A/N:
Merry Christmas!
Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, here's a little gift to hopefully bring a little holiday cheer!
Kazuto wasn't the best researcher.
Not for lack of trying, mind you. In the past week since the formation of the unofficial "Renegade Rescue Squad" (Klein's idea), Kazuto logged probably a hundred hours of screen time. Definitely more, if you counted the hour of doomscrolling on his phone every night before he went to bed. Sugu berated him for cutting into his sleep schedule, "conveniently" forgetting that she was doing the same, but he was on a mission, damn it!
He could worry about getting a full night's rest later.
Kazuto sighed and leaned forward, returning to the forum he'd been browsing for the past two days.
It was not going well.
It was not without precedent, unfortunately. Back when he'd been in fifth grade and assigned his first research paper, which suddenly felt as though it may as well have happened a hundred years ago, he'd learned, the hard way, that researching on the internet was harder than it sounded. There were so many websites about everything he'd ever heard of, and probably about everything he hadn't heard of, and they always seemed to give him mismatched and contradictory information while displaying about as much academic rigor as the fifth grader he'd been at the time. And, there was so much of it to sift through that he still wasn't sure how he'd made the deadline.
The internet had NOT gotten any smaller in his absence.
And, in recent days, he'd learned, the harder way, that, even two months after it had ended, everyone was still talking about the SAO Incident. Relentlessly. There were analyses of every major battle and duel, psychological profiles of every player who was even halfway noteworthy, and entire dedicated fan clubs to guilds and individual players alike.
Some of Asuna's fans were planning another in an ongoing string of candlelight vigils. Kirito found himself giving serious thought to attending.
But, he'd no sooner decided it'd be better to help Asuna more directly then he'd learned, the even harder way, just how much of a spectacle he had become thanks to the streams. When he'd been cajoled by Argo into visiting a few of the so-called fan shrines dedicated to him, the number of members had caused the introverted young man to sprout his first gray hair.
Even one of the "smaller" shrines had member and visitor counts in the hundreds of thousands!
The people on these sites would banter about Kirito's fighting style, his leadership style, whether he was Chaotic Good or Neutral Good, his marriage to Asuna, his parenting of Yui, and everything else about him that he didn't want perfect strangers talking about on the internet. And, inevitably, this caused him to learn, the ever-harder-than-that way, that his "fans" had no respect for his privacy.
They had put together a series betting pools on when he would have sex with Asuna, whether he would do so before or after "popping the question", whether he would do so before or after the wedding, and even who'd "take the lead".
The cunning "fan" who'd ended up being the winner of each and every one of those pools had, reportedly, won enough yen to buy a new apartment!
Thank goodness Kayaba censored private moments, or he'd be even more mortified than he already was.
Yet, just when Kirito thought it couldn't get any worse, it did precisely that: they had brought up the infamous (to Kirito, anyway) 84th boss battle.
Just after finding the boss's chamber, and knowing they couldn't rely on scouting teams anymore, the Assault Team had reconvened in the floor's capital when they'd heard the siren song of gamers everywhere: an NPC running around in random directions while yelling "HELP! Someone help me!"
Despite Liz snarkily asking if the term "speedrunning" meant anything to them, the guys raced over to see what quest might be on offer.
At first, they thought they'd gotten lucky. The NPC's girlfriend had been taken by Pasha Selim al Mualim, the floor boss, and they needed to kill him in order to free her? How could life get more convenient than that? At least, that had been what had gone through their heads at first. But, they'd no sooner agreed to the request then things got weird: in addition to the boss, they'd also have to fight his seven wives and his heavily armed harem.
It had taken the Assault Team, and the millions watching from the real world, more than a minute to realize that, no, they hadn't hallucinated that.
Pasha Selim al Mualim did, in fact, have seven wives and a heavily armed harem. They used sword skills, fought in teams, and wore harem dancer clothes, maid uniforms, and hither-to absent boob armor.
Even by Aincrad's standards, that. Was. Fucking. Surreal!
Still, the battle was won and, in an interesting twist, rather than having to climb a long stairway to the next floor, the boss chamber itself became an elevator. A slow elevator. This had prompted a number of jokes and snarky remarks about loading screens and Conrad Verner of Mass Effect infamy. That, however, had taken a much, much weirder turn when Argo got a message that sent her howling with laughter. She had just been informed that a baffling "oversight" (everyone still thought it was Kayaba being a troll) had been discovered in the game's marriage system: it was NOT strictly monogamous.
Only two players could participate in a given marriage ceremony, yes. But, for some reason, there was no actual limit to how many marriage ceremonies a given player could have and, by extension, no limit to how many spouses a player could have. Thus, as Argo pointed out, had SAO been released as advertised, it would've been a would-be harem prince's dream come true.
Argo promptly reiterated her thoughts that Yui wouldn't mind having a second mama.
The other girls - those who were in committed relationships, anyway - promptly turned to their boyfriends and menacingly chorused "Don't get any ideas!"
Suffice to say, they didn't. Kirito in particular was not thinking about roping any other girls into his and Asuna's marriage and he most definitely was NOT thinking about why Sachi, Silica, and Ronye suddenly had trouble looking him in the eye. Or why Sinon was glaring at him.
And, Kibaou, being Kibaou, promptly snarked that he could picture some alternate universe where Kirito had a wife for every day of the week. Thankfully, a Duel Request from Asuna shut him up.
Pity that trick wouldn't work on the internet.
Kirito and Asuna managed to kill the Pasha simultaneously, netting both of them a Last Attack Bonus, and they both regretted it. The Ring of the Pasha, on the surface, was every gamer's dream come true. It could add +20 to every equipped Skill and +5 to each Stat, AND the bonus could stack up to ten times for +200 to Skills and +50 to Stats.
But, naturally, something that game-breaking, HAD to have a catch. And, the item's description, "Marks a true Master of the Harem", had been a hint. .
The bonuses were per wife and, in order to harness all of the ring's benefits, Kirito would need to be married to ten women.
Simultaneously.
His gamer sensibilities and his husband sensibilities smarting mightily, he had tossed the ring down the deepest hole he could find. He'd then told Leonn that, if he made even one Lord of the Rings reference, he'd be on kitchen duty for the next month. As for what Asuna's Last Attack Bonus had been, he never found out. He'd seen her staring at nothing, that "nothing" being where a system window (likely telling her what the item did) had previously been and blushing as red as a beet, which was enough of a hint even for his socially inept self. She'd also tossed her "trophy" down a deep hole and never looked back.
The whole debacle had fired up the imaginations of some….interesting people. Some of them were having polls on who Kirito's third wife (everybody thought Argo would be the second, and Kirito shuddered to imagine what she'd say to THAT) and having weirdly impassioned arguments about whether it should be Sachi, Silica, Sinon, or Ronye, as well as how many wives Kirito would ultimately have, and how the "pecking order" would work. And, as if that wasn't bad enough, they were also swapping hints on writing graphic threesomes and foursomes. The excerpts ranged from mind scarring to soul searing.
And, to top it all off, in the immortal words of Yuna-wannabe Pankratz, "along came this… song…".
Actually, correction, "along came this… "song"," Kirito mused, putting as much emphasis on the air quotes as his mental voice could muster.
One of the "songs" had taken the meter and rhyme scheme of the song "Master of the House" from Les Miserables, and made it into "Master of the Harem". Among the more blood boiling scenes was Yui atop a very tall stool, dressed in a witch's outfit and stirring a cauldron. Which would've been very cute if not for the fact that she was mixing a concoction of fertility drugs and aphrodisiacs whilst singing "Brew, make them horny! Cause a lustful craze.. Yui wants siblings to hug and haze!". Reportedly, his mom had just about popped a blood vessel when she'd seen her granddaughter being depicted in a "kink-a-long", as she called it, and Kirito shared the sentiment. Another had taken the tongue twister song "I am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" from The Pirates of Penzance and reworked it, creating "I am the Very Model of a Harem Prince Protagonist".
The first time he had seen an illustration of himself with three ladies in each arm and a speech bubble reading "I enjoy threesomes and foursomes, which is in no way misogynist. I am the Very Model of a Harem Prince Protagonist", Kirito suddenly found himself wondering just how far one could stretch the legal definition of "justifiable homicide". But, there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment, especially since legal action would take time he didn't want to spare from his search for Asuna, so he set his mind back to business.
His mind wandered too much, and he had to get back to work.
Still… Kayaba had been right when he said the world had changed while he and others had been in SAO.
It had gotten weird!
And, it was also pretty callous.
As if seeing himself being fancanoned as a harem prince hadn't been galling enough, some of Eugeo's so-called "fans" were doing the same to him. They seemed pretty lockstep in that Tiese should be his second wife and were debating about whether Frenica should be wife number three.
That made Kirito angry, of course; but, strangely, his incredulity wilted. He found himself thinking what Eugeo would make of his "admirers". He knew that Eugeo was what the gaijin would call a "Boy Scout", a "Straight Arrow", and a "Goody Two Shoes", and that he would be mortified at people even suggesting that he rope his pupil into an extramarital affair or a threesome.
He would blush, he would splutter, he would fret over what Alice would think of such drivel, he would fret over what his parents and sister would think, and generally work himself into such a tizzy while Kirito would be laughing his head off. Especially when Alice would inevitably catch wind of it , burst in, and start grilling her husband for an explanation. At which point, Kirito would start grilling Eugeo about how he could have gotten married without telling anybody in the Renegades or the KoB.
Eugeo would probably sprout his first gray hair under the onslaught!
Here, Kirito felt his eyes water. He wanted to see a scene like that. In fact, he wanted to see it very badly.
After all, if that happened, it'd mean that Eugeo and the others were home and that the strange family he'd found in SAO was whole again.
The reminder that that wasn't the case, and that there was no guarantee it ever would be, had sent him into sobs for long minutes. But, ultimately, he pulled himself together and turned his attention back to his latest hunting ground
…He really needed to stay focused. This was why he was a bad researcher.
He kept getting distracted!
Clearing his throat to mentally center himself, his eyes locked onto the screen before him. Much to his own embarrassment, the forum was, in fact, one populated mostly by conspiracy theorists. He hated giving these people any more credence than was necessary, but one of the first things Argo taught everyone during their first meeting was to never dismiss a rumor out of hand. So long as an idea was theoretically possible and logical, it should be investigated. Only when overwhelming evidence to the contrary was provided should you really disregard the conspiracy theory as wild and false.
Until then, it was a potential lead.
And if there was one thing conspiracy forums were excellent at, it was thinking up strange ideas that had at least an inkling of logic and sense.
Huffing tiredly, Kazuto scrolled down the page of a conspiracy subreddit, this one focused around conspiracies involving the SAO Incident, as the media so often called it.
It was still strange to know that, for over three years, Kazuto lived through what damn near everyone regarded as a major historical event. One of the earliest reports he'd found included the freakin' Prime Minister describing it as "The worst crisis to befall the nation since the Tōhoku Earthquake of 2011". Kazuto, despite sounding indecisive even to himself, wasn't sure if he agreed or not, even leaving aside how perception and opinion likely became downright fluid when anyone on the street could easily see what was happening inside Aincrad. Sure, it didn't hold the same sense of import or scale as something like World War II or the Meiji Restoration, but it would still go down as an important footnote, especially in the advancement of new technology.
A post on one of the less-demented-sounding forums, reportedly made by an American soldier stationed in Japan and who was either bilingual or had the post translated by a friend, had suggested that a museum dedicated to the Incident and the more notable players be erected. This bandwagon was very quickly jumped on by numerous posters describing Kirito as the "General George S. Patton of SAO" and that the General George S. Patton Memorial Museum in California might prove a good partner in performing the biographical work on "The Black Swordsman".
Kazuto had tried not to faint at the idea. He really tried.
Regardless, this subreddit seemed to focus on theories around the major players and guilds in SAO. Kazuto scoffed as he scrolled. Some of these theories tossed around were downright ludicrous!
Kibaou secretly in league with Kayaba? Ridiculous. Kazuto had the dubious pleasure of knowing and interacting with the cactus-haired leader for years, and the man was far too prideful for something like that.
The Underworld residents secretly a ploy for machine A.I. world domination? Please. Much as he had a soft spot for them, the Underworlders were in no position, nor did they display any interest in, for conquering the world and enslaving humanity. Plus, Kazuto was hopeful that the players saving them might have earned them a little goodwill.
Still, Kazuto had heard some…worrisome things from Sugu on the subject. While he'd had - and still had, given that his wife was still comatose - more immediate concerns, it had been an unwelcome addition to his already crowded list of problems when he learned these anti-Underworld kooks were, in fact, a credible threat. Assuming, of course, they could find Aincrad, wherever it had gone, and pin it down long enough to do any damage.
From what he could tell, the organization, which had the needlessly long and copyright infringing name of "The Midshipmen of the Nebuchadnezzar", had arisen about a New York Minute after watching the Expeditionary Force's battle against Quinella, and their membership had reportedly hit six figures earlier this week. Their rhetoric was much as one would expect, saying that, had Quinella escaped, she could've hacked into the global financial markets and caused a crash that would've made 1929 and 2008 look like a bad night at the bingo tables by comparison, or even snagged a few nukes and triggered World War III.
And, of course, they argued that, if the Underworld could create one Quinella, it could create more.
Using Quinella as a bogeyman - bogeywoman, whatever - was simple, but clever. And, it certainly explained how they'd grown to over one hundred thousand in such a short amount of time. Kazuto wanted, very badly, to brand the whole outfit as a bunch of alarmist nutjobs, and might even force himself to do so in front of those paparazzi cameras so they might actually do something useful. But, having fought Quinella, he could almost sympathize with their fears.
Almost.
Regardless, everyone who fought in the Underworld, and the vast majority of the people who'd watched them do it, were staunch in their belief that it should be allowed to survive. Those same people had even coined a nickname for the Midshipmen: "The Agent Smith Slayers".
Or, A.S.S.
Was it childish? Very. Did it detract ever-so-slightly from the worthiness of the cause of defending the Underworld? Possibly. Was Kazuto of a mind to object? Fuck, no!
His gut told him that they could still pose a problem. If they wanted all sentient AI's destroyed, he doubted they'd make exceptions for Yui, Cardinal, or Kizmel. But, knowing that public opinion was largely against them was reassuring enough that he turned his attention back to business. And, sure enough, a certain member of the Tin Foil Hat Brigade had something interesting to say.
A sudden moment of clarity slapped him in the face as he realized he went down another rabbit hole, and not one that was relevant to his search.
Focus!
He scrolled down further, until his eye caught on something. The missing 300 players being imprisoned in another VRMMO… that held promise. He clicked on the thread.
"ALfheim Online… World Tree… impossible quest… valley bosses…" Kazuto mumbled as he read through the post thoroughly. "Sounds like normal end-game stuff, but… oh. Wait, that's the game Sugu's playing. SUGU!"
The sound of hurried footsteps approached from down the hall. A moment later, his sister's head popped out from around his door frame. "What's up?"
"Check this out." Kazuto said, wheeling himself back a foot and to the side. Sugu stepped forward and hunched, her eyes reading over the screen. "Any of that true?"
"Now that you mention it, yeah." Sugu frowned. She straightened her posture and cocked her head as her eyes remained glued to the screen. "ALO's been out of beta for months now, and no one's made any real progress in taking on the World Tree."
"What's stopping them?"
She turned to address him properly. "The NPCs guarding the top are super powerful. There have been attempts to beat it, but no one's been able to."
"How come?" Kazuto prompted.
"It's a big hurdle, and everyone's determined to beat the others to the top." Sugu explained, crossing her arms. "ALO is a PvP game, first and foremost. People are in there to beat the snot out of each other, before anything else. Nobody really even considers working together, so at this point they're trying to find if there's a hidden quest to make things easier. It sounds like that might actually be an option, though. If you want to know more about the quest itself, you should talk to Jack."
"..."
"Oh my gosh, Lokuss!" Sugu groaned. "Y'know, your friend? You spent three years in that game with him, how do you not know his name by now?!"
"Lokuss it the only name I knew him by!" Kazuto bit back defiantly. "It's hard trying to adjust to a new name, okay? Do you call me Kirito?"
"...No, I guess not, but that's different! We're family, Kazuto!"
"SO WERE THEY!"
And just like that, what started as a heated argument between siblings snuffed out like a smothered flame. Sugu took a horrified step backward and paled, her face painted with regret. Kazuto himself closed his eyes and took a deep breath, sitting back in his chair. He frustratedly rubbed at his eyes with his hand before letting the breath go. All of the anger evaporated and he slumped. He knew she was only trying to help in her own way, and he knew she knew she'd just stepped on a landmine.
"Kazuto, I'm so…"
"Stop. It's… it's fine."
"No, it's not, Kazuto. That wasn't fair of me." Sugu pressed, crouching down until she was sitting on her haunches. She looked up and tried to meet his eyes. "I'm sorry. I should have known better. Your friends are your family, I should know that by now. You know… in some ways, I'm kind of jealous."
Kazuto lifted his gaze and met her own. "Jealous? Of what?"
She let out a wet chuckle full of emotion. "I mean of what you found in there, Kazuto."
She paused, but rather than interject, he simply waited for her to continue.
"What happened to you was awful, Kazuto. That man robbed you of three years of your life here in the real world. I have so much respect for you and your friends making the most of that time and making that your own. You found a family of your own in that game. That's what I'm jealous of. Yes, I have you, Mom, and Dad, but everyone else? Shini, Ren, Suli, and the others? They're my friends. Close friends, but that's it. I didn't fight alongside them and come to trust them with my life like you have. They might not be family by blood, but the friends you made in there are family by choice. That's arguably even stronger."
"Sugu…" Kazuto gulped. Where had his little spaz of a sister gone, and who was this mature young woman in front of him? He'd missed so much.
"Anyway!" Sugu chirped, suddenly standing up fully. She looked back at the computer screen, its bright haze illuminating her face. "This guy thinks the survivors are somehow trapped up in the Tree?"
"Yeah." He nodded, wheeling himself closer. Sugu stepped to the side and stood behind him, looking over his shoulder. He scrolled down further. "He claims that there should be some progress on the World Tree quest by now, or at least some changes or hotfixes made once the devs realized that no one was pursuing that quest. Or maybe they're just waiting for the changes before committing to anything?"
"Maybe. It does seem a little odd." Sugu agreed. "Mr. Yuuki said he wanted to make a game that listened to its players instead of just doing whatever it wanted. He did not want a repeat of SAO."
"That's really odd, then." Kazuto hummed. He'd had the pleasure of meeting with the Yuuki patriarch a handful of times, though the circumstances behind each meeting were less than stellar. He was a nice man, but every time they chanced upon each other it was always in Asuna's room. Any conversation they had was tainted by the fact that the woman they both loved was still beyond their reach.
Kazuto scrolled down further. "Wait, there's a picture attached. Apparently they spotted someone up in the branches."
"How?" Sugu asked. "No one can fly that high!"
"Let's see…" Kazuto read further. "Oh… they got five people together and flew up like a rocket with boosters, the people on the bottom flying and launching the people above them until the person up top could get as high as they could."
"Huh. Clever. You gonna open it, or what?"
A moment later, he almost wished he hadn't.
There, in a screenshot that was magnified entirely too much, was a woman dressed in an elegant white dress, trapped in a gigantic bird cage. Calling her features blurry would be charitable, but her long, chestnut brown hair, fair complexion, and wistful look in her eyes was scarily reminiscent of the woman he loved.
Sugu gasped. "That's… that's… that's Asuna! She's trapped in her father's game?!"
"I need to talk to him." Kazuto growled.
"You don't think he would…?"
"No, he wouldn't." He shook his head, his eyes focused on the blurry image of his wife. "But he's our next best lead."
"Yes, I'm afraid she's trapped in my own game."
Mouth agape, Kazuto stared at his honorary father-in-law like he'd just claimed the sky was hot pink. It just… clashed with everything he knew about the man. Shouzou Yuuki was a doting father. Anyone with eyes could see the way he looked at his comatose daughter with such love, pride, and admiration… and with such sorrow.
So how in the world could he just keep her like that?!
"I wish she weren't." Mr. Yuuki sighed, sitting back down in his office chair. A beat passed, and the city skyline behind him moved on, as indifferent to the plight of those within the RECT CEO's personal office as the NerveGears themselves had been of the grief of those within and without during the SAO Incident. He held his head in his hands, and Kazuto's anger was quickly replaced with confusion.
"Mr. Yuuki…"
"Please, Kazuto. I've told you already to call me Shouzou."
"... Shouzou." Kazuto hesitantly corrected himself. That still felt weird. "Why don't you just get her out then? It's your game."
"I… I know it's my game, but my hands are tied."
And now the anger was back. "What do you mean, your hands are tied?!"
"I mean that, just like I couldn't get her out of SAO, ironically enough: if I try to remove her, she'll die." Shouzou said simply, eyes downcast, and only then did Kazuto notice the bags under the man's eyes.
Again, his anger snuffed itself out.
Kazuto leaned forward in his wheelchair. "Shouzou, what do you mean? Why can't you remove her without killing her?"
"One moment. I need to clear this with somebody first." Shouzou said, holding a finger up. Seconds later, he was on the phone. "Kikuoka, it's Yuuki. You were right, he figured it out."
Kazuto was getting tired of his head spinning. Kikuoka knew?!
"Yes. Yes, that would probably be for the best." Shouzou nodded, and Kazuto was forced to listen to half of a conversation he very much wanted to be a part of. "You really think…? I don't like it, but… yes, you have a point. Fine. You're bringing the NDA, right? Thank you, Kikuoka."
His father-in-law hung up the phone and sighed, his head already hung with exhaustion. "I'm sorry for the deception, Kazuto. Once you sign a non-disclosure agreement, I'll tell you everything. Just… please be patient. I am just as frustrated with the situation as you are, believe me."
An excruciating – and incredibly awkward – hour later, Kikuoka himself walked into Shouzou's office, an expensive-looking briefcase in hand.
"A pleasure to see you again, Mr. Kirigaya." The bureaucrat smiled.
"I'd say likewise, but I get the feeling I'm not going to like this, am I?" Kazuto asked.
Kikuoka took the seat opposite his own. He unlatched his briefcase and pulled out a sheaf of papers and an ornate black pen. With a sharp click, he handed the pen and the packet to him. After giving it a thorough reading (Shouzou was impressed by how careful and mature he was), Kazuto signed the NDA and handed it back. Much of it was the standard "say anything about sensitive information and face penalties," but Kazuto would gladly sign a thousand NDA's if it meant bringing Asuna back. Or, at least, knowing what had happened to her. And why.
"Ignoring the fact that Yuuki skirted dangerously close to violating the NDA by telling you what he already has…" Kikuoka threw a playful smirk towards the CEO. "Yes, we know where Asuna and the other 299 players are being held. Unfortunately we can't bring them back… at least not yet."
"Why not?"
"Akihiko Kayaba held 10,000 players hostage inside SAO, but the main, crucial difference is that he gave you all a method of escape and demanded only one thing of the outside world: don't interfere. The man holding Asuna and the others captive is being decidedly more… aggressive with his demands. He has deliberately chosen to hold them all hostage until his demands are met."
Kazuto shoved down the rage that came with learning his wife was being held at virtual gunpoint and took a deep breath. "What are his demands? And how does he have that kind of control over them in the first place?"
"Fortunately, I can answer both questions at once. His name is Sugou Noboyuki, and until almost a year ago, your wife was promised to him. Once certain… evidence came to light, Mr. Yuuki called off the engagement, and Noboyuki was arrested." Kikuoka explained.
Kazuto's brow furrowed… the name sounded familiar. The moment he did make the connection, recalling the name from his conversations with Asuna, he paled. "You mean…you mean that creep who punched Asuna just before SAO?!"
"Yes, him." Shouzou said simply, his expression darkening. "I'll make no excuses, Kazuto. He had me completely fooled. My wife and most of the board members, too. If I hadn't been watching the stream that one night, I might never have been the wiser. Once I was, I recruited a friend of mine to look into Noboyuki. What he found was…"
Shouzou's words trailed off then, but the look of disgust and anger that darkened his features told Kazuto plenty.
"Still, Takei DID find enough to have him charged. And convicted."
"He's incarcerated?" Kazuto asked, perplexed.
"Yes," Kikuoka chimed in. "In fact, he has been ever since you and the Clearers were on Floor 74. Once Asuna's…er…pillowtalk had leaked out, and he was investigated, he was arrested and ultimately convicted of sexual harassment and domestic abuse."
"Then how does…?"
"He used to work for RECT." Shouzou said with a regretful grimace. "I thought reporting him to the authorities would remove his taint from our lives forever, but I underestimated just how prepared he was."
"Prepared?" Kazuto repeated, a sinking feeling in his gut.
"He had contingencies." Shouzou growled. "He suspected his crimes might eventually come to light, especially with Asuna featuring so prominently in the streams and becoming comfortable enough with you to talk about her…unhappiness. So, when he was actively developing ALO, it seems he inserted some code of his own making, although calling it a worm would be a more apt description. Whatever he put in managed to intercept the 300 players before they could successfully log out of their NerveGears. Normally, he wouldn't be able to do something like this between different games, but because ALO used SAO's source code as its base…"
"He was able to piggyback off of it and intercept the logoff command." Kazuto surmised. "The NerveGears "think" the players are still in SAO and are awaiting a command that will never arrive, at least until Noboyuki sends it… which he can't do in prison. He wants amnesty, doesn't he?"
"Sometimes I forget how clever you are for your age." Shouzou smirked. "But that is correct. And, worse, he made sure that any data or correspondence that might've helped us figure out how he did this, or who he was working with, is long gone. A few hours after he was arrested, his office computer fried itself."
"My department was able to determine that he used another "worm", which can be activated on a timer or set as a booby trap," Kikuoka supplied. "You get called to the office and have reason to think your boss is going to have you arrested? You can either have the thing cook your hard drive in a few hours or do it when somebody who isn't you sits down in front of your webcam."
"When Takei caught wind of that, he figured Noboyuki had to have been committing other crimes," Shouzou added. "Why blow up your office computer to hide evidence you were abusing women away from the office? He also told me, several times, that he was suspicious of how calm and compliant Noboyuki was while being hauled out of here by the police. At first, he suspected an effort at corporate sabotage. RECT being contracted to maintain the SAO servers was…pretty galling to our competitors. Takei thought that one of them might've bribed Noboyuki to rock the boat, as it were; maybe cause enough near-misses, or even a few deaths that could be blamed on RECT instead of Kayaba, which would've meant that we would lose the contract and another company would get it. So, he reconstructed and retraced his movements since the incident began and dug for suspicious activity in his finances. He also monitored Noboyuki's trial, to see if evidence inexplicably went missing or he suddenly acquired legal representation way out of his price range. But, since Takei was looking for evidence of the wrong crime, he came up empty."
"We were able to figure out that Noboyuki used a dark web email service to communicate with his accomplices," Kikuoka added. "But that was a dead end too. The account erased itself before he even had a court date set. The emails, what they said, who he was talking to, is all gone. And, the only person who can tell us a damn thing won't without a "Get Out of Jail Free" Card."
"So, we've got nothing?" Kirito asked, his tone hovering between rage and despair.
"More like "not much"," Shouzou replied, sounding as unhappy about that as Kirito felt. "Right now, he's holding most of the cards, so to speak. Unless he sends a certain command from an AmuSphere once every 72 hours, the code he smuggled in will send a "kill" command to every single hostage's NerveGear. He was quick to reveal his plan – and more importantly, his power and leverage – immediately after you and the Assault Team defeated Kayaba. The smug bastard even did it before a room packed with inmates who had to be hit with tear gas to make sure they didn't kill him. Well, prematurely, that is."
"It's been two months." Kazuto realized. "How…?"
"We've been stalling." Kikuoka admitted. "The red tape alone for such a release is tedious and long-winded, but we've been dragging it out as long as we can anyway. He cannot escape justice like this. If he manages to escape, he'll find funding and backing from less scrupulous sources overseas, and then we'll really be in trouble."
"What do you mean?" Kazuto asked, already fearful of the answer.
Kikuoka and Shouzou exchanged a worried, knowing glance before the former spoke up. "Without going into too much detail, we believe he's been working on technology that pertains to brain chemistry, memory retention, and sensory manipulation."
Kazuto paled, having already parsed and translated what that really meant. "Brainwashing."
"I'm afraid so." Kikuoka nodded. "We want to save the 300 lives he's holding hostage, make no mistake, but if he's allowed to walk free…"
"Then that brainwashing tech gets released, too, and we're all in danger." Kazuto finished. "Okay, why are you telling me this? This seems above my pay grade… so to speak."
Shouzou leaned forward on his desk and interlaced his fingers. "Because we could use your help if we're going to save Asuna and make sure Noboyuki faces justice."
Kazuto straightened in his wheelchair. "What do I need to do?"
"Well…" Shouzou said, a grin slowly growing on his face. "First, we may need some help."
"You're sure this is going to work? I don't want to lose her."
"It should. We've done some mock tests of our own, and the chance of losing her is minimal."
Kazuto frowned. "But not zero."
Kouichirou sighed. "No, not zero."
Kazuto wheeled himself over next to his brother-in-law and peered at the screen. Displayed was an image of a NerveGear – he'd brought his own for this particular visit to RECT – and a simplified image of a globe. Below them was an empty progress bar. Despite how simple the operation seemed… he was nervous.
It wasn't every day someone offered to download your daughter.
…Although he suspected that if he ever heard it phrased like that again, he'd punch somebody.
"Are you ready, Kazuto?" Kouichirou asked, scooting back in his chair just a smidge.
"No, but this is overdue. I should have done something earlier."
"Kazuto, you're a bright young man, don't get me wrong, but I don't think your rig at home could handle something like this." Kouichirou chided. "Attempting this using RECT's resources is much safer and has less of a chance of any sort of data loss or corruption."
Kazuto sighed. "Fair enough. Yeah, let's do this."
Contrary to what was depicted in movies and television, the process of extracting Yui's data from his NerveGear and downloading her somewhere else was not as simple as pushing a button. It took Kouichirou a couple of minutes to check if everything was in working order, and then input the necessary commands.
His NerveGear flashed on, the interior lights illuminating an otherwise vacant headset. Even the cable they used to connect the gear to the computer was lighting up; a direct connection wasn't necessary, but they'd be damned if they risked Yui's life on a potentially spotty WiFi connection.
The progress bar began to (slowly) fill on the screen.
And then there was silence as Kazuto found himself awkwardly sitting in a room with a man who he honestly hadn't had much time to get to know. Maybe now would be a good time?
"Thank you."
Though it seemed his brother-in-law beat him to the punch.
"Sorry?" Kazuto asked.
"I never really got the chance to thank you, Kazuto." Kouichirou said, a sad smile on his lips. "You saved my sister in more ways than I can count. And, she'd probably still be engaged to that slime if you hadn't gotten her to open up that night. I can't even begin to convey just how much I respect and admire you for what you've done."
Kazuto blinked, floored at the confession. "I…uhh…"
"For years, I knew what her engagement to Noboyuki would mean, but I was too much of a coward to speak up." The man said, his sad smile morphing into something more frustrated or angry. "And I had my suspicions about what he was doing to Asuna when no one was looking, but again… I did nothing. I should have at least been there for her, offered my support. Our family may be complete, but I don't think it was whole."
Kazuto remained silent.
"Because of you, there's hope." Kouichirou smiled, this time genuine. "You kept her safe in there and brought out what I believe is the real Asuna. She's a leader now, someone that many others strive towards emulating, and a brilliant young woman I am proud to call sister, and much of that is thanks to you. So thank you, Kazuto, for saving my sister's soul."
Kazuto opened his mouth, but couldn't find the words. How could he? Emotional heart-to-heart talks weren't something he was really good at – his private conversations with his wife notwithstanding – so this was still a little uncomfortable. At least outside of a communal bath setting.
Wow. SAO really messed up his perspective, didn't it?
"No problem." Kazuto finally responded. "Honestly, she saved me, too. I like to think she's made me a better man. I used to be a loner and a bit of an edgelord."
"You still kinda are, Papa."
"...Sure, but now I have friends and family. They're my – "
He froze, and as one, he and Kouichirou turned to see a very familiar face plastered on the monitor, a beatific smile threatening to blind the brothers-in-law.
Brother-in-laws? Whatever!
She seemed to make eye contact with him somehow – no doubt due to the camera mounted on top of the screen – as her curious gaze roamed over him, Kouichirou, and the lab they were sitting in.
"Hi Papa! Is this my uncle?"
[Resolute Renegades – #general]
Kirito: I found her.
The Walls Have Rats: Kii-bou?
Kirito: I know where Asuna and the other missing players are.
Kirito: I'm going to get them back.
FuurinKleinzan: Whoa whoa whoa, buddy, back up a sec. You found her? Where? How?!
Mother Of Dragons: You found her?!
StabbyCat: Wait, really?
BossCat: What about Sachi?
DiceyHubby: How can we help?
Captain Boomerang: Lets gooooo
Wulfyboi: LETS GOOO
The Walls Have Rats: How did you figure it out before me?!
Catch These Mittz: LETS DO THIS
Mother of Dragons: LESGOOOOO
The Walls Have Rats: No seriously, tell me your secrets Kii-bou!
No Scope: EVERYBODY SHUT UP
Mother of Dragons: Sorry.
No Scope: Go ahead Kirito
Kirito: Thanks
Kirito: I can't explain how I know.
The Walls Have Rats: Lame!
No Scope: ARGO
The Walls Have Rats: FINE
The Walls Have Rats: I AM grilling you about this later, Kii-bou
Kirito: Noted.
The Walls Have Rats: Also we need to find you a better nickname.
Kirito: She and the others are trapped in another VRMMO.
FuurinKleinzan: Well shit
DiceyHubby: Which game?
Kirito: ALfheim Online.
Shieldmaiden: Wait, isn't that the game that Lok and Yuuki are playing?
Kirito: Yeah. So do Sugu, Ren, Shinichi, Sulinea, and Selka. I think Kouichirou plays, too, but he kind of has to since he works for RECT.
FuurinKleinzan: Care to comment, Leafa ScanVisor Spin2Win?
Leafa: Hmm?
Spin2Win: Heyo!
Spin2Win: I was pinged, what's up?
The Walls Have Rats: Scroll up.
The Walls Have Rats: Also, where's Lok-bou?
Spin2Win: Running, currently.
StabbyCat: Running?
Leafa: …Did you both piss off the world boss again?
Spin2Win: Yeah, we tried kiting Surtr around with spells and now not only are we out of mana, but Lok has aggro. I'm trying to heal up a little before I jump back in.
Leafa: That thing's a world boss designed for a full raid of people, why the hell would you try that BY YOURSELVES? AGAIN?!
Spin2Win: It sounded like fun! Now hold on, lemme scroll up a bit…
Leafa: Shoot, got some Salamanders tailing me, brb
FuurinKleinzan: How are you all in here while playing?
ScanVisor: Sorry, was a little preoccupied! FuurinKleinzan, ALO has a Discord plugin you can enable so you can chat with people who are offline. Really useful for PvP, I'm told.
FuurinKleinzan: Neat!
Spin2Win: WAIT ASUNA'S HERE?
ScanVisor: WAIT WHAT
Spin2Win: LOK WHY DID YOU STOP HE'S CHASING ME NOW HELP
ScanVisor: ITS YOUR TURN NOW I NEED TO HEAL
Kirito: She and the others are being held at the top of the world tree.
ScanVisor: I KNEW IT!
The Walls Have Rats: Doesn't Aa-chan's pops run RECT? What the flying fuck?
Kirito: Yes, but for reasons I can't divulge, he's just as helpless as we are. They're trying to get her out, but they want my help.
No Scope: No offense, Kirito, but how can you help?
Kirito: By being a distraction.
DiceyHubby: A distraction?
Kirito: I really can't say anything else, at least not without having everyone sign an NDA, but I'm going in.
StabbyCat: Fuck, an NDA?
BossCat: That's some serious red tape there.
The Walls Have Rats: Shit, that's serious. If it'll help Aa-chan, though, I'm in. Where do I sign, Kii-bou?
Kirito: I'd have to ask about it.
Thunderstruck: Let me ask Father, I'm sure he can make arrangements for the paperwork.
FuurinKleinzan: Wait, who dis?
Leafa: That's Kouichirou, Asuna's brother. Also, what the hell, Kazuto? Why am I just now hearing about this?! You got back from RECT hours ago! Also, this really deserves a ping.
Leafa: everyone Kazuto found Asuna! Everyone get in here!
Kirito: You were in game! I wasn't going to bother you when I could just tell you later.
FuurinKleinzan: Also, wait a minute, are we just going to ignore the fact that Kirito said he was going in? You're not going in ALONE, are you pal?
Kirito: …maybe.
Leafa: What the hell, Kazuto?!
FuurinKleinzan: Like hell you are!
The Walls Have Rats: Fuck that!
No Scope: You're an idiot.
ScanVisor: HAH! Joke's on you, I'm already in here!
BossCat: Not alone, you're not!
Liz: I'm going with you.
The Walls Have Rats: Whoa. I don't think I've ever seen Liz say anything in here. You okay, girl?
Liz: Don't fight me on this, Kirito. I'm going with you. I want him back.
Yuna: Me too.
Alice: Same.
FuurinKleinzan: Shit just got real. The womenfolk are converging.
Cloak and Dagger: Dear, please never phrase it like that again.
FuurinKleinzan: Regretted it the moment I said it.
The Walls Have Rats: God, you two are too domestic. Anyway, you're kidding yourself if you think we're just gonna stand to the side and let you go in alone, Kii-bou.
Kirito: FINE!
Kirito: Who else is coming along? I'm not going to force anybody to jump into another game after spending three years trapped in one. Nobody will judge you if you don't want to or can't join in. I know some of you have other obligations.
Alice: I'm in.
Liz: I'm getting him back.
Yuna: I'm in, too.
FuurinKleinzan: Here we go, boys and girls! I'm in, too!
Leafa: I'm already here, but I'd be in anyway!
ScanVisor: I'm SO in!
Shieldmaiden: Same!
BossCat: Ducker and I are in!
Mother of Dragons: Let's do this!
No Scope: My best friend's trapped in there. I'm in.
Catch These Mittz: LETS GO
Wulfyboi: LETS GOO
Captain Boomerang: YEAH
Recon: I'm in, too!
Leviad: I'll join.
Sapphire Sister: im coming 2
The Walls Have Rats: You really think I wouldn't come along?
Spin2Win: Yay! I'll see you guys inside then!
Spill the Tiese: Count me in!
Ronye: Of course I'll help, Kirito-senpai!
RonYEAH: We all owe her so much!
RonYEAH: …Argo, why?
The Walls Have Rats: I thought it'd be funny!
ChippenDale: I'll help where I can!
Dynammite: Like we'd let you go out on your own!
Cloak and Dagger: You have my blade.
FuurinKleinzan: Was that…?
Cloak and Dagger: Hush, you.
DiceyHubby: Count me in, too.
DiceyWifey: Not alone, you're not, mister. I'm coming with!
DiceyHubby: Who's gonna keep the cafe open, then?
DiceWifey: We'll just close during the day. The only people who come in at that time are in this chat anyway.
Thing One: We can help you guys out with the cafe!
Thing Two: Yeah, what Mako said!
DiceyHubby: Did you two just offer yourselves jobs?
Thing One: Maybe?
Thing Two: That depends. Did it work?
DiceyWifey: We'll talk later.
Thing Two: That wasn't a no.
DiceyHubby: Keep pushing it and it will be, Wolfgang.
Thing Two: Shutting up!
Kirito: Oh, by the way, I have another announcement to make.
FuurinKleinzan: I don't know if my heart can take any more surprises today, man.
No Scope: You'll be fine. What is it, Kirito?
[ → It's dangerous to go alone, take Yui!]
Yui: Hi!
FuurinKleinzan: wat
StabbyCat: What
Spill the Tiese: Wait what
The Walls Have Rats: You're shittin me!
ScanVisor: This better not be a prank, Kirito!
Kirito: That's actually her. Thunderstruck back me up here.
Thunderstruck: I can confirm that Yui is actually MHCP001, the mental health counseling program we all know and love as Yui. Kazuto and I extracted her from his NerveGear today. She now exists primarily on dedicated servers here at RECT, but she has access to the internet and can freely converse and interact as she pleases.
StabbyCat: Holy shit.
BossCat: Language!
StabbyCat: You're not my mom!
RonYEAH: Yui!
The Walls Have Rats: YUI-CHAN!
FuurinKleinzan: YUI!
FuurinKleinzan: How's my favorite niece?
Yui: GREAT! It's so nice to be with you all again! I'm very excited to help with freeing Mama and the others!
Cloak and Dagger: Again, she's our
Cloak and Dagger: Apologies… I just remembered that she is not our only niece. Still, playing favorites is unbecoming, love.
FuurinKleinzan: Oh yeah. Where IS Cardinal, anyway?
Thunderstruck: It appears Cardinal and Kizmel were saved on Asuna's NerveGear, not Kazuto's. Neither of us wanted to roll the dice extracting either of them and risk injuring her or damaging their programs, or both, by accident.
Captain Boomerang: Valid.
Yui: Your nicknames are really funny! Should I give one to myself, too?
Best Girl: What should I call myself?
Best Girl: Oh! Thank you, Auntie Sugu!
Shieldmaiden: That's a bold claim there.
DiceyWifey: Not entirely wrong, though.
Leafa: It was the only name for her
Leafa: And I will fight anyone who suggests otherwise
The Walls Have Rats: Damn, girl! Sugu-chan's got some bite! I like it!
Kirito: ANYWAY, we're getting off track. Yui's going to help us when we get in game by inserting herself as a tutorial guide.
Yui: Navigation Pixie, Papa.
Kirito: Right, that. We're hoping she'll be able to communicate with Cardinal eventually and give us intel from the inside.
ScanVisor: Ooh, careful though. Nav Pixies are super rare. You're going to draw a crowd if people see her.
Kirito: That's the point.
DiceyHubby: Pardon?
Kirito: Thunderstruck can help convert and port our SAO characters over to ALO. We'll have to choose our races and a lot of our items aren't convertible, but most of the stats will carry over and so will our appearances.
Leafa: I don't think you understand how famous you are, Kazuto. Once people realize who you actually are, they're going to be all over you.
Kirito: Again, that's the point. We need to be enough of a distraction for Thunderstruck and Mr. Yuuki to do what they need to do.
Kirito: The timing and coordination alone make this very difficult to plan, but we have to make it work.
Thunderstruck: I understand I'm relevant to this conversation, but I am still at work, Kazuto. Please refrain from pinging me unless you need my direct input. I'm working on what needs to be done to get Asuna out of there.
Kirito: Sorry.
Thunderstruck: Don't be. I am just as incensed at her imprisonment and am just as eager to free her. I just need to concentrate if I am going to uphold my end of the bargain, that's all.
The Walls Have Rats: Do we need to buy AmuSpheres? Not all of us are made of money, y'know?
Kirito: No
Best Girl: Nope! Your existing NerveGears will suffice; they're compatible with ALO. In fact, it would actually be best if you used your NerveGears, since your SAO avatar data is stored on them. Like Papa started to say, ALO doesn't use sword skills, and the items you had won't be compatible, but ALO uses the same core stats: STR, AGI, VIT, DEX, and LUK. This will give you a much-needed boost to your capabilities while in game, without having to worry about raising your stats up from scratch. Given the sensitive time frame of this operation, NerveGears are the preferred method of entry.
FuurinKleinzan: How the crap did you type all of that so fast, Yui? I was five letters into my next question!
Best Girl: Uncle Klein, I exist as data, and I don't have a physical body. I can type as fast as you can think.
FuurinKleinzan: Wow, that's
FuurinKleinzan: I feel so inadequate now.
Best Girl: Love you, Uncle Klein!
Best Girl: Also, I feel the need to remind you all that I am a fully functioning mental health counseling program. I understand that the past few months have been difficult for all of you, and for some more than others. I encourage you all to message me. Your well-being is important not only to me, but to everyone in this channel. We love you, and you don't have to suffer alone. PLEASE consider reaching out, if not to me, then to others. We're here for you all.
Best Girl: Remember, avoiding your problems and ignoring your own well-being is silly.
Best Girl: Don't be silly!
The Walls Have Rats: Kirito
Kirito: ?
The Walls Have Rats: Really? Gonna make me spell it out for you, Kii-bou?
Kirito: …
Leafa: She's got a point. You do have a habit of doing that.
No Scope: Yup
FuurinKleinzan: Gotta go with the Rat on this one, buddy
Mother of Dragons: You do that a lot, Kirito
BossCat: You kinda do
StabbyCat: Kinda? Try all the time!
Kirito: I hate you all.
Captain Boomerang: God, I missed Yui.
ChippenDale: Glad to have you back with us!
Best Girl: Feel free to message me anytime! Like I said before, I exist as data and can type at the speed of thought, so I have all the time in the world to help.
Liz: I
Liz: I think I'll do that.
The Forgery Department: Thanks Yui.
The Forgery Department: ARGO WHY
The Walls Have Rats: Because some of you party poopers aren't using nicknames! They're supposed to be funny, damn it! There's no time to be mopey anymore, we've got friends to save!
Sing Along: That was kind of rude, Argo.
Sing Along: …Really?
Oathkeeper: I hate to say it, but Argo has a point. We have a plan, or at least enough of a plan to get started. I assume Kirito will go over the particulars later, but we know what we need to do. I'll contact some of the KoB I'm in regular contact with and see if they would be willing to assist.
Oathkeeper: Huh. I kind of like this one.
The Walls Have Rats: I was gonna go with "The Good Twin" but Oathkeeper just sounds more badass. Also, 30-chan isn't evil, just a bit of a stick in the mud.
Oathkeeper: Well, thanks anyway!
Kirito: I'd like for us all to log in next Saturday around 2:00 PM, if possible. That should give us all enough time to make sure our schedules are free, and it's enough time for us to get a good lunch in before sitting down to play.
Kirito: There are nine playable races in ALO, so feel free to choose whichever race you like. In fact, spreading out across the different races will help us more in the long run. Just make sure to enable the Discord plugin so that we can coordinate with others who have chosen the same race or might be nearby our starting zones.
Kirito: Our goal is to establish ourselves and make our way towards Alne, the neutral capital city of ALO, and complete the quest for the world tree. Feel free to gather others on the way and even network with the faction leaders if you can. We'll need all the help we can get if we're going to pull this off.
Kirito: Any questions?
FuurinKleinzan: None here! I've been doing some research, and the Salamanders sound like my jam. Message me if you roll Salamander and we'll party up!
ScanVisor: I'm a Cait Sith, so hit me up!
Leafa: Recon and I are Sylphs, so let us know if you make one too!
Leviad: I'll be in the Undine capital city if anyone wants to party up.
Spin2Win: I'm an Imp!
DiceyHubby: Trish and I are going with Gnomes.
Spin2Win: Ooh! Sing Along, you should totally go Pooka! They're all about music!
Sing Along: I guess that makes sense, sure.
ScanVisor: The Forgery Department, Leprechauns are a race of blacksmiths, if you're interested.
The Forgery Department: Sure, why not?
Kirito: I'll be playing as a Spriggan, so I think that's all nine races accounted for. You all know who to contact no matter which race you decide to play as, so make sure to reach out and party up as soon as you can.
Leafa: OMG Kazuto seriously?
ScanVisor: ROFL
Spin2Win: I can see it!
Mother of Dragons: Wait, what's wrong?
ScanVisor: Ahem
ScanVisor: Allow me
The Walls Have Rats: Oh this is gonna be good, I can tell.
ScanVisor: The Spriggans are known to have a darker skin tone compared to the other races and are typically associated with the color black. Similar to other races, they are capable of flight and are known to be masters of Illusion and Treasure Hunting Magic. Due to this, many believe that the Spriggans are not a race fit to be used in combat, thus making them the most unpopular race in ALfheim Online.
ScanVisor: Taken directly from the wiki page.
FuurinKleinzan: Kirito, bro
Shieldmaiden: That tracks.
RonYEAH: I think that fits him very well!
No Scope: Oh my god, you hopeless edgelord.
Kirito: I feel attacked.
Best Girl: They have a point, Papa. It's your style!
Kirito: Et tu, Yui?
Kirito: Regardless, next Saturday! Anyone who's reading this after the fact, message me if you plan on joining us, and make sure to enable the Discord plugin. We're going to need it.
Kirito: We can do this. We beat Akihiko Kayaba and freed thousands of players once.
BlackSwordsman1337: We'll do it again.
BlackSwordsman1337: DAMMIT ARGO
A/N:
Well, apparently "at" signs don't function here on FFN, so that Discord chat loses a little of its authenticity here. Oh well, at least the point got across I guess.
Co-Author's Note: Hey, there. Falchion1984 reporting in. Anyhow, Ikell and I had been going back and forth regarding how Noboyuki's scheme would unfold. To reiterate how things got rolling in Unyielding, once Noboyuki saw that the streams meant an ever-increasing number of people were gaining access to more and more moments within SAO, and that Asuna was becoming more and more comfortable with her guildmates, he knew it was only a matter of time before she revealed something damaging about him when the Yuuki's could see it. As his plans for ALO were already underway by then, he made adjustments to ensure that they would progress even if he were fired, arrested, convicted, or, as it turns out, all of the above. He made sure that his correspondences with his partners occurred via a dark web messaging service which would delete his account after a few days of inactivity, to isolate the sections of his hard drive containing his work, and acquired a "worm" that would wipe his hard drive clean and fill all existing memory with random data, which would make data recovery impossible. Just before the confrontation with the Yuuki's, he sensed what might be coming and activated the worm, thus (seemingly) destroying the evidence. And, of course, his correspondences were long since deleted by the time his machinations with ALO came to light. So, he sure seems to have built a robust game plan, but let's see if it survives contact with the enemy!
On a related note, that bit about how Takei looked into Sugou to see if he was up to even more mischief? First, shout-out to RandomDSdevel-WCFaWF, who raised that point on . Since a sequel was needed, however, I figured the best way to prevent deus ex machina was for Takei to pursue an incorrect, but plausible, theory, namely that one of RECT's competitors wanted the contract to maintain the SAO servers and figured the best way to do that was to bribe Sugou to cause some havoc and make RECT look like they could not be trusted with such an important project. And, if you're reading this, Random, thanks for that flash of inspiration.
As for the Agent Smith Slayers, or A.S.S. - ha! I crack myself up! - the concept dates all the way back to just after Quinella's death in Unyielding. Given that this was a sentient A.I. who riddled out what she was, decided she wanted to strike back at the meat sacks, and came within spitting distance of doing so, I believe the A.S.S. (heh) would be a believable aftereffect of such a near-miss playing out in front of an audience numbering, conservatively, in the tens of millions. But, before you get too excited, please be advised that the A.S.S. (still funny!) will not be taking an active role in the story. I DO reserve the right to put together a short story where we see the might-have-beens, where those members who might've collaborated with Sugou/Oberon get introduced, but that's a good ways down the line.
And, regardless, anyone who WANTS to delete Yui, Cardinal, and Kizmel really IS an A.S.S.!
On a completely different note, in this chapter, you'll find a reference to an SAO harem fic on called 'A Different Story' by Peifmaster, along with a second reference to a Kirisuna fic on Ao3 called 'The White Lady and the Black Knight' by Milarqui. The proper name of the A.S.S. (hehehehehehe!),The Midshipmen of the Nebhacadnezer is also a reference. Find them, tell us what they are in the comments, and impress me with your geekishness!