"That creep's gonna pay someday," Hachiman growled.
"Scary, Hachiman-kun," Yui-no-neesan said. "But my poker face was flawless, right?"
"As always," Hachiman said. "Trained to perfection."
"Hey, Kirito, why're you cowering in the corner?" Hachiman asked.
"Well, uh…" Kirito mumbled.
After leaving Asuna's hospital room and returning to their own, Kirito had been eyeing Hachiman warily from the corner.
"What's 'uh'?" Hachiman said. "You screamed during our call earlier—what happened?"
"You were pissed, Hachiman!" Kirito said. "Anyone would scream!"
"Were you angry, Hachiman-kun?" Yui asked.
"Yeah, I was," Hachiman admitted.
"Since when?" Yui pressed.
"Probably right before I whispered to Yui-san," Hachiman said.
"I didn't notice at all," Yui said, surprised.
"When Hachiman's mad, he gets this super-annoyed vibe about everything," Kirito explained. "Then, when he snaps, he's terrifyingly aggressive."
"Really?" Yui said. "Has this happened before?"
"Hey, Kirito, you know what happens if you keep talking, right?" Hachiman warned.
"Kirito-kun, you get it, don't you?" Yui added, her tone sharp.
"Last time he snapped, he took down Asuna's rogue escort in three seconds, then pulled her close and declared her his!" Kirito blurted.
Yui's jaw dropped. "Wow, that changes how I see you, Hachiman-kun."
"Kirito, you jerk!" Hachiman yelled.
"Sorry, Hachiman, I side with the strong!" Kirito said.
"I'm telling Liz!" Hachiman shot back.
"Leave Liz out of this!" Kirito said.
"Alright, you two, I get you're close, but enough," Yui said. "How'd you stop the marriage? It was like magic."
Kirito had been curious about that. Hachiman explained, "I had Yui-san tell Asuna's dad the government's moving in, so Asuna might wake soon. If he forced the marriage, she might never speak to him again."
"Sounds simple when you put it like that," Kirito said.
"Her dad was probably just scared," Hachiman said. "He's a doting father. Clearing his fears was easy."
"Could be," Kirito agreed.
A knock came at the door. Kikuoka entered. "The photo analysis is done," he said.
"Fast work, Kikuoka-san!" Yui said.
"What's the result?" Hachiman asked.
"Take a look," Kikuoka said, showing them several photos.
"It's…" Hachiman started.
"Asuna!" Kirito exclaimed.
Hachiman's outburst made Kikuoka nod. "You're sure?"
"No mistake," Hachiman said. "I'd never misidentify Asuna. It's her."
"If Hachiman says so, it's true," Kirito said.
"Our analysis agrees—near-certain match," Kikuoka said.
"Thanks to me getting the wedding photo data for analysis!" Yui said proudly.
"Yui-san, I'm genuinely, deeply grateful," Hachiman said. "So, Asuna's in ALO…"
"Then the suspect is…" Kirito started.
"That creep," Yui finished.
"Got a lead on the culprit?" Kikuoka asked.
"The head of RECT's full-dive research, Sugou," Hachiman said.
"Got it," Kikuoka said. "We'll start digging."
"Please do," Hachiman said.
"Notice anything else in the photos?" Kikuoka asked.
"Her outfits are all different," Hachiman said. "Like she's signaling us."
"She's definitely conscious and trapped," Kirito said.
Indeed, Asuna seemed to be desperately sending a message. "But this alone isn't enough evidence," Hachiman said. "Any way to contact her?"
"Her outfit—what's with it?" Kirito asked. "Any clues there?"
"My contact who provided the photo said it's Titania, the fairy queen from ALO's Grand Quest," Yui said.
"So, clearing the Grand Quest might let us reach her?" Hachiman asked.
"It's not that simple," Kikuoka said. "The Grand Quest is so tough no one's cleared it."
"I read about it," Kirito said. "It's about reaching the top of the World Tree. The winning race becomes Alfs, able to fly permanently."
"Right," Kikuoka said. "But the enemies are too numerous—impossible."
"That setup bugs me," Hachiman said.
"How so?" Kikuoka asked.
"If one race clears it, new players would all pick that race," Hachiman said. "Most current players would remake characters for the advantage. That'd kill the game."
"True," Kikuoka said. "No one's cleared it yet—there's probably a catch."
"Yeah," Hachiman said. "Kikuoka-san, can you get us ALO software? It runs on NerveGear, right?"
Kikuoka, expecting the request, pulled out two copies. "Got them ready. You sure about wearing those again?"
"I'm fine," Hachiman said. "I have to save her."
"Same here," Kirito said. "No choice but to dive in."
"Alright," Kikuoka said. "Full strategy later, but want to try a quick dive?"
"Let's do it," Hachiman said.
"Wait," Yui said. "I'll get my contacts to back you up. Chosen your races yet?"
"Spriggan," Hachiman and Kirito said in unison.
"Why Spriggan?" Yui asked.
"It's dark," Hachiman said.
"Feels edgy," Kirito said.
"Uh, okay," Yui said. "Not Sylph? It's my favorite."
"No way Sylph suits us," Hachiman said.
"Yeah, definitely not," Kirito agreed.
"Fine," Yui said. "I'll contact my people. Give me a moment."
"I'll step out to start the investigation," Kikuoka said.
"We'll wait here," Hachiman said.
Yui's plan was to have Yukino's crew back us up from Sylph territory, but Spriggan it is, Yui thought. Yukino's team is at the World Tree, so it should work.
Days earlier, the Sobu High group had gathered in ALO.
"Hachiman-kun's rehab is almost done," Yukino said. "Great work, everyone."
"With school starting in April, we couldn't visit much," Yui said. "It's been a while since we met here."
"Oh, right!" Komachi said. "I forgot about the photos we took!"
"Good call, Komachi-chan," Iroha said. "Let's check them now."
They reviewed the images. "This is a World Tree branch," Yukino said. "We got close."
"Really close," Yui said.
"Look at this cage!" Komachi said. "Who's that?"
"Could it be… Titania?" Yukino said.
"Her outfit fits," Iroha said. "Yukino-senpai, this is huge!"
Yui stared at the photo. "Yukino, doesn't she look familiar?"
"Now that you mention it…" Yukino said.
"Wait, isn't that Asuna-san?" Komachi said.
"It does look like her," Yukino said. "She's still asleep, but… could she be at the World Tree? ALO and SAO share the same management company and servers…"
Yukino thought deeply, then decided. "Send this to Yui-san. Keep it private."
"Got it," Iroha said. "This smells like a crime."
"If Hachiman-kun and Kirito-kun join ALO, we'll back them up," Yukino said.
"For Onii-chan, I'm in!" Komachi said.
"Let's do this!" Yui said.
"Yeah!" Iroha cheered.
"We'll wait for the photo analysis," Yukino said. "Log out for now. I'll contact you later."
That's how the photo reached Yui-no-neesan. Now, she called Yukino, informing her of their Spriggan choice.
"Spriggans, huh?" Yukino said. "It'll take longer without local knowledge, but it's fine."
"Sorry, they refused Sylph—didn't suit them," Yui said. "They're diving soon. Any advice?"
"Grind skills around the starting town," Yukino said. "We'll head to Spriggan territory. They can't reach Alne, the World Tree city, alone."
"Got it," Yui said. "I'll tell them."
"When we reach a neutral city near Spriggan territory, I'll call to meet up," Yukino said.
"Sounds good," Yui said. "Good luck, Yukino-chan."
"Thanks," Yukino said.
"Sorry for the wait," Yui said, returning. "They said to grind skills near the starting town. They'll head to a neutral city near Spriggan territory, and we'll meet there."
"Makes sense," Hachiman said. "We start from scratch, so we need to level up."
"Gotta get used to flying, too," Kirito said.
"Let's dive in," Hachiman said. "Yui-san, grab a coffee and wait."
"Be careful, you two," Yui said.
"No big deal," Hachiman said. "No death penalty—too easy, right, Kirito?"
"Yeah," Kirito said. "Let's do this."
On the same bed, for the first time in over two years, they spoke in unison: "Link Start!"
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