Asuna awoke enveloped in a sense of boundless freedom, but the sight before her wasn't the expected hospital bed. Instead, she found herself trapped inside a birdcage-like structure, suspended in an endless expanse of sky.
"What… is this place? Am I still in SAO?" she murmured, her voice tinged with disbelief.
The world around her was a sea of clouds, stretching infinitely in every direction, dominated by an enormous tree. The birdcage, it seemed, dangled from one of its massive branches.
"Hachiman-kun! Kirito-kun! …Kayaba-san?" she called, her voice echoing unanswered.
Asuna's heart raced, but she steadied herself with a deep breath. Hachiman-kun always said to stay calm, no matter what. This is the time to be calm. First, observe.
Peering through the bars, she tried to make sense of her surroundings. The ground was too distant to see, suggesting she was at a staggering height. Next, she examined herself.
This is an avatar, she realized. So this is another game? Not SAO… I think. No floor in SAO was ever this high.
She deduced that she'd been transported directly from SAO to this place, likely as a prisoner of some kind.
If someone's holding me captive, they might come once they know I'm awake. For now, I'll have to wait.
Her intuition proved correct. A figure approached along a pathway connecting the cage to the tree, clad in flamboyant attire that reminded Asuna vaguely of ancient Greek or Roman garb.
"I logged in and rushed here as soon as I got the report," the figure said, breathless. "I didn't think you'd actually be here."
Logged in… so this is definitely a game, Asuna thought.
"Who are you? Where am I?" she demanded.
"Oh? We've met plenty of times, but I suppose you wouldn't recognize me like this," the figure said with a chuckle.
Asuna racked her brain, but no familiar face came to mind. It's an avatar. It might not look like them at all.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember you," she admitted. "And I have no idea where this is."
As she spoke, her gaze drifted downward, catching a tiny black dot moving far below. Curious, she stared at it, and the man followed her gaze.
"What… a player?" he muttered, shocked. "How did they fly this high? ALO's mechanics don't allow that!"
Asuna squinted. "Wings? That's a player?"
"They're… taking pictures of us?" the man growled. "Damn it, don't look down! Get back!"
His alarm confirmed Asuna's suspicions—this was bad for him. Seizing the moment, she waved frantically at the distant figure, shouting, "I'm here! Please, notice me!"
"Stop it!" the man snapped, storming into the cage and yanking her back.
Asuna struggled, desperate to be seen, but the figure below faltered, likely exhausted, and glided downward, out of sight.
"Damn it," the man cursed. "Of all the times for this to happen…"
He opened what looked like a system window, seemingly contacting someone. "We need emergency maintenance now to deal with this. I'll be back to talk later, Asuna-san."
"Who are you?" Asuna pressed.
"No point hiding it, I suppose," he said with a smirk. "I'm Sugou, one of your father's subordinates."
"Sugou…-san?" Asuna's eyes widened. "Does my father know about this? What's ALO?"
"I get that you're curious, but I'm in a rush. We'll talk later."
With that, Sugou vanished, clearly in a panic. Asuna tried to process what had happened, but a sudden system message announced emergency maintenance, and her consciousness faded rapidly.
When Kirito awoke, his vision was pitch black.
"Oh, right," he muttered, remembering the NerveGear. Carefully, he removed it, revealing the sterile surroundings of a hospital room. Sitting up, he considered his next steps.
Can I even stand?
Cautiously, he swung his legs over the bed, mindful of the IV tube in his arm. He wobbled but managed to stand, his body weaker than he'd expected.
"Wow, this is rough," he said, glancing at himself. "My muscles are shot."
The sight of his emaciated frame sent a chill down his spine. "If we'd gone all the way to the hundredth floor… I might not have made it."
Sighing, he sat back on the bed. "Alright, I've got things to do, people to see. But first…"
He pressed the nurse call button.
Klein, Argo, and Silica's awakenings were much the same—disoriented but relieved to be free of SAO. Egil, however, was the luckiest. When he opened his eyes, he saw the face he'd dreamed of countless times: his wife.
"You're awake!" she cried, tears streaming as she threw her arms around him.
"I'm sorry… I'm home," Egil whispered.
"Welcome back," she sobbed.
They clung to each other, weeping, until the doctors and nurses arrived, vowing never to let go again.
Lisbeth's awakening was different. She'd been wandering in a dreamlike darkness, calling out, "Kirito! Kirito!"
No answer came. I know SAO was cleared, so where am I? Was everything a dream? Am I… already dead?
Despite her fears, she kept searching for Kirito, refusing to give up. But exhaustion overtook her, and her consciousness slipped away once more.
Yumiko Miura was visiting Hachiman that day, as she often did. As visiting hours neared their end, she stood to leave, reaching for the door. A faint noise behind her made her pause, and she turned to see Hachiman staring at her, his expression bewildered.
"Oh…" Yumiko gasped.
"What the… Why's the first person I see you?" Hachiman said, squinting. "Am I still dreaming?"
"Hikio!" Yumiko cried, rushing to him and pulling his face into her chest, tears streaming.
"Uh, this feels… soft," Hachiman mumbled. "Not a dream, then? The real Yumiko?"
"Don't call me that!" she snapped, but her grip didn't loosen.
Hachiman, flustered but resigned, let her hold him. "This is a hospital, right? Were you visiting me?"
Yumiko pulled back, surprised by his calm tone. The old Hikio would've freaked out and stammered.
She studied his face. The sullen edge in his eyes was nearly gone. "Hikio, you got kinda cool," she said. "A bit too skinny, though."
"What's with the sudden compliments?" Hachiman said, skeptical. "Is this a prank? Answer my question already."
Yumiko laughed. "That's the Hikio I know. Yeah, this is a hospital. I go to a university nearby, so I've been checking in on you sometimes."
"Really? Thanks, Yumiko. Sorry for the trouble."
"No trouble at all. Welcome back, Hikio."
"Yeah," he said, meeting her gaze.
Yumiko wiped her tears and smiled. "I'm calling the nurse. And then Yui-no-neesan."
"You know Yui's sister?" Hachiman asked. "Wait, is this one of Yukino's family's hospitals?"
"Yup. Yui-no-neesan's been working hard for you. You better thank her when you see her."
"Got it," Hachiman said. "I will."
"She also filled me in on a lot about you," Yumiko added, smirking.
"Like what?"
"Look at the wall behind you."
Hachiman turned and froze. Plastered on the wall was an enlarged photo of him and Asuna, a wedding portrait from SAO.
"What the hell? Why's this here?" he demanded.
"Something about extracting data, I think," Yumiko said. "It's too technical for me."
"This is public humiliation…" Hachiman groaned.
"Everyone agreed to put it up, so don't take it down," Yumiko warned.
"Everyone? Who's 'everyone'?"
"Yukino, Yui, Iroha, Komachi, Kawasaki, and me."
"That's basically everyone I know…" Hachiman muttered.
"That's the girl you love, right?" Yumiko asked, her tone softer.
Hachiman sighed. "Yeah. That's my wife, Asuna."
Yumiko nodded, as if she'd expected that. "You kinda knew how Yui and Yukino felt about you, didn't you?"
"Their feelings…" Hachiman trailed off. "I had a hunch, but back then, I ran from that kind of thing."
"Not running anymore?" Yumiko asked. "They looked pretty jealous staring at that photo. Oh, and Iroha and I were too, by the way."
"You too?" Hachiman blinked. "What about Hayama?"
"Call me Yumiko," she said. "Hayato dumped me at graduation, and that was that."
"Sorry," Hachiman said.
"Anyway," Yumiko continued, "I've been visiting you a lot, and when I saw that photo, I thought, 'Damn, he's kinda cool.'"
"That's just a momentary lapse," Hachiman said. "Besides, I've got Asuna—"
"I figured you'd say that," Yumiko interrupted, grinning. "But I'm coming for you, Hikio. And I bet the others will too."
"Are you serious? I wake up to a full-on popularity boom?" Hachiman said, half-joking. "My heart's with Asuna, but I'll face you all honestly. Thanks for filling me in… Yumiko."
Yumiko's eyes widened, caught off guard by her name. "You've really changed, huh?"
"When someone who's helped me out asks to be called Yumiko, I've gotta step up," he said.
"Not bad," she said, her smile radiant.
As the doctor and nurse arrived to examine him, Yumiko stepped back. "The doc's here, so I'm heading out. I'll visit again soon."
"Waking up to someone here… it felt good," Hachiman admitted. "See you, Yumiko."
"See you, Hachiman," she said, waving as she left.
Yumiko, huh? Hachiman thought, lying back after the doctor's brief checkup. Guess I'm not the same guy I used to be.
The doctor ordered rest, and Hachiman settled into the bed. Moments later, the door opened again.
---------------------------------
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