"You really do go too far for things that have nothing to do with you."
After saying goodbye to the Oosawa family, Satoru and Shino headed back toward the car. The girl beside him—girl by his standards, at least—had needed a long time and half a pack of tissues before the tears finally stopped coming back.
"Considering how it turned out, wasn't it a good thing?" he asked, glancing at the lingering redness around her eyes.
"Ever since I met you, you've barged into my life and done whatever you wanted. There should be a limit."
Shino's voice softened near the end.
"And after something like this... you make it really hard to know how I'm supposed to face you."
The last part faded into a murmur too quiet for him to catch.
Another cold gust swept down the street. Satoru folded his arms and hunched his shoulders as usual, looking over the peaceful neighborhood while his thoughts moved on to what came next.
Just as he had told Shino, her reason for coming here had been settled.
Now it was time for his.
Kyoto was where Ken had started over. He was now helping the woman who owned the restaurant run the place. Satoru had only met her once, back when he had tricked his uncle by giving her his address. She had seemed sharp and capable. The sheer force with which she had scooped Ken up and dragged him onto a train back to Kyoto had been enough to frighten even Satoru.
Ken barely mentioned her in his messages. It did not seem as though he disliked her. He simply appeared terrified of saying too much.
Satoru gave the matter serious thought.
That woman would probably become his aunt before long. Since this was his first visit, arriving empty-handed would be rude.
But what should he bring?
They ran a restaurant, so food was out. Ken was practical enough to leave any flashy ornament gathering dust in a corner. It made more sense to choose something for his future aunt.
Satoru sank deeper into thought.
What kind of gifts did women like?
A fingertip poked him between the shoulder blades.
"Hey. You really didn't dress warmly enough. Turn around and lower your head."
Still distracted, Satoru obeyed without question.
A moment later, warmth settled around his cold neck. Shino had taken off the white scarf she had been wearing and was wrapping it around him.
Even with Satoru bending down, the difference in height forced Shino onto her toes. Their faces ended up unexpectedly close, and their eyes met.
Her breath was warmer than the winter air and carried a faint, pleasant scent. Maybe perfume. He could also tell that she had put more effort into her makeup than the last time they met.
Seeing her this close only made it more obvious. A light touch of powder softened her already rosy skin. Her lips were nothing like those of an unkempt man like him: smooth, glossy, and free of the slightest crack. Even the fine lines were visible from here.
Her eyes were pretty too, especially when they darted away like those of a startled animal.
Hmm...
So this was what real closeness felt like outside VR.
No matter how advanced FullDive became, it could not reproduce this kind of atmosphere perfectly. Even Kayaba would have struggled to make something so ordinary feel this effortless. With Sheeta, the warmth had reached him through the heart. The physical warmth of her body had still felt artificial.
Shino's fingers were not particularly cold, but against his chilled neck, the difference was obvious. They rustled through the scarf, occasionally brushing his rough skin.
Only one thought crossed Satoru's mind.
That tickles.
"O-okay. Done."
Whatever courage Shino had gathered seemed to vanish halfway through. By the time she pulled her hands away, the scarf was wound so tightly around his neck that he looked as though he needed a medical brace.
"I can barely breathe."
Satoru loosened it, then drew a deep breath.
"There. Much better."
"Don't smell it!"
Shino's face turned red as he buried his nose in the scarf she had worn all morning.
"That's not my fault. I was breathing normally. The scarf happened to be there, so its scent came in with the air. I can't stop breathing."
"..."
There was no point arguing with him. Shino surrendered.
"But if you give me the scarf, won't you get cold later? Should we trade it back and forth?"
His expression turned serious.
"It would be like rotating tank duty. I take the first wave of cold damage, you pass me the recovery item, then I give it back when it's your turn to tank."
"No, thanks..."
He really was hopeless.
Shino pressed a hand to her forehead as all the gratitude and complicated feelings she had built up were reduced to pure exasperation in a few sentences.
"I'm not going to get cold."
In fact, her face was even redder than before. She did not need to touch it to know it was burning.
Just as Satoru had studied her from close range, Shino had gotten a good look at him too.
At first glance, this really was a man with absolutely nothing going for him.
He was thin, his features were ordinary, and the hair he had styled himself had no sense of fashion whatsoever. He had not even shaved his stubble properly. His well-worn clothes carried the faint smell of laundry detergent, while his breath still held a trace of nicotine.
If this had been their first meeting, she would have dismissed him as an ordinary salaryman: plain on the outside, full of smoke on the inside.
It was hard to believe those unremarkable eyes had once burned with absolute resolve, or that the mouth now producing nothing but exasperating nonsense had faced Death Gun and calmly promised victory.
"You should quit smoking. You smell," Shino said with feigned disgust.
In truth, the mixture of nicotine and Satoru's own scent was not particularly unpleasant.
"That's difficult."
Satoru shook his head.
"I'm human."
"What does being human have to do with it?"
"Humans have weaknesses. Only saints are flawless. Anyone who can decide to quit smoking and actually do it isn't human. They're a terrifying saint, or at the very least, a great hero."
His voice held genuine admiration.
"Quitting means enduring a void worse than death. They can handle it. I'm only mortal."
"...You're never going to find a wife like that."
Shino meant every word.
"No. I'll find her."
Satoru smiled.
They were talking about two very different things.
"Then what happens if your future wife tells you to quit?"
"...?!"
Satoru stopped dead as if lightning had struck him. His body locked in place, and the light vanished from his eyes as he stared at Shino.
"H-how could this happen...?"
His voice came out hollow.
"I never considered that."
His shoulders sagged as though someone had drained every last bit of strength from him.
"I can't answer that... Is this where my path ends? Am I destined for eternal darkness...?"
Alarmed by his sudden collapse, Shino hurried to change the subject. If she let him keep asking and answering his own questions, the impossible Möbius loop he had created might actually give him a nervous breakdown.
People had a remarkable talent for protecting themselves from impossible truths. Once Shino offered him an escape, Satoru seized it and quietly erased the unsolvable question from his mind.
"R-right. Didn't you say you had business of your own in Kyoto?"
"Yeah. That's right."
He recovered at once.
"Shino, from a girl's perspective, what kind of gift would you like?"
"Huh? A g-gift?"
Shino froze.
"I-I don't really need anything special. It doesn't have to be expensive. What matters is the thought behind it..."
"What if the two people aren't close? They've only known each other for a short time, and neither knows what the other likes."
"Oh..."
The brief spark of excitement in her eyes faltered.
"Then I guess you'd have to choose something safe and generally popular."
Satoru frowned in thought.
"What would appeal to a mature, independent woman around twenty-five or twenty-six?"
"...?"
Shino stared at him, and her expression slowly changed.
"Twenty-five or twenty-six?"
"Right."
"A mature woman?"
"Right."
"The intelligent type? Nothing like an inexperienced high school girl. She wears pencil skirts and black stockings, stays strong and understanding all day, then only shows her vulnerable side over drinks after work?"
Satoru considered the description.
His future aunt was not quite that aggressively sophisticated, but the description sounded close enough.
"Exactly!"
His answer came with absolute confidence.
"Oh. I see."
Shino laughed without humor.
"So there's a woman waiting for you in Kyoto. I suppose my little problem was just an errand you handled on the way."
She folded her arms.
"Sorry, then. I'm only an inexperienced schoolgirl worrying about something as trivial as exams. I couldn't possibly know what kind of gift a sophisticated older woman like that would want."
"Try imagining yourself ten years from now," Satoru offered helpfully.
That suggestion earned him a sharp jab in the chest.
Shino huffed, turned on her heel, and marched away.