"Haha, for a teenager, you sure are a doting parent!"
She smiled.
"She is our pride and joy, after all."
Yui-chan...
She still remembered the day they'd found her. Laying, in the forest, unconscious. How when she awoke, she brought a light to their virtual home, like they couldn't imagine. She was special. More so than she could have ever imagined...
You're an...AI?!
Oh, she remembered that too. The seemingly innocent, helpless child had really been an AI, who had the ability to delete a monster!
If she hadn't been removed, she might have even been able to log everyone out, then and there. If Kirito hadn't saved a piece of her, she realized with terror, that she'd still be stuck in ALO. It was Yui's admin credentials that allowed Kirito to make it through an entrance that wasn't supposed to be an entrance. To complete the quest that was not supposed to be created.
Arigato, Yui-chan...aishiteru...
And she meant it. Though she may have been an AI, her feelings were genuine. Mutually. Her daughter, her first daughter. She'd never forget her. She smiled inwardly.
"Oi, Asuna! You in there?"
She snapped back.
"Oh yeah, sorry. Let's get back to practice, okay?"
Nodding, the two girls ahead of her ran to the pool, as she followed close behind.
Yui had saved their lives. She'd brought them so much joy. And she looked forward to their being able to give her joy back today.