"Pull the tab off firmly."

Shino smiled softly and tossed the grenade into Haruto's hand.

Then, with a faint, almost relieved sigh, she threw herself into his arms —as though this was where she was meant to end up all along.

Looking down at her smiling face, Haruto could only return a helpless smile of his own.

Before the eyes of over a hundred million players, the two of them embraced.

And then — the world was consumed by flames.

The live broadcast feed went white.

Two health bars — Haruto and Sinon — dropped to zero in unison.

When the fire faded, the display shifted to the final settlement screen. The BoB (Bullet of Bullets) tournament had reached its end.

The final result: Haruto and Sinon — Co-Champions.

Since there was precedent, the system didn't bother with any extra ceremony. It simply split the champion rewards equally between them.

But at that moment, neither Haruto nor Shino cared about the prizes, the bonuses, or the fame. The game's conclusion wasn't measured in points or credits — it was in the journey they shared.

Across GGO, countless players screamed in disbelief and excitement.

Everyone had heard the way Shino teased earlier — about the two champions of the last BoB dying together.

They'd already guessed how this would end.

Yet, watching it actually unfold still stirred something deep in their hearts.

Not everyone could walk away from the temptation of ultimate victory.

But these two had chosen to.

Their decision — their ending — was beautiful, bittersweet, and perfect.

Haruto descending from the heavens to save her, the moment they held hands amidst the black mud, their promise to finish their fight together — all of it had led to this poetic finale.

A shared death, a shared victory.

An ending that moved players to tears.

It was romantic.

It was legendary.

And, to single players watching the stream, it was an overwhelming dose of dog food.

A collective groan rippled through the player base.

"Damn it... this couple is killing me!"

"Who writes love stories like this in a shooter game!?"

"I'm dying from secondhand sweetness!"

They complained — but no one could deny it.

This was the kind of "dog food" so rich and perfect that you couldn't even hate it. You could only scream in awe.

And so, as the servers cooled and the audience roared, Haruto and Shino quietly logged out — as if they'd agreed without a word.

They didn't return to bask in fame or attention.

Instead, they went offline and back to the quiet of Shino's small apartment.

The sky outside had already turned dim.

The curtains were drawn halfway, and the room was bathed in the soft orange light of sunset.

Neither turned on the lights.

Shino sat beside Haruto.

The afterglow reflected faintly on the floorboards. She could only barely make out the outline of the boy next to her.

The warmth of his hand — that moment of embrace in the game — it still lingered in her memory. Her cheeks flushed as she recalled it.

In the game, she could use an excuse, pretend it was for strategy or comfort, and boldly throw herself into his arms.

But here, in the real world, there was no excuse. And no courage to do it again.

She realized, with a quiet laugh, that she was still not as strong in reality. After a moment, she spoke — her voice soft, but firm.

"I plan to sell Hecate," she said. "I'll use the money, along with my BoB bonus, to buy an apartment in Chiba Ward. Then I'll bring my mother there... and keep working hard until I graduate."

In the dim light, she kept her head lowered, her hands folded in her lap.

She wasn't sure why she was telling him this.

They weren't related.

He might not even care about her personal plans.

But she wanted to say it.

Because somehow, she knew — he would listen.

Selling Hecate II was no small thing.

That rifle was more than a weapon.

It was Sinon herself — her other self.

All her struggles, her growth, her victories in GGO were bound to it.

But now, she was ready to let it go. Because she no longer needed to hide in that world to feel strong.

When she had entered GGO, she'd wanted to escape — to become stronger than her fears. Now, she could look those fears in the eye. She could raise her gun, steady her hands, and fight — even without the game's help.

The time had come to move forward.

Ever since her trauma, Shino had lived apart from her mother. She rented a small, cheap apartment, telling herself it was to protect her — to hide her panic attacks, her vomiting fits, her shaking hands. But deep down, she knew her mother must have been in pain too.

Shino smiled faintly.

"It's time I go back," she said. "To hug her again."

If she stayed trapped in the virtual world, she knew what would happen.

She would lose her chance to ever see him again — the boy sitting quietly beside her.

She wasn't stupid.

She knew Haruto wasn't an ordinary person.

Everything about him — his calm, his precision, the way he fought the black mud —none of it fit into a normal gamer's life.

A police officer, a protector, someone who dealt with monsters from another world... Haruto had entered GGO for a reason.

Their lives had been two parallel lines.

The Youmu incident had been the one point where those lines met. But if neither of them changed... those lines would soon drift apart again.

Shino didn't want that.

Not this time.

She didn't know how, or what path to take, but she knew she wanted their worlds to cross again.

So she made her choice: First, she'd fix her life. Then, she'd grow stronger — in the real world.

All so that one day, they could meet again.

Her fingers tightened around the bedsheet. The silence between them grew heavy, her heart pounding too fast.

Then — she felt it.

A warm hand resting gently atop her head.

"Shino," Haruto said softly. "You're amazing."

His voice carried no exaggeration, no pity — only quiet truth. The warmth of his palm, the kindness in his tone — it undid her.

Shino's eyes blurred, tears welling up despite herself.

After everything that had happened — the monsters, the battles, the near-death moments — it was this simple praise that finally broke her.

Haruto ran his fingers gently through her hair. When he first met her, he'd never imagined she'd come this far.

Back then, he'd given her a contact card for a psychologist, thinking she'd need help to escape her trauma.

And yet, she'd done it on her own.

She had faced her fears and broken free from the darkness that had trapped her heart.

The bullet he'd given her was meant to be nothing more than a charm. But she had loaded it, fired it — and found her own strength.

She no longer needed saving.

"Shino Asada," he said quietly, "you're incredible."

Then he lifted her chin slightly, wiping the tears from her cheek.

"In exchange," he said with a faint smile, "listen to what I have to say."

And so, Haruto told her everything — about the SCP Foundation, the organization that investigated and contained anomalies like the Youmu.

Shino listened silently, her hands folded in her lap.

The more he spoke, the stranger it sounded — like something out of a surreal dream.

But she didn't interrupt.

She kept her eyes on him, memorizing every word.

When he finished, he looked at her seriously.

"So," Haruto said, "would you like to join the Foundation? If you refuse, that's fine. I'll just erase your memories of this incident. You won't remember any anomalies, but your courage... that'll remain. Courage comes from the heart — not memory."

Before he could continue, Shino shook her head violently.

"No," she said firmly. "I want to join the Foundation."

If it meant forgetting Haruto, she couldn't accept that.

Not even for a second.

Haruto's eyes softened.

He reached into his Kamui space and drew out a sealed document — The Absolute Contract Codex.

Then, from his pocket, he handed her a pen.

Shino took it without hesitation, her hand steady, and signed her name on the contract.

Just like that — it was done.

The Youmu incident was over.

GGO was safe again.

Haruto completed the sealing procedures within the virtual world with ease. After all, even the boundary realm had been neutralized — no lesser Youmu could cause trouble now.

For Shino, the ordeal had finally ended.

That night, she slept deeply — peacefully — for the first time in years.

The next morning, sunlight poured into her small room.

She packed her things, took the train, and went home — to her real home.

When she saw her mother, she didn't hesitate. She ran forward and threw herself into her arms, tears bursting free.

Her mother froze for a moment — and then held her tight, smiling through her own tears.

At the bank that day, she had failed to protect her daughter.

Since then, guilt had eaten away at her — knowing she'd forced her little girl to protect herself, to face nightmares alone.

But now, seeing her daughter in her arms again — smiling, strong, alive — everything felt right again.

She didn't ask questions.

She didn't need to.

All that mattered was that her daughter had come home.

In the days that followed, Shino and her mother moved to Chiba, bought a small apartment, and began a new chapter together.

And somewhere, far above the city, Haruto stood watching — a faint smile on his lips.

====

Nahh, joke XD.