"Damn it, at least save Asuna!" Hachiman shouted.
As the reaper's scythe descended, Hachiman instinctively swapped places with Asuna to shield her. Asuna clung to him tightly. Kirito, refusing to give up, lunged to slash the reaper's arm, hoping to lessen the blow. At that moment, a glowing orb appeared before the reaper, blasting it back.
"What the…?" Hachiman gasped.
"Papa! Mama!" Yui called.
"Yui!" Asuna cried.
"Yui-chan!" Hachiman echoed.
The light was Yui, who had appeared out of nowhere.
"Papa, Mama, I remember everything," Yui said.
As the reaper moved to attack again, Yui raised her hand. "Object Eraser."
With her words, the reaper vanished, and silence fell. Yui's glow faded, and she began to collapse. Hachiman caught her, alarmed by her pained expression.
"You okay, Yui?" he asked.
"Papa, take me where I'm pointing," Yui said weakly.
"Got it."
They followed her direction to a dead end. Yui waved her hand, revealing a machine-like device. Her breathing seemed to ease slightly.
"You feeling better, Yui?" Hachiman asked.
"Yui-chan, are you okay?" Asuna added.
"I used power beyond my normal permissions in that fight," Yui explained. "I can't maintain this body alone anymore. I'm only holding on with help from the other two MHCPs, X and Z."
"MHCP? X and Z?" Hachiman asked.
"Mental Health Counseling Program," Yui said. "I'm Y—Utility Interface, or Yui. My role was to care for the mental health of players on the front lines."
"So you're part of the Cardinal System that runs SAO," Kirito said.
"Yes, Papa," Yui confirmed.
Yui explained that the three MHCPs—X, Y, and Z—had distinct roles. X handled mental care for most players in the Town of Beginnings, while Z focused on players labeled as criminals. X was constantly overloaded with its large player base, and Z, strained by the Laughing Coffin incident, had been in maintenance until recently.
"That's why I took on some of X's load, which overwhelmed me," Yui said. "When Z's repairs finished, I entered a temporary sleep mode. In that dark, wandering state, I sensed a warm light through an NPC with MHCP data collection—one of my terminals."
"Probably Kizmel," Hachiman said.
"Yes. Drawn to that warmth, I unconsciously generated an avatar and moved to your house," Yui said. "But it strained me too much, leaving me like a human with amnesia. That's when you saved me, Papa and Mama."
"Why call us Papa and Mama?" Hachiman asked.
"Your hearts' light felt like parents who'd save me," Yui said. "With my MHCP functions mostly dormant, I acted on that feeling alone."
"Makes sense," Hachiman said. "Is your condition stable now?"
"With X and Z's help, you're back, right?" Asuna asked.
"No matter what you are, you're our precious daughter," Hachiman said.
Even after her revelation, Hachiman and Asuna saw Yui as their daughter. Yui felt their warmth again but grew sad, knowing what she had to say next might dim their light.
"Papa, Mama, I'm sorry… I'll probably disappear soon," Yui said.
"What?" Hachiman gasped.
"The forced avatar creation and that fight caused fatal damage to my system," Yui said. "I don't have much time left."
"No…" Asuna whispered.
"Damn it, there's gotta be something!" Hachiman said.
"There's a slim chance," Kirito said. "If it works, Yui-chan might be saved."
"Kirito! What's the plan?" Hachiman asked.
"We cut Yui's program from the system," Kirito said.
"Papa, Mama… it's… almost time… to say goodbye…" Yui said, her voice fading.
"Yui!" Asuna cried.
"Yui-chan!" Hachiman shouted.
Yui's body began to dissolve. Hachiman and Asuna held her tightly, trying to keep her with them. Kirito leapt to the console, typing furiously.
"Yui! Tell me your admin ID!" Kirito yelled.
"It's… Yui…" she murmured.
"Alright, this should work! Hold on!" Kirito shouted.
As Yui faded in their arms, Kirito finished his final input. Hachiman and Asuna watched, breathless, as Kirito pulled a gem-like item from the console.
"A gem…?" Asuna said.
"Kirito, what's that?" Hachiman asked.
"I detached Yui's program from the system and stored it in this gem," Kirito said. "She's in sleep mode, but she's definitely in there."
"Kirito!" Hachiman exclaimed.
"Thank you, Kirito-kun!" Asuna cried.
"Cut it close, but I made it," Kirito said, relieved.
Hachiman and Asuna took the gem, speaking to it tenderly.
"Yui, can you hear us? No matter what form you're in, you're our precious daughter," Hachiman said.
"We'll always be together, Yui-chan. We'll see you again!" Asuna said.
The gem was labeled Y.U.I. They stored it carefully in their item storage.
"Kirito, thank you," Hachiman said.
"Thanks for saving Yui-chan," Asuna added.
"She's like a cute little sister to me," Kirito said.
"Sister? You mean niece, Uncle Kirito," Hachiman teased.
"Tch, don't get cocky, Hachiman-Papa," Kirito shot back.
"Let's go meet up with Sinker and Yuriell," Asuna said.
"Yeah," Hachiman agreed.
"Honestly, I forgot about them," Kirito admitted.
Just then, Yuriell ran up with Sinker. "Everyone, Yui-chan! She—!"
"Her disappearing must've shocked you," Hachiman said. "Sorry for not explaining. Yui's part of the system."
"She is…? Where is she now?" Yuriell asked.
"She's fine," Asuna said, smiling warmly and touching her chest. "Yui-chan's with us, always."
Yuriell didn't pry, saying only, "If you're all smiling like that, it must be good news."
The trio nodded happily.
"Thank you all so much," Sinker said. "I'm Sinker, leader of the Liberation Army."
The three introduced themselves, and Sinker seemed stunned to meet three of the so-called Four Heavenly Kings.
"Yuriell gave me the rundown, but I didn't believe it…" Sinker said.
"You didn't trust her?" Asuna asked.
"It's hard to buy outright," Sinker said.
"I did feel it sounded unreal explaining it," Yuriell admitted.
"Sinker, are you the Sinker from MMO Today?" Kirito asked.
Sinker paused, then smiled. "You're the Kirito I emailed with, aren't you?"
"Yup, that's me," Kirito said.
"Feels like meeting an old friend," Sinker said.
"Same here," Kirito replied.
They laughed, and the group of five began their escape from the labyrinth, discussing the future. Sinker lamented his carelessness the whole way.
"I warned about MPK on MMO Today so many times, yet here I am, caught in one. Embarrassing," Sinker said.
"The important thing is you're safe," Asuna said.
"Thank you," Sinker replied.
"What's next for the Army?" Hachiman asked.
"I'll expel Kibao's faction and disband it," Sinker said firmly. "Then start a new mutual aid organization with trusted members."
"No other choice," Hachiman said.
"The Army's dragging down the清算 and tormenting the weak instead of helping them," Sinker said. "It's lost all purpose. I'll rebuild with people I trust."
"Good luck, Sinker, Yuriell!" Asuna said.
"Come to us if you need help," Hachiman added.
"Thank you," Sinker said.
"Thanks for saving Sinker," Yuriell said.
Thus, the chain of events sparked by Kizmel came to an unexpected close. Through it, Hachiman and Asuna gained a new family member in Yui, and Kirito earned a meal of Ragout Rabbit as thanks.
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