:: Author's Note ::
Okay, so there was a reason I took some time off from posting this story for a while, and its name was chapter ten. I've been trying to keep my representation of autism as accurate as humanly possible whilst still telling a compelling and gripping story within the SAO universe. And to that end, I've written this chapter.
But man was it emotionally draining. I didn't think that the subject material would get to me quite as much as it seemed to writing out one of the scenes in this chapter, but I was mistaken. Fair warning it's about to get a little emotional.
I'll go ahead and put out a trigger warning as well for emotional trauma. There's a scene in this chapter in which we get the perspective of Kazuto's mother, Midori, and the hardships she's had to endure raising and caring for a child with autism. I've done the best I can to do justice for the scene, but it may be upsetting to some. Especially those who've had to live through this sort of thing before.
Now all of that said, this chapter does still end on a happy note. So while things do get a little heavy at first, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
With that, I give you Chapter Ten, at long last.
:: End Note ::
Suguha was up bright and early the next day to get ready for school, as usual. After saying good morning to her mother, she ran upstairs to wake her brother up.
"Kazuto, breakfast is ready," she called after knocking on his door.
No answer. She knocked again.
"Kazuto? You awake?"
Again, no response. Odd, she thought. Normally by now her brother was awake and on his computer. Feeling just the tiniest bit nosey she decided to open the door and peek her head inside.
"Kazuto?" she whispered. "Are you feeling okay? You're not getting sick are…you?"
She turned white as a sheet and her jaw hit the floor. Kazuto was still asleep only...he wasn't alone. Asuna was there curled up on his arm, also blissfully asleep, her chest rising and falling quietly.
"Wh...what in the world?" Suguha muttered to herself, unable to believe what she was seeing.
Asuna's eyes fluttered open and she slowly lurched up, groaning sleepily as she stretched her back and yawned. She blinked several times before looking down at Kazuto, and then up at Suguha.
"Umm...hi." She waved awkwardly.
It took a minute, but Asuna eventually woke up enough for the gears to start turning. As it slowly dawned on her where she was and who was laying next to her her eyes grew big and her face heated up like a thermometer. She looked down one more time at the sleeping Kazuto before yelling in indignant surprise and stumbling backwards off the bed.
"Omigod! Omigod! Omigod! What am I still doing here?! What time is it?!" she asked frantically.
"It's...just a little past seven," Suguha responded, still slightly in a state of shock.
"Wait, as in like seven in the morning?!" she panicked, her face turning crimson again.
Suguha silently nodded her head.
"Oh God, I fell asleep!" Asuna bemoaned, sounding completely mortified in the process. "Suguha, I promise you, this isn't what it looks like. We were just…"
"I'm...just gonna go let mom know you're here." She pointed to the door.
Suguha quickly bolted out of the room. Whereupon Asuna buried her face in her hands. This was beyond embarrassing. She couldn't believe she just spent the night in Kazuto's room! Slowly, the boy who's shoulder she'd just been using as a pillow lurched up from his bed and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"Morning…" he grumbled.
"Err...good morning," she replied awkwardly.
Upon hearing Asuna's voice Kazuto's back stiffened and he slowly turned his head. She kept her gaze away, her face crimson.
"Wait...Asuna? What are you still doing here?"
She groaned in embarrassment before finally standing back up. "We must have fallen asleep. It's seven in the morning."
He nodded, seemingly less than bothered by that fact. "That makes sense, I suppose." His gaze turned to one of curiosity. "Wait...why do you look upset?"
Before she could answer, the door to his room gently creeped open and a middle aged woman stepped in, a slightly bewildered look on her face.
"Morning, Mom," Kazuto smiled. "This is my friend, Asuna Yuuki."
"Hi…Mrs. Kirigaya." Asuna waved incredibly awkwardly. This was easily one of the most uncomfortable situations she'd ever been in.
"Hello," she responded, still looking somewhat perplexed by this development. "Kazuto, did she stay here all night with you?"
"We were both really tired after the SAO server went offline," he explained. "So I let her sleep here. Is that okay?"
"In...the same bed?" Midori asked while turning her gaze over to Asuna, who looked completely mortified at that moment.
He nodded. "Yeah. Why?"
"Oh...oh dear." She placed a hand to her brow and shook her head from side to side. "Kazuto, that was really inappropriate. You should have told me your friend was still here. Suguha and I thought she had left."
He frowned softly. "I'm sorry. It was late, and I didn't want to wake you up."
"And that's very considerate," she assured him. "But you still should have told me she was sleeping in your room."
Kazuto lowered his head shamefully. "Is it because I had a friend stay the night without asking first?"
"N...no," she responded candidly. "You're eighteen. I don't mind you having friends stay over here. But at the very least, I could have folded out the mattress in the living room downstairs for you while she slept up here."
He just looked confused. "Why? I still had plenty of room. It was comfy."
Midori sighed wearily and shook her head. "That's not the issue. Listen, Kazuto, it's different when your friend is a girl. You can't just sleep in the same bed together like that. It's not appropriate."
Kazuto considered her words for a moment before responding.
"Is this sort of like the underwear thing?"
"Oh God…" Asuna buried her face in her hands pitifully.
"Underwear...thing?" Midori asked, concern returning to her eyes.
He turned his head away and blushed. "Yesterday, while we were calibrating Asuna's NerveGear, I accidentally looked at her underwear. She told me you should never do that without consent first. That it's the same as touching."
Midori's mouth fell open silently while Asuna turned completely away.
"But she asked me to lay down next to her," he continued. "Doesn't that qualify as consent?"
Asuna shook her head repeatedly while turned away. This was easily the single most embarrassing moment of her entire life. Realizing the poor girl was likely about to start crying if something wasn't done, Midori put the issue aside and knelt down next to her son.
"Well alright then. If you got consent first then that's okay."
"Are you sure?" he asked nervously. "Asuna looks upset. Did I mess up again?"
She shook her head assuredly. "No, you didn't. I promise. Now it's time to get ready for school. Okay?"
Kazuto nodded in understanding before standing up and heading to the bathroom. Once he was gone Midori breathed a sigh of relief before shaking her head and chuckling. She then stood up and addressed Asuna next.
"Mrs. Kirigaya, I am so so sorry!" Asuna finally turned around the moment Kazuto was out of the room. "I didn't…"
Midori placed a finger over her lips before pointing to the washroom. Once she heard the water running she allowed the mortified girl to continue.
"I didn't mean for this to happen," Asuna spoke in a much softer tone, her face still beet red from embarrassment. "Kazuto and I were both tired and I wasn't thinking clearly and the whole situation is a…"
She started rambling at a mile a minute whereupon Midori placed her hands tenderly against Asuna's face. "Sweetheart, are you okay?"
"I...I'm fine." She started rambling again. "This is just so embarrassing. I promise you I'm not the sort of girl to just…"
"Okay, take a slow deep breath," Midori insisted in a motherly tone.
Asuna inhaled.
"Now slowly breath out."
She slowly exhaled.
"Now once more, and this time count to ten in your head."
Asuna did as instructed, holding her breath as she counted to ten.
"And then slowly exhale."
She slowly released the air in her lungs, having effectively calmed down.
"Feeling better?" Midori asked with a patient smile.
Asuna nodded. "Much better, thank you."
She chuckled quietly. "If there's one advantage to raising a boy like my son, it's that you learn quite a few tricks for dealing with a meltdown."
Asuna laughed awkwardly, still clearly a little embarrassed. "I guess so…"
"Now I promise you, I'm not upset. So please don't work yourself up needlessly," Midori spoke in that same overtly calm and soothing voice. "But I would like to know what happened yesterday."
Her face flushed again and she broke her gaze. Asuna proceeded to explain everything while providing some much needed clarification and context. During which time Midori simply stood there and quietly listened.
"So that's all it was?" Midori smiled at her warmly upon hearing the conclusion. "Well alright then."
"I'm really sorry, Mrs. Kirigaya," she insisted vehemently. "I never meant for this to happen."
Midori waved her off assuringly. "Think nothing of it, Dear. So long as you and my son are both okay, that's all I care about."
Asuna finally smiled again. "Thank you for being so understanding."
"It's no trouble at all. Now how do you like your eggs? We're doing pancakes for breakfast."
Midori was kind enough to let Asuna use her washroom, during which time, she ran her school uniform through the washer and dryer. Afterwards, she was kind enough to treat her to breakfast. Something Asuna was quick to notice was just how patient and gentle Kazuto's mother was. Basically the exact opposite of her own mom. Midori never seemed to speak above a quiet murmur, and she clearly had a very soft and kind demeanor. It was incredibly nice to see, in all honesty.
As comforting as she was, Asuna couldn't help but feel a little awkward sitting next to Kazuto's sister while she tried to play twenty questions with her.
"So let me get this straight," Suguha continued after taking another bite of her eggs. "You put this helmet on and lay there for hours...and it feels like days are passing by?"
Asuna nodded. "Kazuto explained to me how it worked. Something to do with…what did you call it again? The cicadian...circudian…?"
"The circadian rhythm," Kazuto answered. "By manipulating the hypothalamus with microwaves, you can alter one's perception of time."
"See, that just doesn't sound healthy to me," Suguha insisted. "I mean...microwaves? You know we also use those to cook things right? How do you guys know you're not frying your brains?"
"From what Kazuto told me, the microwaves in the NerveGear aren't nearly strong enough to do that," Asuna explained.
He shook his head. "The EMF levels are well within acceptable boundaries."
"Dr. Sojiro told me they're more akin to probes than radiation," Midori spoke up. "This technology was actually supposed to be used for medical purposes. Isn't that interesting?"
"Uhh, more like scary," Suguha retorted. "Brain probing doesn't sound much better."
Asuna chuckled at her. "Trust me, I understand. I almost chickened out at the last second when Kazuto told me how it worked." She sat back in her chair and basked in the memories of Aincrad. "But when I finally took that plunge, it was unlike anything I'd ever experienced before. It really did feel like I'd been transported to another world."
She shrugged before taking another bite of her food. "All I'm saying is you couldn't pay me to put on one of those crazy space helmets."
"It's not a space helmet," Kazuto insisted, a hint of agitation in his voice.
Suguha frowned at that. "I wasn't being serious." He didn't respond, prompting Suguha to fold her arms and look away. "I guess I just don't see the appeal." Her eyes looked slightly downcast. "I mean...what's so wrong with living in this world?"
"Alot," Kazuto responded bluntly.
She glared at him despite herself. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Suguha, don't," Midori insisted.
"You asked what's wrong with living in this world. I'm only saying what I believe," he responded indifferently. "There's too many variables we have no control over and no way to handle them due to a severe inability to communicate. That's true even if you're neurotypical."
Suguha's entire demeanor soured. "Well if this world sucks so much, why not just move to Aincrad then?"
He shrugged. "I would if I could. Unfortunately that's not yet possible with today's technology."
Asuna frowned worriedly as a tense silence filled the air. It was clear to her and Midori both that his words really hurt Suguha.
"Whatever…" She pushed her chair out and stood up before storming off.
"Suguha, come back," Midori insisted gently.
She was answered by nothing but a door slamming, causing Kazuto to flinch. Midori sighed wearily before sitting back down.
"Did I mess up again?" he asked, seemingly retreating in on himself once more.
"No, Kazuto. But remember what we talked about the other day? Regarding how the words we say can often be misinterpreted by others if we're not careful with how we use them?"
He nodded. "I remember. But I don't see how my words could have been misinterpreted. Aincrad is an objectively better world than Earth is. I'd be a lot happier if I could just live there."
Midori was about to speak up when Asuna suddenly did it for her.
"Kazuto." She placed her hands over his and spoke in a gentle yet no less firm voice. "Think about what it is you're saying for a moment."
He turned his head away meekly at her gaze as a small nervous frown formed over his features. "I don't understand…"
"Your mother and your sister are both a part of this world," she continued. "Even if you didn't mean to, that's why Suguha's feelings were hurt. You made it sound like she doesn't matter to you anymore."
Kazuto's mouth fell open and his eyes slowly grew wider. "But…" Tears started to well up in his eyes. "...that's not what I said at all. Why would I say that to Suguha?"
"You didn't," she assured him. "I know you would never intentionally say anything to hurt her. It was just a simple miscommunication. Nothing more."
His expression went from sad to angry as he began tugging at his hair. "It's always a miscommunication. I hate this stupid language. These stupid words that...just…"
Kazuto started violently scratching his scalp while growling at himself in frustration. The unwanted thoughts were buzzing in his head again. Midori was about to intervene, but there was no need. Much to her utter astonishment, Asuna had it covered.
"Kazuto. Kazuto, look at me." She gently placed a hand on his cheek and turned his gaze towards her. "It's going to be okay. Do you hear me? I'm right here."
Slowly but surely he began to calm back down, though he was still fidgeting in his seat.
"Listen, we're going to fix this. Okay? Just like how you fixed that window I broke in the Town of Beginnings."
"How?" he asked despondently.
"We're gonna go upstairs to your sisters room and apologize to her."
"I...I don't know if I can do that." He looked as though he might start tugging on his hair again. "Suguha doesn't like people going into her room. What if I just make her mad at me again?"
She shook her head vehemently. "You're not going to. I'm gonna be right next to you the entire time."
Asuna guided Kazuto up the stairs, leaving a completely dumbstruck Midori sitting in her seat. Never in her life had she seen anyone handle one of Kazuto's meltdowns quite as well as she just did.
No doubt about it, something about this girl was special.
Asuna led Kazuto upstairs to his sister's room, where she proceeded to knock on the door. Suguha slowly opened it and stepped out, her gaze cast to the floor. From the way her cheeks were all red and puffy, it was clear she'd been crying.
"What do you want?" she asked pitifully while wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket.
"Suguha, there's something that Kazuto wants to say to you," Asuna spoke gently before turning to the reserved teenager standing next to her.
He kept his gaze turned away, his fingers tapping rapidly against his thumb.
"Go ahead," Asuna encouraged. "Just like we practiced."
It took him a full minute and a half to respond. "S...sorry for...what I said to you, Suguha."
His little sister stared at him in disbelief. This was the first time Kazuto had ever apologized for something in person. Normally it was always secondhand through their mother.
"I know that...my words sometimes don't come out the way I mean them. But I wasn't trying to hurt your feelings."
After a moment, Suguha's expression softened and she sighed in a melancholy tone. "I know you didn't, Kazuto. It wasn't what you said that hurt my feelings. I'm just worried you'll forget about me."
"I don't think that's possible. I have an eidetic memory."
She shook her head. "N...no, that's not what I meant. Kazuto, I'm worried that when this game comes out or whatever, Mom and I will never see you again."
He still looked confused. "But I'll have to log out every now and then. I still need to eat three meals a day, exercise so my muscles don't atrophy, and do regular programming work so I can help mom with the bills."
"Yeah, but those are all things you can do in your room," she insisted. "And you often do." Suguha drooped again. "I'm worried you'll never want to spend time with me anymore."
Kazuto remained silent.
"Look…" She turned her gaze back up to him. "...I get that we're not little kids anymore. You've got your own life to live, and I respect that. But…" Suguha placed her hands on his shoulders. "I still want to be part of it. You're still my big brother, Kazuto. That's not gonna change because of some game. I just want to know that, at the end of the day, when you're done adventuring or whatever…"
She placed a hand against his cheek.
"...you'll come home."
For the longest time, he didn't say a word. Until finally Kazuto smiled and nodded.
"Okay."
Suguha narrowed her eyes at him and raised her pinky into the air. "Promise me, okay?"
He frowned at that. "A pinky promise? I thought you said we weren't kids anymore."
She glared at him before raising her pinky higher in the air. He sighed before finally locking his pinky with hers.
"I promise I'll remember to come home," he assured.
Suguha smiled before hugging him tight. "I love you, Kazuto. So does Mom. We just want to make sure you understand that."
Kazuto hugged her back. "I do."
She beamed up at him happily. "Hey, could you take a look at my school computer? It's doing that thing again."
"Which thing?" he asked curiously. "The thing where it pops up with a blue error screen? Or the thing where it gets stuck in an updating loop over and over again."
Suguha looked back into her room before turning back to him and scratching her head awkwardly. "Yes…"
Kazuto sighed wearily. "I'll take a look."
He joined Suguha in her room. During which time, Asuna decided to head back downstairs. Waiting for her in the living room was Midori, drinking her morning coffee.
"How is he?" she asked.
Asuna nodded assuredly. "Much better now, Mrs. Kirigaya."
"You can just call me Ms. Midori, Dear. We're not that traditional in this family." She set her coffee down and patted the spot next to her. "Can you spare a moment?"
"Of course." Asuna took a seat next to her whereupon Midori picked up her coffee and took a sip.
"I can't thank you enough for what you did earlier."
She blushed at Midori's words. "It really wasn't that big a deal. I just did what felt right in the moment."
"I've been spending the better part of eighteen years trying to understand my son as well as you seem to," Midori admitted before taking another sip of her coffee. "There are days I still wonder if I'm doing everything I can."
"I wouldn't claim to know him nearly as well as you do."
Midori smiled sadly before setting her cup down and folding her arms in her lap. "You would be surprised. The truth is, you've seen more of Kazuto in the past day than either Suguha or I have seen in the last two years."
Asuna frowned at her in concern. "Really?"
She nodded. "Not from lack of trying, mind you. But..." Midori sighed before rubbing her eyes with her thumb and middle finger. "...I'm only one woman. Raising a child with the condition my son has...it's one of the single hardest things in the world to do. And I've had to do it for most of my life almost completely alone."
Asuna narrowed her eyes at her curiously. "What about Kazuto's father?"
At that, Midori's expression seemed to darken. "We barely see him anymore. He'll still write on occasion, and we get our monthly support check on time." She lowered her head and shut her eyes. "But beyond that...he's practically a stranger to us...to me."
"What do you mean? Why does he never come home?"
She placed a hand over her wounded heart. "I have...long suspected that my husband has another family in the US."
Asuna clasped two hands over her gaping mouth. "Your...your husband is cheating on you?!"
Midori remained silent, choosing not to answer.
"Why?" She was still reeling from this revelation. "Why on Earth would he do that?"
Again, she said nothing. Her silence spoke volumes and a horrifying thought occurred to Asuna in that moment.
"Don't tell me...it's because of Kazuto?"
Midori gripped the hem of her skirt tightly. Asuna meanwhile, felt sick to her stomach.
"That's...that's just…" She shook her head in disbelief. "How could anyone be that heartless? That selfish?" Her expression turned from one of grief to anger. "Kazuto is his son! He can't just abandon him like that!"
For the longest time, Midori didn't say a word. Until finally, she turned her gaze towards Asuna.
"I want to share something with you, Asuna. But first you have to promise this will stay just between us."
Asuna nodded assuredly. "Of course. I promise."
She took a deep breath and spoke."
"Kazuto...is not my biological child."
It felt as if Asuna had just been hit with a ton of bricks. "He's...he's adopted?"
She nodded in confirmation.
"Does Kazuto know?"
"He does…" Midori admitted. "Kazuto figured it out two years ago after discovering erased Juki Net records online." She chuckled humorlessly. "I don't have a clue how he found those records, but knowing my son, it doesn't surprise me that he did."
"How did he take it?" Asuna asked worriedly.
She shrugged. "About as well as any child that age could be expected to. Kazuto is many things, but he's not stupid. He knows we're his family, even if he doesn't always show it. I may not be his blood, but he is still my child. I still love him as any mother should."
Asuna smiled at that. "So long as he understands that, that's all that matters."
"Yes." She sighed guiltily. "Though we haven't told Suguha yet, which is why I rarely talk about it."
"That's understandable," Asuna assured. "Do you...mind if I ask what happened to his birth parents?"
Midori took a moment to gather her thoughts before continuing. "My son was born Kazuto Narusaka. His parents died when he was still an infant after their car was hit by an eighteen wheeler."
"Oh God…" Asuna placed her hands over her aching heart.
"His mother, Aoi, was like a sister to me. We grew up together, lived together in college, got married at the same shrine." She smiled fondly at the old memories. "When we started trying for children with our husbands, we both agreed that if anything ever happened to either one of us, we would love each other's children as if they were our own."
"You must have been devastated when she passed," Asuna observed.
"Beyond devastated," she assured in a somber tone. "Losing Aoi was like losing a piece of myself. It was one of the darkest periods of my life." Her features finally brightened into a smile again. "But...when I finished filling out those adoption papers...and they placed little Kazuto in my arms, I could see her in him. He has his mother's eyes, her hair, and her smile...even though you don't get to see it much." She sighed fondly at the memory. "When I first held Kazuto in my arms, Asuna, that boy...he healed my heart."
Asuna smiled at her before wiping a tear from her eye. "He has that effect on people."
She nodded in agreement. "He gets it from his birth mother. In a way...adopting Kazuto felt like a small piece of her had been left behind for me to protect. So I vowed to cherish and love this boy as deeply and truly as I loved his mother. As if I myself had given birth to him."
"What did your husband think about all this?"
"At first he was over the moon about it," Midori admitted. "We'd been struggling to...conceive. I was told shortly after Kazuto was born that I may never have children of my own." Her smile returned. "Adopting Kazuto felt like a blessing in disguise. Even though I lost my best friend, I also gained a child to love and raise as my own." Her gaze turned to an old photo resting on the mantle. "It's crazy to think about now, but there was a time we were a happy family. Me, my husband, and our baby son." As quickly as her smile had returned, it faded just as fast. "But...all of that changed when we discovered his condition."
"How did you find out?" Asuna asked curiously.
"He was two years old when he first started showing signs," Midori explained. "My husband had just started going overseas for work, and I had just started my job as an editor. During this time I was leaving Kazuto at a daycare center that specialized in early childhood development." Pain stabbed her with her next words. "We were trying to give him a head start in his education."
"Was it the staff that figured it out or something?"
She nodded solemnly. "I'll never forget the day I was brought into the faculty office. I thought maybe Kazuto had hit another child or something, but that wasn't it at all. Instead, I was brought to the daycare center's resident psychologist. He explained to me that the daycare staff had been noticing a pattern of behavior in my son that was alarming them. Kazuto would avoid eye contact when spoken to. He never expressed any interest in playing with the other children or caretakers and he would get visibly upset over even the slightest changes in his routine." She sighed. "And then he showed me the building blocks."
Asuna gave her a weird look. "Building blocks?"
"Kazuto loved playing with building blocks when he was very little," Midori explained. "It was one of his favorite activities at daycare according to the staff. In fact, it was the only thing he seemed to express any interest in."
"What's so abnormal about that? Tons of children that age love building blocks."
She shook her head. "It wasn't the fact he was playing with building blocks. It was the way he was playing with them that had the psychologist concerned." Midori shut her eyes and thought back to that moment in the faculty office. "To explain what he meant, he showed me two different towers made of building blocks. One of them was made by my son, and the other was made by a boy the same age as him. The one made by that boy was a disorganized mess of random colors slapped together in different positions. According to the psychologist, this was what a 'normal' child's creation should have looked like."
"And Kazuto's?"
She frowned thoughtfully. "His tower was completely different. Perfect color coordination, perfect symmetry. According to the psychologist, a boy his age shouldn't have been able to make something like this."
"That's so strange. It almost sounds like he was complimenting him," Asuna noted.
"And yet that wasn't conveyed through his voice. Only concern and worry," Midori replied morosely. "And that's when he said it. You need to have your son tested for autism."
Asuna frowned. "How did you react when he first said it?"
She cast her gaze away shamefully. "I didn't know how to react...because I didn't even know what it was." Midori sighed again. "You have to understand, back then, Japan's awareness of ASDs was poor compared to countries like the United States. If you asked a person on the street if they knew what Aspergers or ADHD was, nine times out of then, they couldn't tell you."
"That doesn't seem fair at all," Asuna insisted.
"We were ignorant because our culture encourages us to judge and treat everyone by the same standards. To a degree...we still do that to this day. My husband and I were completely blindsided by this. If our son had been born blind, or deaf, we would have known what to do because those sorts of disabilities are obvious. And the treatments for them are equally obvious. But autism? The treatment for that is never obvious. You can seek out ten different professionals for solutions, and get ten completely different answers. At the end of the day, you just have to trust your instincts as a mother and do what you think is ultimately best for your child."
"So what did you do?"
"I read books. I consulted with Doctors, with friends, anyone who I thought could help me," Midori explained. "The more I learned, the more afraid I became. It was clear early on that what my son had was not something that was ever going to go away. He would always be burdened by this condition, and by extension, so would we." Her expression glowered at her next words. "And that was when I began to notice a change in my husband's behavior."
Asuna scowled nastily at that. "I still can't believe he'd ostracize his own son simply because of the way he was born."
"To be fair, it wasn't just the diagnosis that did it. For a time, he did try to be understanding. As he still considered Kazuto to be his son." She shook her head at a particularly raw memory. "But the older he got, the more problems started to arise."
"What kinds of problems?"
"Too many to count," she admitted sadly. "What you see in Kazuto now represents eighteen years of work, counseling, and growth. To this day, he still has meltdowns." She rubbed the bridge of her nose to relieve the pressure. "But back when he was a small child? It was so much worse. My husband couldn't take it. When I suddenly became pregnant with Suguha, he started spending more and more time overseas. Eventually, my children just grew accustomed to their father never being home."
"So he just left you to raise Kazuto and Suguha all by yourself?" Asuna asked incredulously. "How did you do it?"
Midori hung her head in shame. "More than anything, Asuna, I wish I could say that I did it all purely out of the joy that came with raising my children. But that would be a lie. Especially when it comes to my son."
Something Asuna noticed as she spoke with Kazuto's mother, as patient and gentle as she appeared to be, she also sounded unbelievably tired. Not only that, there were clear and distinct lines across her face from years of living in high stress.
"Raising Kazuto was one of the single hardest things I've ever had to do in my life. It meant dealing with meltdowns on a daily basis. Over lights, over sounds, over the slightest changes to his routine, over everything. It meant days, or even weeks where he wouldn't sleep, or eat and I had no idea why. It meant years of fighting school systems for the accommodations he needed and expensive medical bills that I could barely afford to pay. It meant dealing with the guilt and embarrassment of other parents judging me for the way my child behaved in public. It meant suffering the crushing despair of explaining to my son why he was never once invited to a birthday party, or worse yet, why no other child ever showed up to one of his."
Asuna's heart broke a little more with each word she said.
"To this day, I feel tired from the many hard years of fighting and advocating for my child, with many more years to go. I feel frightened and uncertain of what the future holds for him. I feel grief for all the things he has missed out on, and all the things he may never experience. I feel alone having carried most, if not all, of this burden on my own. I feel disappointed for how little I am able to do for him." Her expression soured somewhat. "Yet at the same time, I feel resentful and frustrated for all that I have to do for him that he cannot do for himself and there is no one else that will do it for him, or me. I feel ashamed for all the times that I failed to understand him, and ended up making him feel worse instead of better as any mother is desperate to do."
She buried her face in her hands.
"But more than anything I just feel ceaseless unending guilt. Guilt for all the mistakes I've made. Guilt that I can't do more for my son. Every day I cry in my car and I pray to God that I am simply doing enough. Yet it never quite feels like it is."
Asuna could hardly believe what she was hearing. What in the world was holding this poor woman together? To struggle for all these years, raising two children completely by herself, one of whom was autistic, it was a wonder she could still find the energy to smile. Midori had given up so much of herself just to raise Kazuto as best she could, that alone was enough to make Asuna want to break down weeping.
Instead, she hugged her, much to the older woman's surprise.
"Thank you," she quietly whispered as tears streamed down her face.
"What for, Dear?" Midori asked in confusion.
Asuna sniffled a few times before wiping her eyes dry. "For sharing this with me for one. But...also...for raising Kazuto the way you have."
Her eyes went wide with surprise at Asuna's words. No one had ever said something like that to her before.
"He could have ended up with any other family and I don't think he'd have turned into the amazing boy he is now," Asuna admitted, still slightly emotional.
Finally, Midori's smile returned. "You think my son is amazing?"
"Ms. Midori…" A radiant look formed on her face, excitement in her eyes. "...you should have seen him! You should have seen your son! Kazuto is...he's simply incredible!"
Midori blinked in bewilderment. "He is?"
"I know your son is withdrawn in the real world. But in Aincrad? He's practically a superhero."
"A superhero?" The more she heard, the more invested she became. "My son?"
Asuna nodded energetically. "Kazuto is the single best player in the game. Everyone in the Beta knows who he is. They respect him." The more she spoke aloud, the more wonderment filled her voice. "No...it's more than that. They don't just respect him, they look up to him. He's their leader, their King."
Midori's eyes grew big and her mouth fell open in shock. "Their...King?"
"Yes. In the world of Aincrad, Kazuto is a King. Maybe not in name yet, but everyone already believes in him."
"They believe in him." Her eyes began to glass over. "People...believe in my son."
She put a hand over her mouth and quietly wept. Asuna frowned at her worriedly and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Ms. Midori? Are you okay?"
"Sorry." She chuckled while wiping her eyes dry, trying to compose herself. "It's just...he's never bothered to tell us any of this. No one has. Hearing you say that about Kazuto, it gives me hope for his future."
Asuna smiled at that and nodded.
"The truth is, for all the grief and guilt I often feel, it is the worrying I do that is the most draining of all," Midori admitted. "Don't mistake my words, I'm still proud of who my son is. I experience great joy and happiness towards his achievements, no matter how small." Her smile slowly faded. "But I still worry for him all the same. I worry for both my kids, sure, but with Kazuto…" She sighed. "...with Kazuto, it's different. No matter how much I may worry for Suguha's future, I have the comfort of knowing that ultimately she will be okay. She will go to college, find a career path that is successful, and one day live independently. She'll learn to drive, make plenty of friends, and eventually find a partner in life. When I am gone, I can rest easy knowing her life will, for the most part, go on as it always has."
"But you worry it won't be the same for Kazuto," Asuna surmised.
She nodded woefully. "Those assurances don't exist with my son. I don't have to worry about Suguha being taken advantage of when buying groceries, or hurt by police officers because he doesn't know how to respond to them. With Kazuto, that worry will always be there. The worry that he will never live a peaceful, happy life is always going to be there."
Her smile finally returned as she clutched her hands to her chest. "But hearing your words...knowing that there are people out there who respect and believe in my son, it gives me hope that maybe he might yet live that peaceful happy life after all."
"He's stronger than you know," Asuna assured her. "I promise you Ms. Midori. The world will not be cruel to your son forever."
Midori gazed down at her curiously as she spoke her next words.
"Soon, very soon, his life will change forever."
Silence permeated the air for a moment as she considered everything Asuna just told her. Finally, Midori placed a hand over hers and looked her in the eye with sincerity.
"This new chapter in my son's life scares me. But you seem to understand it a lot better than I do. Which is why I want to make a request. For so long as my son is exploring this new world, Asuna, I ask you please…"
Midori gripped her hand, subconsciously imploring Asuna to listen to every word.
"...watch over him for me."
Asuna considered the gravity of this request for a moment before looking back into Ms. Midori's eyes and nodding determinedly.
"I promise. No matter what, I'll protect Kazuto."
The routine did not come quite as easily as it once did to Asuna. How could it? In Aincrad, she discovered a part of herself that she never knew existed. School suddenly didn't cut it anymore. She kept her grades up, continued to act as the dutiful, honorable student as always. But the routine was just that, the routine. Nothing more, nothing less.
It was all a stall until she could get back.
A month had passed since Asuna first entered the world of SAO alongside Kirito. Since then, all her focus was on preparing for launch day. Asuna's life had become wholly consumed by SAO, meanwhile, everything that happened around her may as well have been little more than static. Whatever murmurs of judgement or rumors were spread around class, they didn't matter to her anymore. It was all just so much noise to her now.
After all, she had new friends these days. Merida would call her every day to check in, and kept her up to date via text message on her health and how her husband was doing. Though her condition hadn't improved any, the Doctors assured Merida she was still neurologically healthy enough to play with the rest of them.
Meanwhile, Argo and Pitohui continued to check in with her as well. They'd ask about how school was going, if her parents were still treating her well, and if the other students were leaving her alone. Argo even offered some advice on dealing with the gossip machine though Asuna assured her she was perfectly alright. Those girls were barely a blip on her radar now as far as she was concerned.
As for Kazuto, Asuna stayed true to her word and kept a constant eye on him for Ms. Midori. Not that she needed a whole lot of motivation for doing so. That boy was precious to her and she made sure the whole school knew it. Asuna was determined to make these next two months for him as smooth as possible. More than anything, his safety and wellbeing was her top priority. The bullies at school knew better than to try and come anywhere near him, and any student who gave him grief was quick to get an earful from Kazuto's overzealous new warden.
Though she'd effectively shunned herself from every social presence among her peer group, the teachers were more than happy to let her continue her role as Kazuto's guardian. She sat with him every day in class, keeping a watchful eye and making sure he didn't cause a disturbance. The faculty assumed she was doing all this work for a scholarship, or some public service. A sentiment shared by her parents, who were more than happy to support this budding friendship, even if it was entirely for the wrong reasons.
They could think whatever they wanted. It didn't matter anymore. They were all so completely off the mark. To Asuna, this wasn't charity, it wasn't a burden. It was an honor and a privilege to be the guardian of Aincrad's first King. This world was about to see just what Kazuto had to offer them. And truthfully? She felt a little bad for all the naysayers and doubters who scorned him. They had no clue just how famous this boy was about to become.
The Kirigaya family welcomed her with open arms. In the month that passed since Asuna first introduced herself to them, she had been spending the majority of her free time at their humble home. Ms. Midori was more than happy to have her, and even Suguha seemed to open up to Kazuto's new guardian. Though there still seemed to be a wary tension between her and his younger sibling.
Kazuto and Asuna were truly inseparable. Wherever he went, his guardian wasn't far behind. Asuna represented such a positive influence on his life, and it showed in the way Kazuto began to open himself back up to his family. Though still incredibly reserved and withdrawn at times, he was smiling again, talking with Suguha again, all the positive changes Midori had been worried he'd lost slowly started to come back.
Today would prove to be yet another step in the right direction for Kazuto. As he attempted something that seemed like an impossibility a month ago. A haircut. Ms. Midori had been at her wits end for quite some time trying to figure out a solution to the mess that was Kazuto's long tangled hair. He refused to sit still long enough to endure anything beyond a simple set of clippers, and even then not for very long. The last time his mother attempted an actual haircut appointment it ended in a rather nasty meltdown, and since then she'd just been clipping what little he would allow her to touch herself, desperate to at least get it under control enough for the school not to complain.
But Asuna wanted to give something back to Ms. Midori for all the kindness she'd shown her. So after some gentle prodding on her part, she eventually convinced Kazuto to attempt a session with her personal stylist. The salon Asuna used was very exclusive and thus very private, giving Kazuto the quiet, peaceful environment he needed while they made this attempt to surprise his mom. Asuna was right there with him the entire time, holding his hand while he went under the clippers. Though there were several moments his anxiety seemed to spike, Asuna's constant presence and reassurance helped him get through the entire appointment without much of a fuss.
Once it was over, Kazuto looked almost completely different. The change after shaving all that excess hair and trimming what remained caused a transformation that was almost as jarring as the first time Asuna saw Kazuto in his avatar. His new neat, well trimmed haircut really brought out his eyes. And the skin treatments that Asuna had been encouraging him to use had really cleared up his complexion.
As much as she didn't want to lend credence to anything her former friends used to say, she had to admit, Kazuto really did look like a young Koji Seta. Especially with the new haircut.
With the appointment a success, the two made their way down the streets of Tokyo together, heading towards their next destination. An electronics store that specialized in high end computer parts. Over the past month, while Asuna played guardian to Kazuto, he had been helping her build a high end gaming computer that would be perfect for running SAO. The specs would match his own gaming PC, and by buying the components as special orders one at a time while putting them together themselves, they effectively cut the price in half.
This also gave Asuna a way to pay for the computer herself, as opposed to relying on Kazuto again. By discreetly making small withdrawals of cash from her account, she was able to pool her money together and pay for each part in installments. The transactions were so small and innocuous that her father never seemed to notice. The one time he did bring it up, Asuna simply explained she bought lunch for her and her friends at a street vendor, and they only accepted cash. The issue was never brought up again after that.
Knowing what this money was really going to had her feeling tingly all over. It was like Asuna had a secret alter ego now. One she was keeping hidden from her parents long enough to get back to Aincrad. As it was, while they walked down the street towards the electronics store, she found herself in a particularly bright mood.
"Do you think my mom will like it?"
Upon realizing she was being spoken to, Asuna turned towards the rather shy looking Kazuto. He still seemed a little self conscious about his haircut despite her repeatedly complimenting his new look.
"She's going to be over the moon, Kazuto. I promise." She then added with a patient smile. "Do you remember that one?"
He returned her smile with one of his own and nodded. "I do. It means she'll be extremely thrilled and happy."
"How do you feel about it?"
Kazuto seemed to withdraw for a moment while running his hand through his hair. "It's different."
"It's okay if you don't like it," she assured him. "You can be honest."
He shook his head. "It's just different."
She nodded in understanding. "Well for what it's worth, I think it makes you look very handsome. And I'm sure your mother will agree wholeheartedly."
Kazuto turned his head away and blushed. "Your stylist is nice."
"Yeah. Mizuna does good work," she agreed while tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"She told me I had a glow up," he said with a hint of confusion in his voice. "What does that mean?"
Asuna snickered at that. "It's basically like a positive transformation. An upgrade if you will."
That made him smile. "Sort of like when I put on my avatar?"
She nodded. "Something like that."
They continued their journey to the electronics store, where Asuna paid for the final part she'd need for her new computer. From there, the two took a cab back to the Kirigaya residence to finish their pet project. Upon arriving at his house Kazuto opened the front door and the two stepped inside.
"I'm home!"
"Hey Kazuto!" he heard his little sister call back to him from the living room with a chipper voice. "Listen, I've got some friends from school over just so you…"
Suguha's voice trailed off as she stepped out of the living and got a good look at her brother. Her eyes slowly grew wide with shock, whereupon Kazuto turned his head away meekly.
"Well? What do you think?" Asuna asked pridefully.
She didn't respond. Suguha's face slowly lit up like a thermometer as she continued to gawk in disbelief at this well groomed stranger who had just wandered into her home.
"Is Mom home yet?" Kazuto asked shyly.
Suguha slowly shook her head, her mouth still agape.
"Asuna and I are going to go work on the computer," he declared before walking straight by her and heading towards his room. Asuna followed shortly behind while Suguha just watched them, still not saying in a word.
One of her friends from the Kendo team walked into the room and gave her a curious look. "Everything alright, Suguha?"
"Uh huh…" She nodded, still slightly in a daze.
Her friend narrowed her eyes at the stairwell and grinned. "Was that your brother I just saw? You didn't tell me he was such a cutie."
Suguha peeped in embarrassment before turning absolutely scarlet. She quickly placed a hand over her friend's mouth.
"Sh...shut up!"
When Asuna first entered the world of SAO, she wasn't sure why anyone would desire to be an artisan player. But after having helped Kazuto put together a top of the line gaming PC over the past month, she was beginning to understand it a little better. It really was cathartic building something with your own two hands. And though the idea of building a computer was a bit daunting to her at first, Kazuto assured that it was no more complicated than putting together a bookshelf or a table. Just a bit more expensive and with a few more steps required.
Everything they needed was ordered online and shipped in through the electronics store Kazuto frequented. He knew ahead of time all the specs that would be required to run the game, and was able to order hardware that would work well together. It took some doing but Kazuto was able to get his hands on a motherboard, CPU, storage, memory, graphics card, power supply, and a case. The only thing they didn't get was a monitor. Then again, they didn't need one for what she was planning to do with it. As Kazuto explained, the NerveGear came with its own built in operating system.
Once they had all the pieces, it was just a matter of putting it all together. At first, Asuna was a bit daunted by the scope of the project. Each piece came with it's own instruction manual which Kazuto was kind enough to speed read through for her before directing Asuna's attention to the assembly page.
From there, things started to make a little more sense. Putting this thing together was basically like putting together a giant Lego set. Albeit one you had to assemble on a wooden surface to avoid static discharge.
"Okay, now be very careful seating the CPU," Kazuto instructed. "Do you see the contacts on the inside?"
"The what?" Asuna asked while picking up the CPU.
"The little golden prongs," he explained while pointing to the contacts. "Whatever you do, don't touch those. Oils from your skin or a small bend in the prong will ruin it. Your CPU will basically just be a hunk of silicon by that point."
"Good to know," she responded while holding the CPU very delicately.
With the CPU in hand, Kazuto walked Asuna through the process of unlocking the socket where the CPU would rest, before lowering it in place. Once it was set, she flipped the locking mechanism.
"Okay, now we'll need the thermal paste," he instructed.
"That's that plastic syringe with the silvery goo in it, right?" Asuna asked while searching around for the appropriate item.
He nodded. "Now that your processor is seated, take a look at the shiny square of silicon in the center of it."
She did as instructed. "Okay, got it."
"That's where your heat sink is going to sit," he explained. "Your processor came with a heat sink, and on one side of it, you'll see a copper circle. You're going to be putting the heat sink directly on top of the processor after we apply the thermal paste, with the silicone square and the copper circle lining up perfectly."
"Maybe you should do this part," she insisted nervously. "I'm worried I'll mess it up."
He frowned at her thoughtfully. "You won't know unless you try. It's no fun if I do all the hard stuff."
"Okay, but this is very expensive components I'm working with, Kazuto. I don't want to screw it up and ruin the computer."
At that, he smiled at her and shook his head. "You won't. You're good at following instructions."
She chuckled. "Not sure if that's a compliment or not."
"It is," he assured. "If you can parry a floor boss's sword art, you can glue together a heat sink."
With a smile she finally nodded her head. "Okay, walk me through how to do it."
"Go ahead and squeeze a tiny ball of thermal paste onto the silicone square on your processor," he instructed.
"How tiny?"
"No more than a centimeter."
"Umm…" she bit her lower lip nervously. "...could you maybe give me a physical comparison? Like, no more than a grape sized dollop or something?"
He looked horrified. "A grape size would be way too much."
"See, that's good to know," she insisted. "So what size would be appropriate?"
He thought for a moment about how best to explain this. "No bigger...than a pea."
She smiled at him approvingly and nodded. "Okay, that I can do."
"You'll want it as close to the center as you can get," he instructed while watching her work.
She chuckled at herself. "I don't know why this is stressing me out so much. It's not like I'm defusing a bomb or something like that."
"It just means you want to do it correctly," he responded. "There's nothing wrong with that."
Asuna found herself subconsciously blushing again. Something she'd noticed over the past month was how oddly charming Kazuto could be without even realizing it. Though he was still quite direct and uncomfortably blunt at times, that same candor could also be refreshing in small moments like these.
"Okay. So how does this look?" Asuna asked after placing a small dollop of paste on the conductor.
He nodded. "Looks good. Now line up your heat sink with the screws surrounding your processor, and gently lower it into place. You're gonna squish the thermal paste, and the goal here is to create a thin layer covering the back of your processor."
"Got it." She did as instructed.
"Now screw your heat sink in place," he continued. "Once that's done, go back to your motherboard instruction book and find the right place near the processor socket to plug in your heat sink's cooling fan."
Asuna flipped back to her instruction book and located the correct diagram. "Okay. I think it's supposed to go...here."
Once it was plugged in, Kazuto took a minute to inspect her work before smiling. "It looks good."
She beamed happily. "Alright! We did it."
He nodded. "Installing the CPU was the hard part. The rest of this will be pretty formulaic. From here we pretty much just have to screw things in place and put them together in the case."
"Are you sure this screwdriver will work?" Asuna asked while inspecting the tool. "It seems a little big."
He held out his hand whereupon she placed it in his open palm. "I think you grabbed the wrong size."
"Oops…" She chuckled awkwardly.
"That's okay. I'll go get the right one."
Kazuto left to go get the appropriately sized screwdriver. Leaving Asuna by herself in his room. While patiently waiting for him to return, her eye caught the sight of a familiar looking black notebook sitting over on his computer table.
Feeling a bit nosey, Asuna glanced back over towards the door to make sure he wasn't coming back up the stairs before walking over to his desk and flipping open the book. She was hoping that maybe he had added some new drawings since the last time he let her look at his work.
As luck would have it, he did. Asuna was thrilled to see he'd done several new drawings of different creatures and landscapes. As she flipped through each drawing, her smile grew. Seeing these images Kazuto had captured onto canvas made her all the more ready for launch day.
Suddenly, her smile faded. Asuna had flipped to a page containing not landscapes or creatures, but a portrait. A portrait of a woman dressed in resplendent adventurers regalia, wielding a silver rapier. In bold fancy letters, Kazuto had written the title of the portrait. The Lightning Flash.
Of course, the name itself mattered little. It was clearly a portrait of her.
Asuna placed a hand over her gaping mouth as she continued to flip through each page. Her face was turning redder by the second. Each portrait captured her exact likeness in some form or fashion. One showed her battling a hobgoblin in full combat gear, her lightning quick fencing creating sparks as the two dueled for supremacy. The next was a picture of her dressed in an elegant Victorian style gown, the rapier at her side, capturing the image of a brave and refined noblewoman.
They were beautiful. She was beautiful. The more she saw, the faster Asuna's heart raced. No one had ever done something for her like this. No one had ever drawn her before, let alone this beautifully.
Finally, she reached a drawing that was still only part way finished. Kazuto had begun sketching what appeared to be a scene of two non-descript figures holding hands and looking out over the horizon. Two swords stood up in the dirt, crossed together in an X formation. Though she couldn't tell who the figures were supposed to be, the name of the artwork was The King and the Queen.
A set of footsteps coming up the stairs made her gasp and quickly shut the notebook before taking her seat by the incomplete computer again. Kazuto returned to the room with the correct screwdriver in hand while Asuna was busy getting her racing heart back under control.
"Everything okay?" he asked worriedly.
"Yep! Just fine!" she assured with a nervous chuckle. Her face was still beet red.
Kazuto gave her a confused look before finally smiling again. "Now that the CPU is in place, we can set the motherboard into the case."
The two resumed their project. For the time being, Asuna decided to put those images to the back of her mind.
They'd done it. The computer Asuna had been slowly buying parts for over the course of a month was put together perfectly. Now all that was left was to put it to the test by using it to run the NerveGear.
"I thought the Beta was closed," Asuna pointed out in confusion as they set up her NerveGear rig to the new computer.
"It is," Kazuto confirmed. "But that doesn't mean we can't play other games on it."
Her face lit up into an ecstatic smile. "There are other games on the NerveGear?!"
He smiled and nodded, happy to see how excited she was. "They're not as cool as SAO is, mostly simple platformers and other things to test out the physics engine. But there are a couple that are pretty fun."
"Like what?" She was practically bouncing with anticipation.
"Well there's one game I thought we might try called The Forest."
"Sounds spooky," she admitted.
"It's a survival horror game," he explained. "Basically, your objective is to build a base and survive in the woods for as long as possible while being attacked by cannibalistic natives."
She turned pale. "Kazuto...is this game gonna be too scary for me?"
He chuckled at that. "Not particularly. It's actually kinda funny."
"It is?"
Kazuto nodded. "I think it was supposed to be a lot scarier than it actually ended up being. There's a lot of bugs with the enemy AI, they don't always attack when they should, sometimes they just sort of stand there staring at you, it's pretty funny."
She laughed at that. "That actually does sound kinda funny."
"The game's not perfect, but it uses the same physics engine that SAO does. Which makes it good practice for when we go back."
Asuna nodded her head determinedly. "Right! In that case, let's do it."
They both put on their NerveGear and laid back on the bed. Asuna felt that nervous pit forming in her stomach again. Though not as bad as it was last time, the initial dive still made her slightly anxious.
As if having read her thoughts, Kazuto took her hand in his. The gesture caught her completely off guard, especially considering she hadn't asked him to do that. Yet the moment Asuna turned and saw him smiling at her, she instantly felt a hundred percent better.
After booting up the NerveGear, that same metallic chirp rang in her ears, followed by a rhythmic beeping. They both took a deep breath and spoke.
"Link start!"
And just like that they were diving into cyberspace yet again. Loading screens whizzed by their heads, their vision filled with luminescent bloom, until at last they were fully connected. Once again, Asuna found herself on that same floating platform, wearing the same form fitting mesh jumpsuit she had been when they first logged into SAO.
"Good. It looks like the connection is stable."
She looked over to see Kazuto wearing the same jumpsuit she was, his avatar nowhere to be found.
"What do you mean? Was there a chance it wouldn't work?"
He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Well...this is a little different from when I logged you in as a guest account on SAO. The Forest doesn't have online support. The only way two people can play together is through a LAN server."
"LAN server?" she asked curiously.
"It stands for local area network," he explained. "It's basically just an interconnected computer network within a limited area. No real access to the internet or anything like that."
She nodded. "Okay, I think I get it." Asuna then added with a smile. "Well in that case, lead the way Kirito
He turned his head away and frowned. "You can...just call me Kazuto. I don't have my avatar on."
Her smile faded into a look of concern. "Oh...well okay then."
Moving on, Kazuto showed Asuna how to operate the NerveGear's menu. Turns out, SAO wasn't the only experience this thing had to offer. There was a decent catalogue of solo games available, most of which were admittedly just tech demos to show off the hardware.
Even though none of these could compare to SAO, there were still a few that sounded like they could be fun. There was a platformer game called The Floor is Lava. A mini-golf game she thought might be neat. Tons of different options. Not only that, but according to Kazuto, you could set the time dilator yourself, so that time in the game would move at whatever pace you desired. However, the maximum scale the NerveGear allowed was 1x10. The same parameters that SAO was set to.
This time around, Asuna and Kazuto decided to just keep things simple and set the time dilation parameters at 1x3. Which he assured would be more than enough time to explore everything The Forest had to offer. Once they'd found the appropriate game, Kazuto set up a LAN party and hit play. At which point they were once again whisked away into parts unknown.
When Asuna's eyes next opened, she was sitting in the seat of a commercial jet. Looking around, she could see other passengers in the seats next to her quietly murmuring and talking among each other. But it was mostly just chatter. Background noise that was completely indiscernible.
Still, it felt real enough. The leather seat she was occupying felt like genuine leather. And the plastic tray in front of her functioned like normal.
"What do you think?"
Asuna turned to see Kazuto sitting in the passenger seat next to her, a content smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of faded jeans with a red Hawaiian shirt and brown leather jacket. She couldn't help but giggle at the outfit. It was definitely not the sort of thing she'd picture Kazuto wearing.
"What?" he asked curiously.
"No it's just…" She covered her mouth to stop another chortling fit. "...you look like a tourist."
He chuckled before pointing to her as well. "So do you."
Asuna looked down at her outfit, which consisted of a white sundress with gold embroidery. Again, definitely not something she would ever consider wearing.
"Yeah, unfortunately this game doesn't let you pick your own avatar," he explained. "It just goes by your default appearance and randomly generates an outfit for you."
"Well, that's unfortunate. Still, I guess all things considered it could be…"
Her voice trailed off upon realizing one detail she had missed. Asuna stared down at her right hand, which now bore a golden band around her ring finger.
"I've...I've got a wedding ring," she commented, her face heating up.
A tense silence followed.
"I've...got one too."
Asuna's gaze snapped back to Kazuto, who was staring down in perplexment at his own hand. Sure enough, like her, he was sporting a golden wedding band on his ring finger. The two looked at each other, whereupon their faces lit up like thermometers and they turned away.
"I mean…" Kazuto fidgeted nervously. "...it doesn't actually mean anything."
Asuna nodded, still hiding her crimson face. "Right."
He laughed nervously. "The system auto-generates appearances for the players."
"Right."
"It's just a coincidence," he spoke a little more softly.
"Right…"
"It's not like…" his features slowly dimmed. "...our characters are actually married or anything."
Slowly, Asuna turned and looked back towards Kazuto. He was looking a little down at that moment. She bit her lower lip nervously, tossing an idea around in her head for a moment, before finally turning her head away and smiling bashfully.
"Well...what if our characters were married?"
Kazuto quietly gasped before looking back at her.
"It's not impossible," she continued. "Maybe the game wanted us to roleplay as a married couple."
He considered her words for a moment before smiling again. "I mean...I guess it's possible."
"There's nothing wrong with that," she assured. "It's just a game. We can...pretend."
He nodded in agreement. "Sure. Pretend can be fun."
After a tense moment, they both finally seemed to relax.
"So…" Asuna spoke a little more casually while relaxing in her seat. "...if we're a married couple in this game, then what do you think we're doing on this plane?"
He blinked at her in confusion. "I mean...we're really just waiting for the map to finish loading."
She giggled at him before shaking her head. "No, I mean, why do you think our characters got on the plane?"
Again, he just seemed confused. "I...don't know? It's not like they come with any kind of backstory or anything. The lore of this world isn't that advanced."
"Well okay then. How about we make up a backstory then?" she offered.
"Make up a backstory?"
She nodded. "It'll be fun!"
Finally, he seemed on board. "Well okay. If you want."
"Let's see…" Asuna leaned back in her seat while gazing up at the ceiling. "...I like to think that...we're a happily married Japanese couple who just got back from an expensive trip to Hawaii."
He shook his head. "That wouldn't work."
She furrowed her brow at him. "Why not?"
"It wouldn't make sense," he explained. "Canonically, this game takes place in an arboreal forest with flora and fauna that are native only to North America and Canada."
She blinked at him in bewilderment. "O...okay?"
"So then, if we were heading back home to Japan from Hawaii, how did we end up in a forest in the middle of North America?"
Asuna giggled at him and sighed wearily. "Alright smartypants, fair enough." Her gears whirred for a moment as she came up with a new story. "Okay! So here's what really happened. We were vacationing in Hawaii when I got a call from my cousin living in America that my Aunt was sick, and she didn't know what to do."
"You have an Aunt living in America?"
She shook her head. "No I don't, but my character does. It's roleplay, remember?"
"Oh, right." He nodded in understanding. "Got it."
"Anyway, my cousin needed help, so I had to put our vacation aside to go see her. You weren't happy about it, but you reluctantly agreed to come with me. And…"
"Wait a minute, why was I reluctant?" he asked with a disapproving frown.
"Well, because your vacation was ruined," she explained.
"But your aunt is sick, right?" he offered in response. "That would seem like a good reason to postpone a vacation. I wouldn't be reluctant to help you with that."
Again she laughed before groaning at him. "Kazuto, I didn't mean you. I meant…"
"My character," he answered. "I understand it's roleplay. I'm saying that my character wouldn't do that."
"Oh?" she gave him a curious look. "Well, what would your character do then?"
Kazuto turned his gaze away meekly. "He would be understanding."
Asuna's features softened and her cheeks began to glow.
"I believe my character would understand that sometimes you have to put aside things you enjoy and deal with something that's important," he continued. "Especially if it's for someone you love."
"Kazuto…" she placed a hand to her chest.
"If my character loves you…" His face burned red. "...enough to marry you...then...he would want to support you no matter what."
A long silence followed. Asuna was about to reply when the plane suddenly started shaking and an alarm blared overhead.
"What's happening?" she asked, fear overtaking her.
"This is a survival horror game, remember?" Kazuto calmly replied, his environmental audio already turned way down.
"So?!"
He pointed out the window towards the jet engine, which was currently on fire.
"So this is the part where the plane crashes."