"What exactly should the sword cut down?"
Kirito had never pondered such a faintly philosophical question before. His sword had always existed to clear every obstacle blocking his path forward… Perhaps, in that world, it could be said that he drew his blade for Asuna. But now?
"Yare yare, Kirigaya Kazuto… I actually know quite a lot about you."
The moment the other man spoke that name, Kirito's pupils visibly contracted.
Since arriving in this world, he had never told a single person his real name—yet this man, whom he was clearly meeting for the first time, stated it with such absolute certainty!
"Is this really okay?"
He twirled the scalpel unconsciously in his hand. The silver blade flashed and flickered under the oil lamp's glow, filling the entire room. This time, that voice seemed to truly carry an infinite, mesmerizing power.
"Is it really okay to leave Asuna all alone there?"
"You!" Kirito suddenly flared up. Even though he was still lying on the sickbed, he tried to struggle upright—but the pain from his chest and abdomen slammed him back down onto the not-so-soft mattress.
"What do you understand?" He refused to give up. Gritting his teeth, Kirito forced the words out, as if trying to expel every ounce of resentment in one breath. "If I could go back… if I could just go back, I wouldn't stay here for even a single second!"
"Ah, indeed." Hinata showed no extreme reaction. He even turned around, his back to the boy on the bed. "Escaping from a 'world' is such an impossibly difficult task."
He spoke almost syllable by syllable, and those words plunged Kirito into a long silence.
"Escape… from the world…?"
"That's right." Smiling faintly, Hinata turned back and looked calmly at the young boy before him. "Honestly, I don't quite get it. You had the courage to break through a world where everything was restricted by 'gods,' yet you lack the courage to escape from a world of freedom?"
"No… it's not like that! It's just…"
"Questions and answers are useless." Hinata sat down on the edge of the bed. In that moment, nearly a thousand years of accumulated wisdom made him seem gentle and kind. "In the end, the result is simply whatever you yourself decide."
…Night had fallen. A slightly cool sea breeze blew across the merchant ship from the South Sea. The waves rocked gently, like the most beautiful lullaby—but tonight, the boy named Kirigaya Kazuto was destined to lie awake.
He closed his eyes, yet his mind was filled with the man's final admonition:
"The things the sword cuts are the thorns on the path home."
…
About three or four days later, the boy named Kirito had fully recovered from his injuries and accepted Hinata's invitation to travel with him as his physician's assistant.
That's right—a journey to return home.
"Ah ya ya, is your body really okay now?"
"Mm. Thanks to the doctor's treatment, I'm completely fine now." Kirito gave a tentative swing of the Elucidator on his back. For the first time since arriving in this world, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"No need to say it like that." Hinata scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "I got a little too excited and overdid it… accidentally shattered your liver."
He said it in the exact same casual tone one might use to say, "Oops, I accidentally gave you a cold."
"…Huh?" Kirito's movements froze instantly… Shattered his liver!?
"Don't worry! Afterward, I very carefully restored it to its original state, you know!"
Hey, hey, hey—what's with raising your thumb like you're waiting for praise?!
At that thought, Kirito instinctively pressed a hand to his abdomen—there wasn't a bunch of random fragments rattling around in there now, right!?
For some inexplicable reason, Kirito suddenly felt a dark premonition about the future of this little boat journey.
That's right—today, after stocking up on enough food and fresh water, Hinata and Kirito departed the ship they had lived on for the past few days amid tearful farewells from the entire crew. The two of them set off aboard a small boat named "Explorer," beginning the doctor's journey.
Ah ya ya… I wonder how little Robin is doing. Propping his chin, Hinata gazed into the distance and suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia for the days in Ohara—such leisurely daily life probably wouldn't come again?
"So, Dr. Hinata, where should we head next?"
"I already have a plan for that." Pushing up his glasses, a burst of light completely obscured Hinata's eyes. But no matter how you looked at it, Kirito couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was coming… Was it just his imagination?!
"Next stop: the Calm Belt!"
"Nani!?"
"Hehehe, see? Kirito, you're still too green." Looking at the utterly shocked boy in front of him, Hinata gave another mischievous grin. "If the ultimate goal is to get home, then shaking off those annoying Navy pursuers is absolutely essential. But on this boundless sea, relying on pure speed to escape is completely impossible for us since neither of us is skilled at sailing. So we have to change our approach!"
"Change… our approach?"
"Exactly! As long as we reach a place where regular ships can't follow, we win!"
"Ahh… That's a nice proposal, Dr. Hinata, but if ships can't reach it, then what are we supposed to do?!!"
"No need to worry, Assistant Kirito!" Hinata flashed another huge smile and raised his thumb. "I've been prepared for this ages ago. Just relax and follow the path~~"
Kirito heavily slapped his right hand against his own face. The journey had only just begun, and he already had an extremely bad feeling.
And then, three days later—when Hinata furled the sail and, with a beaming smile, lifted a section of the deck beside the Calm Belt—that premonition came true.
That's… a bicycle mechanism!!!
Wait—you installed a propeller underneath ages ago, didn't you?!!
"Alright, alright." Completely oblivious, Hinata patted the boy's head and said, "Use your own two legs and bravely pedal forward!"
"Your sister!!"
"I don't remember ever agreeing to do something like this!!"