk in amusement. "Gotcha, we're counting on you here Sinoncchi. Stand-by for the cue."
"Roger." He responded, his heartbeat slowing down as he had focused on that one target, everything else becoming obscure.
1700 meters?
" NOW-"
Sinon reflexively pressed down on the trigger, shooting out one bullet, easily taking out the Minimi.
That's like tossing a paper into a wastebasket.
Sinon sighed, closing his eyes for a moment as he could see his party members grouping up and taking out each one of the hunters one by one skillfully. When all were taken out, his party members dropped their guard, cheering their kills out in the open. But that dust caught his attention again, for a second his heart stopped as he realized what the hidden player was carrying.
A minigun?!
"IT'S A TRAP-" He managed to yell out as a cloaked player revealed himself, holding a massive weapon out in the open and taking out almost all of his team with a smile on his face.
They weren't late because the hunt ran long, it was because they were weighed down by their bodyguard-
Sinon grimaced as he shamefully ran towards the direction where his remaining party members were with only a handgun equipped.
This terror...This pressure...This unease...compared to that other time-
"Dyne!" He called out on the radio as his party member responded.
"Yeah, Yeah we saw! How the heck could they afford a Cloaker?!"
"No idea, guess they wanted some payback after the last time we raided them!" Sinon responded as his party was in sight. "I'm almost there."
"Wait what?! What do you think you're doing? Everyone's already gone down, I'm on my own-"
"I could give a damn, that dude's my kill!" He proclaimed as he could hear the shots close the Dyne getting louder.
"...Sinon WHAT THE F-"
"Sorry Dyne, couldn't catch that." Sinon remarked dryly as he recognized the sound of a player's destruction. His heart rose with jubilation, realizing that all other players were dead, leaving only him and the Minigun.
Both eyes were trained on each other for a split second a Sinon sprinted past, jumping up the debris of a destroyed building to reach the highest point.
"Yui!" Leafa called out, now exhausted as her niece was giving her a migraine, falling to her knees. "You win! I have to head back now so please come out!" She was begging at this point, she didn't care, she was tired and wanted a nap.
Something almost snapped as Yui flew out of Leafa's ponytail, giggling incessantly as she morphed into her NPC form.
"Ta-Da~" She smiled happily, standing before Leafa proudly. "I wasn't lost, I was with you the entire time."
"..."
"Hm?" Yui placed her hands behind her back, looking closer at her uncle, now aunt as she was frozen in place. "Leafa?" She suddenly wailed as her aunt grabbed her, squeezing her close as the two wrestled on the soft grass. "Aunite- you're tickling me!" She giggled as Leafa was spooned behind her, capturing the small girl in her grasp.
"You exhausted me for HOURS! Now you're my pillow!" She remarked cuddling her niece who smiled brightly.
"M'kay!" Yui agreed easily. "When's mama coming to see me?"
Leafa's heart sunk.
"Oh no."
"Hm?" Yui turned her body towards her aunt, looking up at her face, now pale. "What's wrong Auntie?"
"I COMPLETELY FORGOT ABOUT MOMMY- I mean, KIYO!" She quickly sat up, with Yui still in her lap, pulling up the menu to see that she unintentionally spent an extra two hours playing with Yui. "Ohhhh shi-take mushrooms," Leafa remarked as now it was a rule that no one was allowed to swear in front of Yui. "Yui, sweetie, honey, Auntie has to go now. Mommy's probably still waiting for me to get back. "
"Okay!" Yui said with a smile on her face, but even so, Leafa hugged her tightly.
"I promise I'll come to see you again real soon, and remember you can call me anytime."
"I know Auntie, but you don't have to worry about me, I'll be okay!"
A smile broke out on Leafa's face, "Even so, we're gonna see you again real soon okay?"
"Okay!" Yui said, planting a kiss on Leafa's cheek just before she logged out.
..
...
Shouhei all but ran downstairs, night fully taken over the house. He ran past the door, seeing Kiyo's wheelchair and shoes placed near the door.
"Crap-" He scolded himself as he walked into the kitchen, seeing his sister's silhouette sitting at the kitchen table along with a glass of water. "Sorry about the wait sis, I can still make dinner if you haven't already eaten." He said as he walked directly into the kitchen, checking about what ingredients he could use, before he turned back to his sister, realizing her eyes were clouded over.
"Sis?" He asked once, no response. He then walked over, now worried as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "Kiyoto."
"Huh?" She lifted her head, eyes now cleared as she looked at him in surprise. "Oh, sorry Sho, I didn't hear you. What's up?"
Shouhei held his tongue. "Nothing, you have dinner yet?"
"Not that hungry right now, how's Yui."
"Cheating at hide and seek, I've taught her too well."
Kioyto giggled as a smile appeared on Shouhei's face. "So, have you looked into that SAO prep school I told you about? I hear the tuition is free-"
Shouhei stopped talking as his sister grasped his hand. His previous joy faded as recognized the sign for him to sit down, his heart now racing with concern.
"We need to talk, little brother."
Someone strong enough to smile on the battlefield.
Sinon raced up the building, almost 50 floors up, some not even having stairs as he jumped closer and closer to the top, a spot where only players with a maxed out agility stat could reach. As soon as he could see sunlight, he took out his partner, looking through the scope as he zeroed in on his hulking target. Much smaller than the raid bosses that he soloed. Finger on the trigger, his heart raced as he could see the man smiling at him already aimed to kill the sniper in his perch.
I wonder if he could still smile if I put a bullet in his head.
He offhandedly thought as he narrowly avoided the barrage of bullets, jumping off the tower. He could feel the loss of limb as he tumbled in the wind, evading the stream of bullets while trying to line up a shot.
The Minigun snapped his head back, laughing out loud as he wasted bullets, seemingly thinking that the sniper was done for. Only opening his eyes as the sweet sound of an empty magazine rang in Sinon's ears.
"The End."
His heart raced in excitement as his final shot rang out, point-blank range, as he pulled the trigger. Tumbling on the field through the dispersing data of the dead player. He sat up, adrenaline pumping as he yelled out in victory.
..
...
Opening his eyes, the former sniper awoke to a dark room. It was already almost midnight as he took off his gear, sitting up in his bed in his one-room apartment still wearing his school uniform. He placed a hand over his heart, eyed lidded as his heartbeat was normal. Clawing his heart, he glanced towards the porch, seeing his reflection in the glass; A dead-eyed pale student with no hint of life in his eyes.
He simply went back into his bed, covering his body in a blanket, only thinking about how he could be playing GGO instead of sleeping.
The ticking of the clock echoed through the room as Shouhei and Kiyoto sat adjacent from each other.
"Sho-" Kiyoto started, but Shohei pulled back his hand, his face twisted with anger.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU THINKING?!"
"Shou, I can't just overlook this."
"But why, why does it have to be you?! Didn't you spend enough time trapped in the VR world already?!" He exclaimed, standing at the table.
"...I did, but it's because of the time I spent there that I have to be the one to do this." She responded, but the conversation was cut short as he picked up his kendo bag sitting nearby, shoving it over his shoulder as he turned towards the door.
"Sho-" Kirito, called out, standing up.
"I don't wanna hear it!" He called back, stomping out and slamming the front door so hard that Kiyoto flinched at the impact. She sighed deeply, resting her head in her arms as she sat back down.
"What a mess." She murmured to herself, resting her head on the table with a heavy feeling of guilt.
Notes:
For the sake of this, let's say ALO has a calling a texting feature connected to smartphones in-game.
