Asuna stared at the unchanging sky, trapped in her gilded cage. How long had she been here? She clung to the hope that Hachiman would come for her, yet felt powerless, merely existing day after day. A voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Still wearing that mournful, tearful look, Titania," Sugou said. "But that's when you're most beautiful."
"Stop calling me that, Oberon—or rather, Sugou-san," Asuna said sharply.
Sugou shrugged, exasperated. "When will you open up to me?"
"You lock me in this place and expect that?" Asuna said. "That day will never come."
"You think someone's coming to save you?" Sugou said. "By the way, two young men—your acquaintances—visited your hospital room recently."
Asuna's expression shifted, and Sugou clicked his tongue, annoyed.
"So, your hope lies with one of them," he said. "The hero Kirito-kun? Or Hachiman-kun, who lived with you?"
Hachiman-kun's alive, and he's already reached my hospital, Asuna thought, her heart lifting.
"I see," Sugou said, reading her face. "It's Hachiman-kun. I'm almost jealous."
He leaned closer. "But he hasn't returned since. When I mentioned marrying you, he seemed indifferent. Doesn't seem like he cares much."
"Hachiman-kun was indifferent?" Asuna asked, skeptical.
"Yes," Sugou said, smirking. "Disappointed? My apologies."
His twisted expression betrayed his intent to crush her spirit, but Asuna saw through it. Hachiman-kun was furious, wasn't he? But what's this marriage talk? I need to steer this conversation.
Feigning despair, she asked, "What's this about marriage?"
"You and me, of course," Sugou said.
"What?" Asuna blurted, her shock genuine.
"Exactly as I said," Sugou said. "You'll stay asleep, and we'll marry. I've already got your father's approval."
Dad might have given up on me, Asuna thought. But Hachiman-kun wouldn't let this slide. And that face Sugou made…
"You're lying," she said firmly.
"Why would you think that?" Sugou asked, eyes narrowing.
"When you mentioned Hachiman-kun, your face was full of hatred," Asuna said. "If the marriage was set, you wouldn't look like that."
"Tch, no charm at all," Sugou muttered.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Asuna shot back.
"You're insufferable," Sugou said. "Yes, that brat did something—I don't know what—but your father approved, then backtracked. It's only a matter of time, though. I control when and how you wake."
"Will it go that smoothly?" Asuna challenged.
"If it does, I'm the Yuuki heir," Sugou said. "No one will uncover this. If it doesn't, my research is nearly complete. I'll sell it to another company and disappear. Perfect plan, right? You lot are excellent test subjects."
Asuna realized Sugou's interest in her was shallow. "So, I'm just a bonus to you."
"Exactly," Sugou said, licking his lips. "A beautiful toy to enjoy once I have you."
Disgust surged through Asuna, but she pressed on. "What are you after? You're brilliant—what's this research?"
Flattered, Sugou boasted. "Finally recognizing my genius? It's the next step in full-dive tech, Asuna-san."
"The next step?" she asked.
"This tech isn't for games," he said. "It's about overloading the brain with virtual signals to control thoughts, emotions, memories—everything."
"That's… monstrous," Asuna said.
"It's already being studied globally," Sugou said. "But I'm at the top. Know why?"
Asuna stayed silent.
"Human experiments are essential," he said. "Unethical, of course. But managing SAO's servers gave me an idea—plenty of test subjects right there."
Asuna fought to contain her rage. Sugou, reveling in her reaction, continued. "Kayaba-senpai was brilliant but a fool. Wasting his talent on a game world? Pathetic. He's nowhere near me."
"You were Kayaba's junior," Asuna said.
"His work was flawless," Sugou admitted. "I couldn't touch SAO's servers directly, but rigging them to trap people here? Easy. And thanks to you and your friends, my time has come!"
Asuna muttered, "Our fault…"
"Yes," Sugou said. "I owe those foolish boys. Their rudeness? Forgiven. They've advanced my research—memory manipulation, behavioral control. Godlike work!"
"Memory…" Asuna's worst fears surfaced. "You're tampering with my memories?"
"Caught on, huh?" Sugou said. "Resist all you want—it's futile. When you wake, your memories will be gone, leaving only love for me."
"That's vile," Asuna said, dropping all pretense.
"I'd rather not deal with a puppet," Sugou said. "But if you stay defiant, I could degrade you here. I'm a gentleman, though—I'd prefer not to."
Terror gripped Asuna, but she held firm, unable to do more than listen. This man's completely mad. But if Dad knew, he'd stop this.
Gathering her courage, she asked, "Does my father know about this?"
"Of course not," Sugou said. "Only a handful do. More would cut into my profits when I sell this."
"You're despicable," Asuna said.
"Sorry, time's up," Sugou said. "I'm a busy man. Be more compliant next time, my Titania."
He left. Asuna collapsed onto the bed, hugging herself. "Disgusting… but I won't lose. Even if he tries anything, he'll never have my heart. I'll observe, think, and use every chance to escape. Hachiman-kun's working to save me. I'll fight, too."
Her enemy was powerful in this world, but Asuna vowed never to stop fighting. "Keep cheering for me, Hachiman-kun, Hachiman-kun…" she whispered, drawing strength from his name.
Meanwhile, Hachiman and Kirito were in ALO, plummeting through the sky.
"Hey, Kirito, what's this?!" Hachiman shouted.
"Weren't we supposed to start in the Spriggan capital?" Kirito yelled. "Why are we up here?!"
"That's what I thought!" Hachiman said.
They fell, the wind roaring past them.
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