July 6, 2026, ~45 minutes after the attack on the Ocean Turtle

Koharu stares blankly at the second edition of the book that details the 'SAO Incident' that ended almost two years ago, learning a great deal after her avatar died in the game. The guild that murdered her and hundreds of other players were not just the PKers she encountered during the first year, but others recruited due to the philosophy that killing was natural to the game. They named themselves Laughing Coffin, and in early August, the guild was taken down by the Assault Team. 20 members of Laughing Coffin died, while the others were arrested. The leader, however, got away, never to be found.

What surprises her is that Akihiko Kayaba was there all along as Heathcliff, which brings a weird feeling to Koharu. She admired the KoB commander, but now there's an obvious overall loss of respect. Kayaba died the same way as 6,000 others.

In other parts, Lueur made some exaggerations and added his trademark flair to make the book more fun and enjoyable rather than a gloomy recount of those two years. One account is a time when he joined her and Jaymes, describing her as a 'determined, kind, welcoming beauty' and her partner 'a stalwart protector and a valiant swordsman equal to the other prominent one'. Koharu does agree with the statements, ridiculous as they are. The dungeon fights are over the top for what they were, but Koharu can recount every one he speaks of.

But enough about the book. She's a bit antsy about diving in the Soul Translator, a device that, to her understanding, reads her soul rather than sends brain waves or whatnot. All she knows is that, at some point today, she'll be called to dive in to help retrieve a fluctlight called Alice with others who are also diving in. There's supposed to be some chaos in the Underworld in the meantime, so she'll have to fight a bit as well. She's confident in her abilities, as she has spent some time in two games; Alfheim Online, a world of magic, fairies, and has a "New" Aincrad floating in the sky; and Sword Art: Origins, a world that looks like Aincrad and has an incomplete Aincrad floating in the sky. Both have entertained her and got her reacclimated with combat enough to not be a bother in the Underworld.

Bzzp! Bzzp! Koharu looks away from her book to the buzzing phone on the nightstand beside her. It's Mr. Kikuoka's number, so it must be important. She grabs the phone and presses the 'accept call' prompt. "Um… Hello? Mr. Kikuoka?" A sharp gasp leading to a sudden onset of tears on the other end, confusing Koharu. It sounds like a girl too… Wait… Koharu grabs her mouth and in turn, tries to hold back her tears as she recognizes the crier. "A-Asuna?"

"There's no way...no way this is true. That it's actually you…"

"I know… It's unbelievable myself, and it's been a week… Wait, before we get too emotional, why are you with Mr. Kikuoka?"

"Right… Well, long story short. Kazuto… I mean Kirito, he got attacked and lost much of his brain function, But I didn't know Kikuoka transferred him to here at the Ocean Turtle, so, you know me, I got involved. Turns out it was Joshua's, excuse me, Jaymes' idea to do this. I assume you know the Ocean Turtle was attacked, but during it, Kazuto's fluctlight was damaged, so Joshua entered the Underworld about 40 minutes ago. He's up to something now, but we'll be able to go in soon enough… Say, do you have a Amusphere by you?"

Koharu nods and picks up the headset. "Sure. Oh, you want to meet up virtually?"

"Mhm. Do you have ALO?"

"Yes."

"You remember the 22nd Floor of Aincrad? The lake Jaymes won the fishing tournament? There's a cottage in the nearby woods. Meet me there."

ALO, 22nd Floor of New Aincrad

This is the cottage Asuna spoke of. Koharu remembers it vividly during her two trips to the floor, once as a member of the Assault Team, another during the aforementioned fishing tournament. She remembers telling Jaymes that the cottage was 'cute and in a great location to get away from the truth of the world'. It seems he remembered such a thing if Asuna bought it.

She walks up the steps of the home, but before she can knock on the door, it's swung open by a young girl with long, black hair, dark-eyed girl in a white dress. At first, Koharu nearly confuses the girl for Asuna, but on second inspection she immediately recognizes the little girl. For the world, it has been two years since SAO, but for Koharu it has only been a week. She remembers this young girl who helped her and Jaymes years ago (two months ago in Koharu's time) during the Christmas holidays. "Yui?"

"Do I know… Wait, Auntie Koharu? Mommy… I think a ghost is at the door… But all data shows that you're a Imp player."

Koharu chose the Imp race for her ALO avatar due to the special abilities it has with night vision and underground flight. To her, it fits her former nickname, and might actually hold more weight to it. But how Yui recognized her in all this purple is beyond her. Yes, her hair style and length is the same, but its purple. Her eyes, purple. Her tunic and miniskirt is purple with black and grey accents, her breastplate covering is black, and her thigh-high socks and shoes are black and purple. She vastly prefers the magenta and green of her SAO avatar. "Hi, Yui."

"Yui, I know it's confusing, but let her in."

"Okay!" Yui grabs Koharu's hand and yanks her inside excitedly. Koharu looks around, taking in the homely feel of Asuna's cabin. As she scans the room, her eyes linger on the blue-haired player Yui runs to. She turns around, holding a tray with three cups of tea and a teapot.

Despite the difference of appearance in the Undine girl, the face is recognizable immediately as the former vice-commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath, nicknamed 'Lightning Flash', and her best girlfriend. "Asuna…"

"I figured it'd be best to talk in a familiar world...and I had to see it for myself while we wait. You can have a seat." Asuna sets the tray down and hands Koharu a cup. The Imp accepts it and sits on the couch. Asuna takes the loveseat across the coffee table, Yui sitting beside her. "I'm sure we both have questions, but I think the obvious needs to be explained. First thing, Yui, whatever is said between me and Koharu is not to be talked about with anyone else, okay? Not until after Jaymes meets her. Things are complicated as is, as you know."

Yui nods. "Understood, Mommy."

"Great. So, Koharu...how are you alive?"

Koharu chuckles. Asuna's straight out with the obvious question. "A stroke of luck. My dad, he accidentally dropped my NerveGear the day of launch, damaging the transmitter that emits microwaves. It wasn't damaged enough to stop me from playing, but it was unable to deliver the output to fry my brain. When my doctors discovered this, they immediately called the Ministry of Communication and Internal Affairs, which is how Mr. Kikuoka found out about me. As such, he made sure no one besides the hospital and my family knew of my condition, to keep it a secret from the outside world that someone survived the game when they died. I'm not sure about his reasoning, but it makes sense. We already knew tampering with the NerveGear would deliver the deathblow, so there was no point to share such a discovery."

"But if it was known someone died in the game but survived in real life, that wouldn't help matters."

"Right. In any case, I was unconscious from the damage I did suffer, so for the last two years, I was in a coma. I don't understand how I'm back. Something about fluctlights and souls and blah blah blah, but I'm happy to be back and can see my family, and soon, my friends." Koharu lets the liquid in her cup swirl for a moment before she asks the question lingering on her mind. "Jaymes...how is he?"

"He misses you so much. After your death, he left the front for a while, but eventually came back and helped us to the very end. Avenged you during the raid on Laughing Coffin."

"He went orange...not surprised, knowing him."

"Yeah. Back in the real world, Silica, Lisbeth, Kirito, Philia, and we two go to the special school for SAO survivors. Agil has a bar here in town, and we spend time there as well. Kirito has a little sister, we call her Leafa here. Oh, Rain is a successful pop idol. As for your other friends, I don't know much about them, but they survived as well."

"I know Lueur wrote the account. Guess I got a lot to do when I can see everyone."

"Indeed. But there is one complication." Asuna sighs and looks outside. "Lisbeth and Jaymes, they dated for a while, but his feelings for you...well, broke them up. I may not have emphasized just how much he missed you."

"How so?"

"He said you made him promise to protect others and escape SAO with everyone. But he took it further to 'at all times'. It sounds excessive, but I understand it, so does Kirito, Klein, and Agil. I didn't exactly come out of SAO the day it ended. I was one of 300 trapped in ALO for a test my...former fiance was conducting. Kirito came for me back then. We rescued Jaymes once when his life was back on the line last year as well, and now, he's down thereafter Kirito, me as well. The three of us have been through so much since we went through the first dungeon that to lose one of us is like losing a pivotal part of our world. But Lisbeth, she doesn't get it. Not that it's her fault, but she never constantly had her life threatened every day. She didn't see comrades die, she rarely came close to death herself. But most of all, she never watched as someone died in front of you while you're hopeless to save them. Neither has Philia, Rain, and, to a degree, Silica. But even without all those experiences, she knows Jaymes has never been the one to stay down. She should have learned that when we were all paralyzed on the 35th Floor. Maybe part of it is his fault, but...if it was me in his position, I don't think I could let the love I have for Kirito go so easily. Not if we had the relationship you and he did back then as we do now. And considering Kirito's actions earlier this year, heck, this past week, I know he feels the same."

Koharu bows her head, sniffing as tears trail down her face. "I caused you three so much pain. If I could have healed earlier, maybe...no, that would have been troublesome. Four years of my life gone...and I've troubled him the entire time… I must apologize to him before anything. I have to see him."

Asuna nods. "Right."

"But enough about that." Koharu wipes her face and looks to Yui. "So, after much teasing from our end, you and Kirito finally got together? I kinda wish I saw it happen. And Yui is your AI daughter? Gonna need an explanation, Asuna."

Asuna blushes. "Y-Yeah, we have...but whatever you do, do not ask Jaymes about it! Please!"

"What's the worse he could say? You two broke the..." Koharu meant it jokingly, but Asuna's face becomes redder at the very mention of the settings feature in SAO. "Oh...he doesn't know, does he?"

"...Thankfully, no, he believes Kirito, or rather I, got unlucky...or so he presents himself that way. And you're the only one who I've told, so...please..."

Koharu lightly chuckles. "Secret safe with me… So any interesting stories?"

Asuna taps her chin and thinks the past two years over. "Well, starting from SAO, the first time the three of us really reunited was on the 57th Floor while I took a nap…"

~Two hours later

Koharu sits on the STL as the doctor hooks her up to an IV line. She looks down at the two other empty STL machines. No one else is entering besides her and Asuna, to her knowledge. Their official mission is simple: FInd the fluctlight named Alice, escort her across the Dark Territory to the World End's Altar, and send her to the Sub Control Room on the Ocean Turtle. However, the two girls have their objectives as well: Find Jaymes, help Kirito, and bring everyone home safely.

"Jaymes and Kirito, Asuna, and I are coming. Just hold on a moment longer...and we'll be back together again."

"Lunaria, as you know, has the ability to manipulate the Fluctlights' mental processes. But using the ability excessively can wear you out, especially with the load the system is taking. So are you ready, Miss Hanao? Sure you're feeling okay and up for this? I rather make sure your brain can handle this, but it is your call."

"It's been two years and too long, Dr. Yuiga. I'm ready to see my friends again." With a determined look set on her face, Koharu faces the doctor and nods. "I'm fine and I'm ready."