Hearing Kusunoki-san's words muttering in a stunned manner, I also stiffen as if time has stopped.

''........why did Kusunoki-san say that name.......''
....

　Kusunoki-san doesn't say anything. She froze with her eyes wide open, and after a moment.......tears appeared in her eyes.
　I was surprised by those tears, but I was even more astonished by the words that continued to be spoken.


"...what?　Eww!

　Kusunoki-san is hi-vis!　
　

''Kusunoki-san is........Hi-vis-kun?''
Hi.

　Kusunoki-san nodded at my words, holding back tears, as I asked him, still half-believing.
　.........Coincidences are really strange things. I didn't even expect to see Hibis-kun again here at this time.

　No, in the first place, a girl four years younger.........................If I hadn't been summoned to the other world like this, I don't think we would have even spoken.
　I happened to get caught up in the summoning of a hero, and there was a younger girl there, who happened to be someone I met in an MMO played by tens of thousands of people, and she remembered me... I think that's already a miracle.

　Keh, but what should I say about this?　I had always thought he was a boy, but now he's actually a girl, and now he's grown up and in front of me.
　

''Shell-san!''
What?　Wait, Kusunoki-san! Kusunoki-san!
'Mr. Shell..........................'
Yeah. Well it's been a while, hasn't it?
Huh?

　Kusunoki-san, who jumped in to cling to my chest, was trembling softly.
　And with a voice that was filled with tears, she called out many times..................the character name that I used to use in the MMO. Yeah, what an embarrassment it is to be called by that name........

Why... why did you... disappear...?
What?
"I have been ... for a long time ... and I've been lonely ... ...
Ms. Kusunoki.

　It's no exaggeration to say that me and Hibis-kun...well, Kusunoki-san were always together in MMOs.
　I just happened to be the one who approached him when he was a newbie, but he missed me so much that he always spent the majority of his short log-in time with me.
　When I told him I was retiring three years ago, he connected with me for hours and said goodbye to me, which wasn't usual.

　Honestly I felt like I had a little brother too, and that was my biggest regret in retiring.

'I'm sorry, I was just taking exams at the time and I lost my parents and had to take care of my relatives, so I had to go out of school and make trouble for them. I couldn't get to....
It's okay. I'm sorry ... I'm the one who's being childish.

　The main reason I retired from online gaming was to take college exams.
　I thought that I would cause trouble for my aunt and uncle if I was a wandering student, so I stepped away from online games to concentrate on my studies.
　Once I left, there was no chance for me to come back to it... I never went back to that game until now.

　Mr. Kusunoki said he's still playing that game.
　Maybe it was egotism........but maybe Kusunoki-san.......was waiting for me to come back for a long time.

I see.........So, Kusunoki-san was your highvis.
Yes.
'Well no, I haven't seen you before and I always thought you were a boy but you've grown up. It's nice to see you again.
"...Shell Mr......I....I.... ...

　I put my hand on Kusunoki's trembling head and stroke it as gently as I can.
　Kusunoki-san has a look of admiration on her face, and finally, with large tears streaming from her eyes, she clings to me tightly.

　It's a wonderful situation to say that I'm being held by a cute high school girl, but.......there's an important problem here.
　This isn't exactly my room, but a main street... yes, a main street.
　A man and a woman are hugging each other in the middle of that boulevard, and the woman is crying... even if I'm a passerby, I stop and watch.

''Ku, Kusunoki-san!　For now, let's change places!
'What?　Ah.....

　I hurriedly grabbed Kusunoki's hand and walked away from her in a hurry, as I was exposed to bizarre stares from all directions, which made me feel somewhat awkward.
　She looked a little surprised, but she didn't resist and followed me with her head down, shyly.














　We reached a small square with few people, and sat down on a line of wooden benches that were provided... It was fine, but what was it?　It's very awkward.
　Ms. Kusunoki has been lying on her back for a long time, her small hands clasped together in front of her chest, and she's fidgeting with something.

　Her appearance was very pretty, but the silence was very heavy as she didn't speak.

''Uh, uh, Kusunoki-san?''
'What?　Ha, ha, yes!
...Are you okay?
I'm not, I'm not, I'm fine!

　When I willfully called out to her, Kusunoki-san turned to me with a very panicked look..........................and when her eyes met mine, she turned bright red and looked away.

''........You said earlier that you were right.......did you realize that I was a shell?''
''........No, I wasn't convinced. But when I thought about when you retired from internet gaming and the age difference between you and me, I thought maybe...
'Yeah. Sorry, I didn't notice it at all on my end...
'No, I wasn't sure either. Since my name is Kaito, I wondered if it was a character name of Shell, taken from the same pronunciation of Shell, but I thought it was too simple...
I'm sorry for being so naive.
'What?　Oh, no, no, no!　I didn't mean to make fun of Miyama-san or anything!

　The origin of the character name Kusunoki-san announced was itself very straightforward.
　His real name is Kaito, so I just replaced "Kaito" with "Shellfish".....yeah. It's very embarrassing. I feel like I'm getting my black history exposed.

"........I also took my name.......from hollyhock, from hibiscus, a flower in the mallow family. That my online self isn't the same as my real self........
I see... no, but then again, coincidences are a thing, aren't they? I never thought we would meet again in this way.
'Yes. I'm surprised too but more than that, I'm glad.
...happy?

　Kusunoki-san once again looks down in embarrassment and mutters in a small voice.
　She turned her gaze to me, her cheeks dyed as she tilted her head at those words, and gave me a sly smile.

...
Huh?

　Ms. Kusunoki has an appearance that could be called a beautiful girl without hesitation.
　Her long black hair is smooth and shiny, and her posture is long and straight, as if she is learning something.
　The sight of Ms. Kusunoki bashfully bashful is very cute and you can't help but feel the heat on your face without being aware of it.

It's a good thing that you're not a fan of this kind of thing.
Please. Aoi.........please call me by my name. If you can, please don't add "san" or anything else...
Well, yeah, so........Aoi-chan, maybe?
Yes!

　When I called her that, Kusunoki-san........Aoi-chan gave a very happy smile.
　Seeing that smile, which shows a straightforward trust, I realized once again that Aoi-chan was Hi-Vis-kun.
　With a vaguely ticklish sensation, I called out to Aoi-chan in a bit of a hurry.

''I'm sure Belle is bored, so let's go continue our walk.
Yes, sir.

　Following me standing up from the bench, Aoi also stands up.
　
　It's not a strong tug, but a discreet restraint that gently touches you..............and I stop and turn to Aoi.

''Um.........''
Yeah?
...Is it okay if we go out like this again and follow each other for a walk or something?
Uh-huh. Of course I don't mind.
''Thank you ... thank you. Once again, I look forward to working with you in the future. ''Kaito-san!''

　Seeing Aoi-chan with a big smile on her face, as if her doubts had been cleared, I smiled too.

　Dear Mom, Dad--Aoi was actually the girl who used to play MMO's with me a long time ago and admired me a lot. While I was surprised at the amazing coincidence, what bubbled up in my heart was - gratitude for our strange connection.