บท 1743: -1724- [ Spiegel ]
From Shinkawa Kyouji's words, it was clear that this person knew a great deal about Shinon.
For example, Shinkawa Kyouji knew that in GGO, the sniper "Shinon," who ranked 22nd in the last BoB tournament, was none other than Asada Shinon.
In other words, Shinkawa Kyouji was aware of Shinon's activities in the game.
This was unsurprising.
Just as Kirigaya Suguha had entered ALfheim Online (ALO) through the recommendation of her classmate Rekon, Shinon had started playing GGO because of Shinkawa Kyouji's suggestion.
Before the summer break, in June of this year, Shinkawa Kyouji was still Shinon's classmate. However, he hadn't come to school since the start of the second semester.
Shinon had heard that Shinkawa Kyouji had been severely bullied by upperclassmen in the football club. Coming from a family that owned a large hospital and being relatively fragile himself, he was seen as an easy target. He had paid for numerous meals and entertainment for these seniors.
As a result, Shinkawa Kyouji stopped attending school entirely by the summer, leading to a serious dispute with his father.
His father, who managed a fairly large hospital, had long since ordered Kyouji, the second son of the family, to aim for medical school. Naturally, Shinkawa Kyouji's desire to drop out was not accepted.
Eventually, Kyouji was allowed to study at home, provided he passed the equivalent of university entrance exams in two years and enrolled in a prestigious private medical school.
This was why Shinon was so surprised to see Shinkawa Kyouji after so long. She hadn't expected him to appear today after being absent from school for so long.
However, Shinkawa Kyouji was indeed Shinon's guide in GGO. He had actively approached her, recommended the game, and indirectly gave birth to the cold, ruthless female sniper in GGO.
Given this, it seemed normal for Shinkawa Kyouji to follow news about GGO and come to see Shinon after hearing she had lost to Rozen.
It was likely that he was worried about the effect of online comments on Shinon, which prompted him to visit.
Shinon silently appreciated his concern.
Then…
"I'm fine," Shinon shook her head and said, "It's just one loss. I'll definitely win next time."
Her tone became as resolute and tough as it was in GGO.
However, Shinkawa Kyouji wasn't as optimistic.
"Are you really okay?" Shinkawa Kyouji couldn't help but ask. "According to online comments, that Magus Rozen is terrifyingly strong. In just a few days, he's defeated so many players. Even when ambushed in the Death Zone by numerous strong players, including you, he still managed to counter and escape unharmed. I still can't believe anyone could develop a character to such a level."
As he said this, Kyouji's tone shifted, tinged with envy.
Shinon knew that Shinkawa Kyouji must envy Rozen.
As her guide in GGO, Kyouji was naturally also a player. His character, "Spiegel," was once relatively well-known in GGO and had a successful run for a while.
However, starting a few months ago, Spiegel's character began to decline.
It couldn't be helped. Spiegel was built as an AGI (Agility)-type character, which had been mainstream in GGO's early days. But as AGI builds were gradually outpaced by STR (Strength)-types, Spiegel completely fell out of favor.
During the last BoB tournament, Kyouji only made it to the semi-finals of the preliminaries before losing, failing to even reach the finals, let alone the main competition. This result dealt a severe blow to him, nearly making him give up the game entirely.
Now, although Kyouji still logged into GGO frequently, Spiegel seemed to have disappeared altogether. Apart from occasional meetings with Shinon, it was unclear what he did in the game.
That Kyouji envied Rozen, who demonstrated immense power and skill in GGO, was only natural.
But Shinon did not entirely agree with Kyouji's perspective.
Shinon knew that Rozen's strength did not come from character stats but from his inherent abilities.
To be able to see through bullet trajectories without relying on bullet prediction lines, to pull off dreamlike feats like deflecting bullets with bullets, combined with incredible vision, observational skills, and intellect—these were what enabled Rozen to achieve the milestone battle in the Death Zone.
Shinon believed that even if Rozen played as an AGI-type character, which was becoming obsolete, he could still achieve the same results.
But Kyouji likely wouldn't understand this. He would only focus on character stats and Rozen's supposed superior build, failing to reflect on the player's own skill. Shinon disagreed with this mindset.
However, Shinon didn't voice these thoughts.
After all, Kyouji was just her classmate and friend. Even though they got along well, it wasn't her place to criticize his views or actions.
Instead, Shinon simply said, "He's indeed strong. I doubt I'll ever meet a stronger opponent than him."
Her tone, however, was filled with defiance.
"But that's exactly why I have to defeat him."
Yes.
Shinon had to defeat him.
Otherwise…
"I wouldn't be able to overcome my own limits, unable to conquer…"
Shinon caught herself before revealing too much and quickly stopped.
"Asada-san…"
It seemed Kyouji had some understanding of Shinon's circumstances but hesitated to speak.
"Alright, you don't have to worry about me being discouraged by this loss. I'm not one to give up easily," Shinon said quickly. "In two days, the third BoB tournament will begin. I've heard that man will participate. This is a great opportunity."
Originally, Shinon had planned to redeem herself in this BoB tournament after her previous regrets.
Now, with Rozen as a terrifying new rival, it was the perfect challenge.
"This time, I will win," Shinon declared, looking at Kyouji. "Aren't you planning to participate, Shinkawa-san?"
Hearing this, Kyouji smiled bitterly.
"With my current stats, entering would just mean running around the preliminaries without achieving much," Kyouji said with a wry smile. "I'll cheer for you, though. I'll definitely watch the tournament."
"Alright." Shinon nodded.
The two left the school together, talking about the game as they walked away.
The setting sun gave way to the approaching night.
A new day slowly arrived.
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