As Kazuto and Suguha have dinner together, Suguha brings up a news article about GGO's "Bullet of Bullets" tournament, which Kirito is a part of. Kazuto tries to deflect, but Suguha already knows he converted to GGO through Asuna. Recalling how he had turned down Asuna's request to convert her character so she can help him, Kazuto assuages Suguha's worries by promising her that he would return to ALO soon, as today was his last day playing GGO.
Meanwhile, Shino (AKA: Sinon) vents about Kirito to her friend, Kyoji (AKA: Spiegel). During her venting, she manages to make a gun-like gesture with her hand without triggering her phobia of guns. Kyoji notices that Shino is acting fairly different: she'd never be quite so worked up before. After proclaiming his admiration of her, Kyoji tries to hug her, but Shino spurns him, telling him that she's not ready for such feelings, and asks him to wait for after the tournament before she can figure out how she feels about them. Although bummed, Kyoji agrees.
Back at the hospital, Kazuto confides in Nurse Aki about the Laughing Coffin players he had killed, and the guilt he felt over their deaths and his having forgotten them. Aki hugs him, consoling him and telling him that he wouldn't be suffering if he truly forgot, and that he killed so that he may protect others. His conscious soothed, Kazuto returns to GGO.
Meanwhile, in ALO, Asuna is worried about Kirito's well-being. She and the rest of Kirito's friends head to an inn to watch the livestream of the "Bullet of Bullets" tournament.
Back in GGO, Sinon meets with Kirito while returning to the tournament, vowing that she would not lose to him again.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: While Shino is ranting about her frustration about Kirito she makes a pistol gesture with her hand, in the past this would have set off a panic attack for her. Kyouji notices and point it out, to which a surprised Shino guesses it must be because she was angry.
- Symbolism: While Shino is reflecting on her childhood and how she was once a normal girl too, a little girl in the streets is shown letting go of a red balloon, symbolizing a loss of innocence after Shino's life changed forever. Later on at the hospital, Kazuto shares his own grief with Nurse Aki and how he feels he's a monster for not only killing three players in SAO but that he couldn't remember the names of two of them. Nurse Aki tries to comfort Kazuto by telling him that he's allowed to forgive himself by remembering all the lives he saved through these actions. The red balloon from earlier then floats past the window, showing that both Sinon and Kirito and going through the same thing, as well as the fact that their located quite close to each other.
- Survivor's Guilt: Both Sinon and Kirito deal with this during this episode over having killed someone in the past.
