After staring at the ceiling for some time, I gave myself a self-reflection to calm myself further:

My name is Kazuto Kirigaya, and I'm 21-years old. It has been over a year since I married Asuna Kirigaya. We're expecting twins, one boy and one girl. We decided to horrifically name them as Eugeo and Yuuki Kirigaya. Asuna is due in about three months, and she seems to be doing perfectly fine ever since she told me the news. I tend to her whenever I can when she looks like she's in need, and she tends to me if anything bothers me. After everything we've been through, I'm pleased we made it this far to experience a new chapter in our lives. We both work for Rath at their research facility in Roppongi, under the guise as interns for the company. In actuality, we're still heavily involved with their interest in FullDive technology. I was recently appointed as Developer Assistant by Higa Takeru, who aided me in understanding the STL. Originally, I was a part-time tester for Rath, to assist in Project Alicization. After completing their goal, Alice was with me for a time until she was brought back to Rath for further research. I eventually decided to also help them maintain Alice.

Asuna became a lead tester for Rath on various projects, but were less strenuous and were short dives that didn't last longer than half an hour at a time. She seems enthusiastic about working here despite the previous events. I think it is because there wasn't much risk, and that she could still meet with me when she's done with her work. Although it's been a couple of years since Alice came to our world, I've been hopeful that other Artificial Intelligence will be able to exist in our world too. I hope it is possible for Yui to be with us in our world, and be closer to our family. To grow with her future siblings.

'Celebrating Yui's life with everyone else in the real world would be phenomenal,' I thought to myself.

Just thinking about it makes me feel strong-minded. I wanted to achieve this goal with all my energy. I'm sure we'll get there in time, but I am hoping it will be sooner rather than later. Wednesdays and Saturdays are my days off from Rath, and I'm sure Asuna will keep Alice company for today. Alice has been improving her mannerisms and overall interactions with us since she came to this world.

Alice is a lot nicer and became patient with us once she got comfortable with our world. Compared to her initial, short-tempered reveal when she was advanced by reporters, this was great progress. I can't blame her previous reactions when she came to our world. So much happened in a short amount of time. That one reporter got what was coming to him when he was asking Alice to expose her quantum brain for proof. From what Suguha told me; the dialogue was touching slightly on dark humor from the way Alice presented her irritation towards the reporter.

Suguha told me that Alice stated that she would be glad to expose her brain, but only if the reporter exposed his own brain as well. It was a bit odd and the reporter obviously had no further comments about the topic. I'm glad Alice can speak her mind; she was what I imagined how a true person should act. From thinking about what was asked and stating it in their own way without having anything holding her back. Initially Alice was staying with Sugu and I for a while, but after Unital Ring she was requested to be sent back to Rath for further analysis. We didn't know what was going to transpire from their demand, but we consented only if I was able to visit her in Rath. They agreed, and after some time I was the one that mainly tended to Alice when I was available.

The experience from learning the fundamentals of STL from Rath was significant to me. Since I also learned a lot about every component's function in Alice's mainframe and how it was possible for her to be in our world. It gave me hope that Yui could be sent to this world as well. The idea of her being able to exist in this world seems plausible, but it would be a challenge since Yui isn't born with a fluctlight that could synchronize with the current technology. Although, the way Yui behaves with us, it made me think of the problem differently.

Yui might not be created with a fluctlight, but she might be a prototype… Some attempt from Kayaba's doing... But she's a Top-down AI... Who cares?

She wasn't created with a copy of a newborn soul, yet it may have been an attempt at allowing her to resemble as a fluctlight. At least from what I can gather, she behaves similarly as a fluctlight, even though she's considered a program. Even though Asuna and I know Yui more than anyone else, she was still a mystery to us. I believe she's more than a program. She's a living being just like us, like Alice and everyone else in the Underworld. Sure, Yui is existing differently compared to those in the Underworld. I understand that she is a Top-down AI, instead of a Bottom-up like the souls in the Underworld. However, she still has thoughts, emotions, and actions that reflect towards their own. After repeating similar ramblings about my thought-process and conscience, as well as what has emerged for the past few years felt melancholic. I realized I've been in this deep thought process for quite a while, so I turned my head to see that it was now 7:08 AM. The light from the private window of the bedroom was narrow, about the width of a textbook that extended about half a meter near the top of the wall. Hanging over our large, king-sized mattress. I snapped out of my thoughts, noticing the room getting brighter by the minute.

'Well that was a good warm-up for my mind. I hope everything turns out alright today,' as I considered what to do next.

Instantly, I felt a slight nudge on the left side of my chest. A familiar warmth that made me forget everything I was thinking about. I realized Asuna turned on her side towards me, still asleep. Her pink silk robe draped across her entire body. Laced with a lighter shade of purple, with a lavender sash that made it comfortable for her to rest while she was in gestation. I forgot that it was going to be a cold day, the forecast said it would be chilly for the next few days. At least the linen is keeping us both warm at the moment. I've been wearing shades of dark blue to vibrant orange long-sleeves and black sweatpants to bed. It did the trick to keep myself warm enough, but not overheated.

My forearm was still pinned towards her side, not that it was restricting any blood flow, but it was considerably restrained compared to when it was just on her shoulders. She wasn't supposed to get up for another twenty minutes, but I may as well wake her up.

I sighed, and finally poked her cheek lightly with my index finger.

"Hmmh?" She muttered, without any awareness to what I did to wake her.

"Good morning Asuna," I said briefly.

She yawned, "Good morning, Kirito-kun. Did you sleep well?"

I shook my head.

"Not really, I had a bad dream, but I'm fine now." I tried saying this without causing suspicion, but I can tell she didn't buy it.

She realized she was laying on my forearm and brought herself upward, still trying to orient herself.

"What time is it?" She asked, with slight concern on her face.

I respond diligently,"About ten after seven, I woke you up a bit earlier than usual. Sorry about that."

She smiled, and tried to wrap her arms around me while I laid on the bed. She moved her head against the left side of my chest, listening to my heartbeat.

"That's alright Kirito-kun, let's just appreciate our time together for now," she said softly.

Although it was routine, my soul tended to melt by the act of her finding comfort with me being alive. She showed even more concern on her face, and observed how I was acting.

I frowned.

She attempted to open me up about my nightmare, with tremendous care in her words. "Are you sure you're fine? I know it has been a few months since you had another nightmare, you can talk to me about it if you wish."

Normally, each of us would talk about our dreams if they bothered us enough. We've been doing that to help cope with any emotions we felt. Fortunately, we have been getting less nightmares for the past year, so we rarely have a reason to vent as often. However, I felt like talking to her about it tonight so that I don't worry her today. I know she doesn't mean any harm. I shouldn't be afraid to tell her about it. However, I needed more time to think about what I experience.

I reassured her, "I'm fine. But I don't mind telling you about it tonight, is that alright with you?"

"Yes, Kirito-kun. We can talk about it tonight," she said in a disappointing tone.

I looked at her for a brief moment, then looked away at the photographs again.

Was it that important? Not the time to think about that, I said what felt necessary. I decided to change topics so we can move on from this topic. Worrying about what to do with ourselves for the rest of the morning. I want to discuss it later when I felt better about expressing what was represented in my bizarre dream.

"Are you up for some pancakes and eggs? My treat, I'll even brew your favorite tea!" I said nonchalantly, as I turned my eyes back to her.

She raised her head at me and nodded with delight.

I know she just doesn't mind when I cook for her. She knows that I mastered basic cooking, but I was still having trouble with preparing difficult dishes. They required extreme attention to detail and one mistake could ruin the entire meal. Usually, I fetch the ingredients and do some of the smaller tasks to help her out with the tough meals. Still, it made me happy that she would be interested in me making a simple meal. Though I feel there's a catch.

Asuna responded with earnest, "Don't make mine scrambled this time please, and go easy on applying the syrup!"

I nodded.

"Okay, but I'll still make my portion scrambled, and take the syrup for myself!" Humoring her response.

After she heard my answer, not appreciating what I said in jest, she paused briefly to give me another request.

"Also, if you don't mind getting something for me, I've been craving chocolate for the past few weeks. Since there's only one box of them left in the kitchen..."

"Alright Asuna, I'll buy a dozen more boxes of chocolate when I'm done making breakfast. Okay?" I said with declaration.

She playfully rolled over to my side, locking her eyes with mine.

"You better! Besides, you're going to be needing that last box to crush the remaining pieces up for the pancake batter." She tugged at my arm to make sure I was listening.

I sighed, "You know I was going make you chocolate pancakes again, but I'll make sure your eggs aren't scrambled this time."

"Good."

I appreciate the little things in moments like these, being only worried about how we were going to treat ourselves to breakfast. Nothing substantial to deal with, no dire circumstances to ruin our moods or put us in danger. Just us together, enjoying our company. She smiled, and cupped my cheeks with her hands, leaning in for a kiss. I slightly reacted, but I've been used to these surprises from her. I embraced her again, hugging her snugly to lock our lips. We remained in this position for several moments before she parted from my lips, my face still radiating. She looked at me intently, and gently pressed her forehead against mine.

"You really are caring, you know?" She whispered to my ear softly.

"Over pancakes? Come on, you know you've done much more for me. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me." I said, leaving a warm smile.

She extremely grinned from my immediate response, the biggest smile I've seen since we got married.

'What's gotten into her?' I thought to myself.

I reciprocated her grin with my smile, still waiting for her explanation.

"I just, I just can't believe it. It's like a daydream," she exclaimed.

I was confused. Did she mean something about us being together still after all this time? Throughout all the pain? Before I could think of any other reasons, she spoke again.

"We're finally a happy family, and we can live out our lives as best as we can. I couldn't have it any other way, Kirito-kun."

"Yeah, I'm a bit nervous about raising two kids at once," I muttered.

"We dealt with Yui, I'm sure we'll be fine taking care of Eugeo and Yuuki. We only have to do a bit more work than usual," she said.

Despite her words, I doubt that it will be slightly difficult. I know it is a huge responsibility, there is a lot more care involved with handling children on a day-by-day basis. Yui was the stepping stone in understanding that care, but the extremities facing the constant attention of infants and their needs will take more time. Hopefully it doesn't completely hinder my time with Yui, as I care about her as much as I will about them. I cleared my mind and nodded towards Asuna in agreement.

"You're right, there's nothing that's too difficult for us."

As soon as I answered, Asuna pleasingly nodded, and was ready to get out of bed.

"Well, let's get to it then. We got another day ahead of us," she stated ambitiously.

"Alright, you get yourself ready, I'll start on breakfast."

She got out of bed first and stretched. Her hair flowed around for a moment, still pretty as I remembered. I stretched and controlled my breathing. Taking my time before getting out of bed, mainly thinking about how the rest of the week will go. She hummed her way to the private bathroom, getting her beauty products ready before she went to shower. I walked out of the bedroom, feeling the cold air that began to dissipate once I turned on the heat to a comfortable level. I went downstairs to get breakfast ready, turning on the lights along the way.

As I walked down to the kitchen, I was instantly looking for Asuna's tea box. After I spotted it and retrieved her favorite one. I started to boil a small pot of water that was enough to fill our teapot. While it was boiling, I started to get the ingredients for the pancake mix.

It didn't take too much effort, although instant mix would be better and less time-consuming. Since it is for Asuna, I'll take the additional time making my own mix. I get myself a bowl, and make sure I have the ingredients on standby.
I take the chocolate out of the last remaining box, it appeared to be enough for both of us. I start cutting them into pieces so it becomes easier to mix into the batter. I sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar to make an opening in the center of the bowl. Next, I poured the milk, eggs, and melted butter into the center. Finally, I gathered all the chocolate pieces and dumped them into the bowl before mixing constantly. After a few minutes, the consistency was enough for me to start cooking. I noticed the water was boiling from the small pot, and quickly cut off the stove's heat.

I started cooking with our electric griddle, which had enough room to cook a couple of pancakes and two eggs. I cooked my batch first; I cracked my eggs and gave myself enough batter on the griddle for just two chocolate pancakes. I heard the water from upstairs stop after I poured the batter onto the griddle. I figured I had about fifteen minutes left. Plenty of time before she got down here.

While the eggs and pancakes were cooking, I brought the hot water and poured it in the teacup with the tea bag. I was told to let it steep for four minutes, not a minute longer. I then went to the griddle to flipped the pancakes. Once I was done, I served myself the stack, and then served myself the eggs I cooked before scrambling them on my plate. After it was four minutes, I removed the tea bags and poured myself a cup. The tea was pretty good, so it didn't need further time steeping.
I think I overdid it on the chocolate flavor, but it works for the time being. I poured myself a helping of syrup, before I check my tea again. The tea tasted alright with the pancakes, but I normally prefer milk with how sweet these were. Now I need to focus on Asuna's serving.

I'm fairly certain she wants at least three pancakes and a couple of eggs, but I have enough for more. I had to make sure her eggs were over easy with salt on the yolks, because I keep forgetting that she does not like them scrambled. I got the two eggs over easy onto her plate, followed by the three pancakes. I salted the yolks, sparingly poured syrup on the top of her pancakes, and poured her tea.

I heard movement from the top of the stairwell. I saw Asuna finish braiding her hair, and beginning to walk down the stairs once she was done. She was wearing a loose-fitting sweater that overlapped her large white t-shirt that was tucked into her dark khakis. While she was holding one hand on the handrail, I quickly lend my hand, walking her down to the kitchen. Her hair was still wet, but would dry by the time we were finished eating. She probably was eager to drink her tea than anything else.

I started eating my portion after I unplugged the griddle, leaving the teapot in the middle of our dinning table. I paused for a moment, and stared at her. She took one bite from the chocolate pancakes I prepared for her, and quickly cutting more pieces of it in haste. It brings back memories of when I gave her bread and then some cream to help with the taste. I guess the pancakes are that good if she's eating them that passionately.

"Do you need any butter?" I asked.

She quickly shook her head in denial.

"O-of course not!" She said abruptly.

She maneuvered her left hand towards the teacup and quickly gulped down half of its contents. I tried my hardest to not even produce a giggle from that interaction.

"Are you sure? It seems to be a bit dry. What about syrup?" I asked.

"Fine, I thought I wouldn't need to drink that much tea with it," she grumbled.

Upon her quest I poured a bit more syrup, and she became satisfied with the consistency of her pancakes now. We ate the remaining portion of our breakfast, the eggs were alright, but she was really livid about the pancakes.

"Make me another one, Kirito-kun," she asked firmly.

I happily accepted her request.

After I made another one for her, she ate it with precision. Not even with additional syrup or washing it down with tea. She smeared the pieces of pancake around the plate to get as much syrup absorbed onto them as possible. I was humored, but thrilled that they were to her liking.

"How did you like the pancakes?" I asked.

She tilted her head slightly.

"Really good, I should have taken my time eating them though," she said with affirmation.

"Yeah I was surprised at how fast you ate those pancakes," I teased.

"I wasn't trying to eat them quickly, but I couldn't get enough of them."

"Well I'm glad you enjoyed them, but what about your tea?"

She slightly leaned towards the table.

"Perfect, it was really refreshing and complimented the pancakes."

"I still think drinking milk would have been better with these pancakes," I winced.

I picked up each plate and put them in the sink to rinse off the remaining residue before it dried. I also took the teacups and gave them a fair rinse before placing them back on our display cabinet. I walked to the kitchen counter and started putting the ingredients up.

"Leave the rest of the kitchen equipment to me, I'll put everything back after you go to work."

"Aww. Come on Kirito-kun, work doesn't start until ten for me," she said adamently. "I got over an hour before I have to take a 20-minute commute to Roppongi."

"Okay Asuna, let's clean this up. Together."

She nodded in agreement.

It didn't take long to put everything in order, but we had to make sure they were properly placed correctly. After that, I wiped down the table and counters, making sure no residue was left from the pancakes. After I was done, I checked the weather again if anything changed. Today's forecast was likely to have showers starting in the afternoon, I have to remember to give Asuna her umbrella when she comes home early.

"Are we done?" she said.

"Yeah, you can go freshen up, I can wait."

She nodded, and went back to our private bathroom, getting herself ready for work.

I looked at my planner for this week. I've been trying to to get as many people involved with the 75-Floor Raid Boss in New Aincrad today. Asuna would be back by 4 PM, but I'm not sure if the storm will cause her to be late. She's also going to try and get Rath to let Alice join us in the raid if possible. Sinon might be hesitant, but I'll call to be safe. Lisbeth and Silica texted our group chat that they'll be ready by then. Klein responded about an hour ago and said he'll be up for it. Agil texted last week that he'll return from vacation by this morning, so I might see a message pop up sometime later. I lurked on my group chats for a few minutes, before I heard a familiar voice speak to me.

"I'm done, Kirito-kun!"

I watched her with a smile on her face, her eyes now shining like amber. She wore a lavender knitted cap and scarf to match her sweater. She already knew it would be somewhat chilly for the next few days, so there was no need to say anything about the temperature outside.

"You look great, Asuna!"

I closed my phone, and went to get freshened up despite not going anywhere today. She responded to my compliment with a slight blush, watching me briefly walk upstairs before I went to the private bathroom. I quickly brushed my teeth and washed my face with a cool rag. I gazed into the mirror a few times, making certain there wasn't any food stuck to my face. After I dried myself with a dry rag, I checked the time on my phone and it was 9:34 AM. Once I was done and came back down to the living room, I noticed she was on her phone for a brief moment. I went back downstairs to give Asuna her umbrella that was near the front door.

"The forecast said it was going to rain by the time you get back home," I stated.

We looked at each other and smiled for brief moment. Then, we both uncontrollably wrapped our arms around each other. She buried her face deep into my chest, weeping out of joy.

"Thank you…"

I couldn't react to what said other than nodding my head. A small stream tapered down my cheek from my right eye, still smiling at her.

"Have a great day at work, I love you!" I said softly.

"I love you, too!"

We caressed each others foreheads swiftly, but eventually let go of each other. I opened the front door and made sure nothing was obstructing her path to her car. I led her outside and we waved to her once she got in her car. She started her car and began driving away. I closed the front door after I could no longer see her vehicle.

I stood in the front of the living room, frozen from the sense of euphoria. I don't how it happened; we normally experience days that are similar in feeling. This kind of day is commonplace in our lives, and sure we had some arguments throughout our relationship. However, something about today is unique for us, but I cannot figure out why it is significant.

Could it be my dream? Is it somehow connected? Maybe.

I hesitate for a moment, but I shook my body to get out of this state of paralysis. I went and took a shower still feeling joyful about today. Once I got done with my shower, I went in my pajamas to nap on the couch. I wanted to watch some shows before drifting to sleep for the entire morning. I was about to drift into sleep, then I got a notification from my phone out of the blue. I checked my phone and it was from Asuna. At first, I thought it was an emergency, but it was only an automated reminder.

"Wait a minute," I muttered.

However, it made me panic more than an emergency, the message she sent told me I had to completely clean the house today, from the inside and the outside. Which would at least take several hours to do if I don't take any breaks. It was an alert I forgot about completely; the last reminder was back on Saturday.

"Asuna!" I yelled flailing my arms about within the confines of the living room, still laying down on the couch.

No wonder she reacted that way. I thought she was reacting over pancakes and me giving her an umbrella. She just thought I remembered the chores that were meant to be done today. Because of my attitude, it seemed like I was attentive and responsible with everything that was summed up to her needs. Obviously, I forgot about these chores despite the multiple reminders she gave me. After I accepted my own error in this situation, I laughed at myself. I checked the time on my phone, and it was a little after ten. Hoping I can get done by lunch, I raised my body up from the couch.

"I guess I'll start these damn chores now," I said to humor myself.

Thank you for reading Chapter 2!