Hearing Haruto's suggestion that she seek treatment, Asada Shino fell into silence.
She had tried visiting a psychiatrist before, taking the first step toward treatment.
But unfortunately—Shino was not the daughter of some wealthy family. And well-known psychiatrists, no matter the country, charged fees so high they were out of reach.
Because of the events of her childhood, her mother had been forced to take her away from their hometown. They had resettled here, a move that had cost dearly.
Finding new work had not been easy. Getting Shino re-enrolled in school had been even more of a headache.
She couldn't bear the thought of further draining her mother's finances just so she could receive better treatment.
After a brief pause, Shino bowed her head again toward Haruto.
"Thank you."
In truth, she was deeply surprised.
She had not expected anyone to reach out to her just now.
After all, it was a problem without a clear cause. Most people instinctively shunned filth and mess.
Kindness was often so fragile.
But the boy before her had pulled her back without a second thought. He hadn't shown the slightest disgust at having his clothes dirtied.
To be honest, before this—Shino's impression of Haruto was worse than of most people.
Now, however, that impression had flipped completely. Especially when compared against the monstrous malice she had just discovered in someone she once called a friend.
The mere thought of Shinkawa Kyouji made bile rise in her throat again.
Clamping a hand over her mouth, Shino looked utterly wretched.
Her thick glasses were nowhere to be seen—likely still in the bathroom.
The truth was, her eyesight was perfectly fine. The reason she wore such heavy frameswas twofold: first, to block out part of her vision, and second, because the lenses were said to be bulletproof—giving her a small measure of psychological comfort.
"You'd best stop thinking about those things—"
Haruto's words were cut short.
The room suddenly warped.
Phantom limbs clawed their way out of the floor.
Shino's eyes went wide as she noticed them too.
The limbs assembled into a humanoid shadow— a shambling corpse-like figure.
In its forehead gaped a bullet hole.
At that moment, Shino could not even scream. Terror pressed against her chest like a weight, squeezing her throat shut.
The figure was the very nightmare she dreaded most: the robber she had killed as a child.
She had dreamed countless times of this blood-drenched corpse with its glaring wound, crawling toward her to drag her into hell.
And now—that nightmare stood before her in reality.
Desperately, Shino tugged at Haruto's arm.
She thought there was no escape. With the last of her courage, she wanted at least to push him away—to make him leave.
But Haruto didn't move.
When the figure crawled closer, he simply waved his hand.
A sharp cracking sound rang out.
In the next instant, the phantom shattered, collapsing into nothing.
Shino froze.
"You… how did you do that?"
Haruto spread his hands lightly.
"It was actually pretty easy."
He had simply opened the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, and with a single slash along the death line, it was done.
But—that thing left Haruto uneasy.
It was like a ghost in the traditional sense, a monster formed from the condensation of psychic or spiritual energy.
Most likely, it was what had attacked Shinkawa.
The problem was, this was no lone entity. It seemed to represent an entire type of monster.
If the source wasn't found soon, things would get troublesome.
With that in mind, Haruto pulled out a card and handed it to Shino.
"I know a very good psychiatric clinic. I suggest you give it a try. As for Shinkawa Kyouji—don't worry. He most likely won't wake up again. And even if he does, he'll face charges and a long sentence. In other words, you won't ever have to see him."
As he said this, Haruto reached out, gently patting Shino on the head.
"In any case, stay strong, Shino."
With that, he stood and left.
The Foundation would come later to remove Shinkawa.
The monster had already been destroyed by Haruto, so no further threats should appear.
That creature had clearly devoured Shinkawa, and was on its way to devour Shino—but Haruto had already captured its cognitive signature with his Mystic Eyes.
Now he needed to return to headquarters, upload the data to the mainframe, and initiate a scan.
Just thinking about the work ahead made him want to sigh. He needed to finish constructing the Artificial Heaven. Once it was established across Earth, it would suppress the appearance of these supernatural horrors.
It wasn't until the sound of the door closing echoed that Shino finally stirred.
Her hand unconsciously tightened around the card.
It was warm orange in color, radiating a sense of comfort.
The front bore the clinic's name.
Curiously, the clinic was called:
"Tickle Monster Psychological Clinic."
The back listed its address and phone number.
Summoning what strength she had left, Shino tucked the card carefully into her inner pocket.
Glancing once toward the inner room, she resisted the urge to vomit again and walked outside.
Halfway there, she paused—then turned back.
From the floor, she picked up Haruto's coat.
No matter what, she had to wash it properly and return it.
Holding the coat, Shino felt dazed.
If only she could be that strong. Then fear would have no hold over her.
The boy's figure lingered in her mind.
How had he grown so powerful?
Her thoughts weren't about Haruto's skills or strength, but rather—that calmness in the face of fear.
That heart,willing to reach out and help her.
Shino returned home.
She lived nearby, practically a neighbor.
At the sink, she carefully washed Haruto's coat, scrubbing away every stain. She checked it over and over, until she was sure it was clean, before wringing it out and hanging it to dry.
Only then did she return to her room.
She lay flat on her bed, the full-dive device beside her.
On any other day, she would have put it on immediately, fleeing into GGO to train and hone her skills.
But today, she simply lay there.
She pulled out the card again, turning it over in her hands.
The orange metal glinted in the evening sunlight streaming through her window. After flipping it a few times, Shino pressed the card against her chest, as if to draw comfort from it.
She didn't truly intend to visit the clinic. She knew her condition too well. Ordinary treatment would have little effect, and it would cost too much.
All she wanted was for this little card to lend her some courage.
Enough courage to keep moving forward, to keep growing stronger—until one day, she could look her fears in the eye and feel nothing.
After a long while, Shino finally picked up her full-dive headset and placed it on.
Once the connection sequence completed, she logged back into GGO.
But this time, she didn't train or level up. Instead, she wandered aimlessly through the city streets, her heart clouded with confusion.
And then—
She bumped straight into another girl, head-on, in the middle of the road.