“...? What is it, Sinonon?” “No, well... The current problem is that even if RATH is a national research organization, I guess the government or the parliament still doesn’t know the specifics about the research.” “Yes... and then?” “If this were a secret plan of a clandestine department, I don’t feel that it’s easy to hide that department, right?” “What...?” “The budget! Whether it’s a research facility or the STL, there’s definitely a need for a huge budget. I’m not sure how many millions or billions or more, but I think it’s impossible to withdraw such a sum secretly from the treasury... In other words, they need to account for it as part of the country’s budget under some name, right?” “Yes, but... according to what Yui-chan searched, looking at those related to VR technology which require such a large budget is... Ah, I see... It’s the wrong term...? It’s not VR technology, but Artificial Intelligence...?” Yui looked over at Asuna and nodded with a serious expression, telling her to hold on for a moment before opening her arms wide. Her fingertips glowed purple, and she connected to the network from within ALO. The trio spent several seconds full of expectations and uneasiness. Yui opened her thin eyes and said in an unemotional tone that was like an electronic ethereal voice which was completely different from several seconds ago.