The world on this side had a sky that felt impossibly high and open.
No VR world could ever truly reproduce that faraway blue. As if it had forgotten autumn was already over, the deep, clear sky was scattered with small cottony clouds and thin veils of white. Two sparrows perched close together on a narrow power line, and every now and then, a military plane crossed overhead, briefly cutting across the sunlight.
As if something hollow inside her were being filled back in, Shino kept gazing at that endless distance without growing tired of it.
The wind in mid-December was still warm. The noise of students after school did not reach this part of the building. Tokyo's central sky was usually a pale gray, but today, just for today, it looked like the sky over the northern town where she had grown up.
Sitting beside a cheerless flower bed filled with nothing but black soil, her schoolbag on her knees, Shino felt as if both her body and mind were floating in an infinite space.
Before long, shrill laughter and several pairs of footsteps approached, and Shino had to lower her gaze from the sky.
She stiffly brought her neck back down, tightened the white scarf around her throat, and waited for them to arrive.
Endou and the other two girls appeared from the path between the northwest corner of the school building and the large incinerator. They looked at Shino with twisted little smiles.
Shino lifted her schoolbag in her left hand and stood.
"If you're going to call someone out here, don't make her wait."
At that, one of the girls blinked through her heavy-lidded stare, and her smile vanished.
"Asada, you've gotten pretty full of yourself lately, haven't you?"
The other girl chimed in in the same tone.
"Seriously. That's a pretty harsh way to talk to your friends."
The three of them stopped about two meters from Shino, each taking a position as if to box her in. Shino narrowed her eyes and fixed them on Endou in the center, like she was looking at an insect she meant to pin in place.
The silence lasted only a few seconds before Endou laughed and thrust her chin forward.
"Come on, we're friends. Friends can say anything to each other. Anyway, things have been rough for us lately, so we wanted to ask you for a little help. We're totally broke, you know?"
The two girls beside her let out short laughs.
"So twenty thousand yen should be enough. Lend it to us."
It was a loan they had no intention of repaying, and Endou asked for it like it was nothing.
Shino removed her non-prescription NTX polymer glasses and slipped them into her skirt pocket. Then she blinked hard, gathered herself, and answered one word at a time.
"I told you before. I am not lending you money."
Endou's eyes narrowed sharply, almost to slits. A sticky light gleamed from between them as she lowered her voice.
"How long are you planning to keep acting tough? I'll tell you right now, I borrowed something from my brother today. Something good. Don't start crying, Asada."
"Do whatever you want."
Endou clearly had not expected that answer. The corner of her mouth twitched upward in surprise, and she reached into her bag.
From the bag, which was covered in dangling charms, she suddenly drew out a black automatic handgun. It was such a ridiculous sight that it almost felt like a bad joke. Her unsteady hand pulled out the large model gun and pointed it at Shino.
"This thing can shoot pellets strong enough to punch through cardboard. I mean, the instructions say not to point it at people, but you should be fine, right, Asada? You're used to it."
Shino's eyes were naturally drawn to the black muzzle.
Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated. The sounds around her began to recede. Her breathing thinned, and cold air wrapped around her fingers.
But Shino clenched her teeth and focused everything she had.
She shifted her gaze away from the dark muzzle, down to the hand gripping it, then followed the arm upward, past the shoulder, the faded hair, all the way to Endou's face.
Endou's eyes were bloodshot with excitement, her irises nearly black. It was an ugly look, intoxicated by violence.
The truly frightening thing was not the gun.
It was the person holding it.
Perhaps because Shino did not react the way she had expected, Endou grew impatient. Her mouth twisted as she shouted.
"Cry, Asada. Kneel down and apologize. Otherwise, I'll really shoot."
She aimed the muzzle at Shino's left foot and grinned.
A faint tremor ran from her shoulder to her wrist, enough for Shino to tell that she had pulled the trigger.
But no pellet came out.
"Damn it. What is this?"
Endou pulled the trigger two or three more times. Only dry plastic clicks answered her.
Shino took a deep breath, tightened her stomach, and reached out with both hands.
Her schoolbag fell to the ground.
Her left thumb dug hard into Endou's right wrist. The instant Endou's grip loosened, Shino took the handgun from her. She slid her finger into the trigger guard, turned the gun, and wrapped her palm around the grip.
It was made of plastic, but it still had weight.
"A Colt Government 1911. Your brother has old-school taste. Not really my favorite, though."
As she spoke, Shino turned the left side of the gun toward Endou.
"This gun has a manual safety and a grip safety. Unless you disengage both, it won't fire."
Click.
Click.
She released the two safeties.
"And it's single-action, so first you have to cock the hammer."
Her thumb pulled the hammer back. With a stiff mechanical sound, the trigger moved slightly forward.
Shino looked away from Endou and the others, who were staring in shock, and scanned the area.
About six meters away, beside the incinerator, several synthetic resin buckets were lined up. Her gaze stopped on an empty juice can sitting on one of them.
She placed her left hand over the grip, took a simple two-handed stance, lined up her right eye with the front and rear sights, and aimed at the can for a moment.
Then she lifted the muzzle slightly, took a deep breath, and pulled the trigger.
A weak pop sounded.
A small recoil traveled into her hand, more realistic than she had expected, and a tiny orange-red pellet shot out.
With this kind of gun, Shino had assumed the first shot would go wide. But the pellet flew cleanly and just barely struck the upper side of the empty can.
The hit surprised her a little.
With a sharp metallic clang, the aluminum can spun like a top, tipped over, and fell from the bucket.
Shino let out a breath, lowered the gun, turned around, and faced Endou head-on.
The cruel smile was gone. Endou had lost all her nerve. She stood there blankly, and when Shino's eyes met hers, she froze in fear and took half a step back.
"N-no..."
Hearing that, Shino's gaze softened.
"...You're right. It really is better not to point this thing at people."
As she spoke, she eased the hammer back down, reset both safeties, and held the gun out grip-first.
Endou, trembling all over, timidly reached out and took the model gun.
Shino turned away, picked up her bag, adjusted her scarf, and gave a small wave without looking back. Then she walked off.
Endou and the others did not move. Even after Shino rounded the corner of the school building and disappeared from their sight, the three of them stood there without saying a word.
The moment Endou could no longer see her, Shino's legs nearly gave out.
She almost collapsed on the spot, but braced a hand against the school wall and somehow stayed upright.
A buzzing rang in her ears. Her pulse pounded violently at her temples. Stomach acid churned upward, and her throat burned in waves. If she had to repeat what she had just done right now, it would be impossible.
Even so, it was a first step.
Urging her weak legs onward, Shino forced herself to keep walking.
The cold weight of the model gun was still branded into her palm, but as the dry winter wind blew over her, it gradually began to fade. With numb fingers, she took out her glasses and put them back on.
She passed through the corridor connecting the west-side stairwell to the gymnasium, then soon reached the edge of the schoolyard. She crossed the grounds, where she could hear the shouts and running footsteps of the sports clubs, passed through the small grove south of the track, and finally arrived at the plaza in front of the main gate.
Shino hurried through gaps between groups of students heading home together and made for the gate.
Then, as if noticing something, she turned her head.
Inside the tall school fence, a number of girls had gathered, watching the area outside the gate and exchanging whispers.
When Shino noticed that two of them were classmates she got along with, she walked over.
The long-haired girl in black-rimmed glasses noticed Shino and waved with a smile.
"Asada, heading home now?"
"Yeah. Did something happen?"
The other girl, with chestnut hair in two braids, shrugged and laughed.
"Well, there's a guy by the school gate. He parked a car there and he's leaning against the door like he's waiting for a student from our school. Everyone's wondering who has such weird taste."
"He looks pretty old too. All scruffy and run-down. And he's smoking," someone added.
The instant Shino heard that, blood rushed to her face.
She hurriedly checked her watch.
No. It couldn't be.
She desperately tried to deny the possibility.
It was true that they had agreed to meet around this time. She had said she could take the train, but he had insisted on picking her up. Still, parking right in front of the school gate like he owned the place, and on top of that, smoking?
How could anyone be that shameless?
...If it was him, he absolutely could.
Shino crept toward the fence and looked toward the entrance outside the school gate.
Her shoulders immediately slumped.
Beside the gate, exactly as the girls had said, a man who looked thoroughly run-down was leaning against the car door, head tipped toward the sky, a cigarette in his mouth. The unshaven stubble on his jaw and his hair, which looked like it could use a wash, did make him look much older. He himself seemed completely unaware of it.
He also did not seem to notice that the students around him were staring.
With dozens of people watching, the thought of walking up to him herself and then getting into the passenger seat made Shino's face burn all the way to her ears.
I wish I could log out right now, she muttered inwardly.
Then she gathered the last bit of courage in her body and turned to her classmate.
Just as she was about to speak, a passing upperclassman looked toward the car at the gate. His eyes widened at once.
"A Dodge Charger SRT8? Brian's car from Fast Five! Whoa! Cool!"
He looked as if he had found some priceless treasure. His eyes shone, and he had already taken out his phone to get a picture.
"Wow, that's awesome! And the guy leaning on the car smoking? He's got taste!"
Shino could not understand why he was so excited. She had no idea what the sudden English words coming out of his mouth were supposed to mean.
"Um... well... he's... someone I know."
Shino said it weakly, and the girl's eyes went wide behind her glasses.
"Wait... Asada!?"
"What do you mean, someone you know!?"
The other girl cried out too.
Realizing that their voices had drawn attention from everyone around them, Shino hugged her bag and shrank in on herself.
"S-sorry."
Somehow apologizing for reasons she did not even understand, Shino broke into a jog.
"You're explaining this properly tomorrow!" someone called after her as she passed through the school gate and reached the entrance.
Even when she came up beside him, the shameless visitor was still staring blankly at the sky.
"...Um."
At her voice, he finally blinked and looked at her. The cigarette in his mouth shifted.
"Hi, Shino."
Seeing Satoru in the real world again, under such bright light, Shino found that he really did not look impressive at all. His black hair was a little long, his skin looked rough, and his body was thin and gaunt. He felt similar to the avatar she had seen in the virtual world, but far more real.
That frailness gave him an almost sickly air.
Remembering that he had spent two years trapped in a virtual world, Shino swallowed the rapid-fire complaint she had been about to unleash.
"Hi... Sorry to keep you waiting."
"It's fine. I just got here. Anyway..."
As if only now realizing it, Satoru finally noticed the students around the gate staring at them. He glanced around. Now and then, passing car enthusiasts saw the vehicle behind him, lit up with excitement, and gave him a thumbs-up.
"It does stand out, doesn't it...?"
"I... I meant you."
Shino felt a little at a loss as she said it.
"Getting into someone else's car right in front of the school gate is already enough to draw attention."
"Is that so? I never studied much, but... if we stay here a little longer, will a teacher come charging out to scold us?"
"N-no, don't joke about that!"
It was not completely impossible. Shino instinctively glanced back toward the school gate, then spoke in a very low voice.
"Let's... let's leave. Now."
"Oh."
Satoru reached into the car, stubbed out the lit cigarette in the ashtray, then opened the passenger door for Shino before strolling leisurely around to the driver's side.
Shino was absolutely certain that the moment she bent down to get in, the number of eyes on her back multiplied all at once.
Satoru slid into the driver's seat and started the engine with practiced ease.
The engine came to life with a sound Shino could not quite understand, but that still felt impressive.
The car enthusiasts at the gate grew even more excited.
"Um... excuse me. Is this one of those really expensive cars?"
Shino hesitated for a moment, glancing at the man beside her with the poorly shaved stubble.
"Ah, probably. I'm not really sure. It's not mine. A friend's father asked me to drive it around and help break it in while I was out. It's a good car, and the handling feels great, but I still prefer my own secondhand Santana..."
Satoru said it with not a trace of ambition.
"How old are you?"
Shino glanced at the man beside her again and, after hesitating a little, asked.
"Uh... twenty-one, I think? I don't really pay attention."
"..."
Shino gave the man, who looked at least twenty-six at first glance, a helpless look. For some reason, though, she still felt relieved.
"You're not that much older than me... That's good."
"What's wrong? Do you care that much about my age?" Satoru asked, puzzled.
"N-no! Not at all! Just drive already! Let's not stay here any longer!"
Shino suddenly urged him in a loud voice.
"Oh."
...
Hidemura Kurosaki had been looking rather troubled lately.
All because of this.
"Dad, that watch of yours is really nice. You're getting a new one anyway, right? Give it to Satoru!"
"Saki... I bought this watch two months ago."
"Dad, don't smoke those expensive cigarettes the clients gave you. They're bad for your health. Give them to Satoru!"
"Saki..."
"Dad, did you buy a car yesterday? That's great! Satoru just got his license. You're busy with work anyway, so let Satoru take me out for a drive!"
"Saki, I like that young man too, but I can't help feeling that if you keep this up, the final step will be handing me, your father, over to him too."
"Hahahaha, no way! You're a total loser, Dad. I could never show you off in public!"
"..."
"And why are you being so stingy anyway? The company is making so much profit right now, and that's because someone handed that thing to you!"
"No, I didn't... I kept asking him if he needed anything. I'm not the kind of person who takes advantage of people."
"Well, did you ask him when he plans to get married...?"
"Sakiiii!"