SAO After Ordinal Scale

June 3rd, 2026:

It had been over a month since the ‘Ordinal Scale’ incident ended. The man responsible, Professor Tetsuhiro Shigemura, created the Augmented Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game, which was supported by a device known as Augma. He orchestrated the Original Scale Incident to steal memories of the SAO survivors, including Asuna’s, to revive his dead daughter Yuuna as an AI. With the help of Yuuna's former beloved, Eiji aiding him, he nearly came close to succeeding, which would have killed the Augma users in the process. Fortunately, this experiment failed as Kirito, Asuna and the others defeated the revamped SAO bosses in the OS game, with the help of Yuuna no less. In the aftermath of the final battle, all of the SAO Survivors' memories were restored, including Asuna’s, much to Kazuto’s delight.

However, Professor Shigermura went missing afterward, only to be found dead days later when his body was discovered in the ocean waters by deep-sea fishermen. His death was ruled as ‘suicide’ and the ARMMORP game and the Augma were declared an ‘outrage since the Sugou incident’. The political and social fall out led to the Ordinal Scale's removal from the market and internet servers.

Today was a beautiful day, and everyone decided to help Yuuki Konno out on swimming lessons since she had been in Full Dive for three years. To that end, her friends reserved the SAO Survivor School's swimming pool for Yuuki's sake.

Kazuto and his sister Suguha arrived in the parking lot on a scooter bike. with Alex just behind them on his own.

“We’re here,” Alex said as he hopped off his bike and took his helmet off.

Kazuto smiled upon seeing his BFF, and then Suguha went over and caught the blond boy in a glomping hug.

“Alex!” She exclaimed happily as she buried her face into his shirt.

“Suguha…” Alex chuckled as he held her tenderly in his arms, his eyes contacting with the black-haired beauty’s light grey eyes that shined from the sunlight.

“I missed you.” She admitted.

“I missed you too.” He replied before planting a kiss on her forehead. Kazuto smiled at the lovely scene. Then he felt two slender arms wrapping around his waist, followed by a pressing of a feminine body and a honeyed feminine voice that he recognized and loved.

“Kazuto-kun…” Asuna cooed softly as she nuzzled into his neck in a very cute way.

“Mmmmmmm….Asuna..” Kazuto sighed as he felt her nose rubbing against his neck. She giggled as she moved onto his shoulder, pressing her cheek against his.

“Here are the lovely couples.” The two couples turned to see Rika heading towards them, with her boyfriend Scott Mason. Several others appeared, including Keiko Ayano with Timothy Hudson, Shino Asada with Shigeru Hirose, and Yuuki Konno with Randy Mitchell.

“Hey, Rika.” Asuna greeted her friend as the group came together.

“This is so exciting,” Yuuki exclaimed. Randy chuckled at his girlfriend’s happiness.

“Same here..” Keiko added.

“So…are we gonna head on in to change?” Shino asked, dying to see Spike’s reaction towards her bathing suit.

“Same here.” Scott admitted before leaning in towards Rika’s ear and whispering, “and you get to see my toned body.” This caused Rika to blush and giggle child-like.

“Let’s head to the pool,” Kazuto said as they all headed inside.

“You don’t have any counseling on anything?” Rika asked in a teasing matter. Kazuto sighed as he remembered that he had to take counseling on his time while in SAO and ALO. Fortunately, he’d already done so back on May 6th, days after the Ordinal Scale incident.

“I’m so looking forward to showing my swimsuit to you Spikey.” Shino cooed while she hugged him.

“Love to see a kitty who loves the water.” Shigeru chuckled. Shino leaned up and gave his cheek a lick.

“Meow.” She mewed, followed by her giggles as she cuddled in his arm.

Suguha, on the other hand, was blushing a deep red. Alex noticed her rosy cheeks and asked her in a soft tone. “Is there something wrong Sugu?”

“Well…..” Suguha began. She hesitated for a moment before continuing. “I got a new swimsuit two days ago.”

“Really?” The American blond-haired boy said in surprise. “Can’t wait to see it.” This caused her to blush even more.

“It’s just that….” She could not finish.

“I’m sure that I’ll love it when I see it.” He reassured her. Sugu looked up into his eyes and smiled with confidence. Everyone entered their respective locker rooms to get their swimsuits on.

Soon, the girls changed in their swimsuits. Yuuki’s swimsuit was a deluxe two-piece with the bottom part of the skirt that resembled Rika’s. Shino’s was a typical two-piece bikini that nearly resembled Asuna’s. Asuna on the other hand still retained her two-piece striped bikini.

“Still rockin’ in the bikini, eh Asuna?” Rika commented with a smug look on her face, "you just love hypothesizing Kazuto with your stripes.” Rika chuckled, to Asuna's smirk. “Very true Rika,” the chestnut-haired beauty agreed. The girls then noticed Suguha had not come out of the changing room.

“Hey, Sugu! Let’s see your swimwear.” Rika called out.

“Um….I’m not sure about this.” Sugu's shy voice said from behind the curtain.

“Come on, we want to see it..” Rika mocked a whiny voice. Asuna just rolled her eyes over her impropriety. Shortly after, the curtains slid aside and Sugu stepped out in full view of her friends. She sported a two-piece green bikini that showed off the chest area. The girls were surprised by Sugu’s choice of her swimsuit.

“Wow, Sugu…” Asuna exclaimed. “That’s a…very bold pick you have there.”

“Do you think it’s over-revealing?” The blushing girl asked. She was thinking of how the boys would react if they saw her.

“I’m sure it’s very good,” Keiko reassured.

Rika grinned naughtily, causing Suguha to worry as she recognized that look. “See? I told you that the two-piece would show more of her chest.” Rika giggled teasingly.

“Rika.” Asuna said in an annoyed tone while glaring at her; she did not want her to be groping Sugu's chest like she did last time.

“Sorry.” Rika shrunk away. Keiko began to have thoughts of what Tim would say if he saw her in her swimsuit, as it was not very new and quite revealing.

“Alright, I guess everyone’s ready.” Yuuki beamed as she headed out the door. The other girls followed her to the swimming pool outside, where they saw that the boys were already out.

Kazuto, Alex, and the other guys had just finished dressing in their swim trunks. Kazuto was in his black swim trunks, Alex in his red and blue, while the others were in their mixes of black and grey, light blue, orange, and tan colored.

“Wonder when the girls are coming out,” Scott asked as he examined his black/grey trunks.

“Not sure, they seem to take a long time,” Shigeru replied. He was in his light-orange swim trunks.

“It’s no surprise at all,” Alex chimed in as he fiddled with his smartphone, "and they’re getting Yuuki dressed." It was then that the boys heard voices coming down the hall from the girls' room.

“Here they are,” Scott grinned as the boys turned to see their girlfriends walking out in their swimsuits. The girls each had noticeable swaying in their hips as they got closer.

“Woo-hoo!” Scott called out.

“Oh yeah!” Shigeru added, eyeing Sinon with a grin.

“Yeeeaaahhh..” Randy exclaimed.

Kazuto smiled at Asuna, as she and the others blew kisses to their respected boyfriends, adding more cheers from their guys.

Alex and Tim had different reactions by the sight of their respective girlfriends in swimsuits. Alex’s jaw dropped in shock and awe at Sugu’s new bikini; it was a new look for her as she ditched her old blue one-piece for a two-piece with the colors of her ALO avatar.

“Alex, you’re one lucky dog," Scott grinned and patted the blushing boy on the back.

The girls set their stuff down before standing in front of their boyfriends.

“Kazuto…” Asuna cooed.

“Scotty…” Rika grinned.

Spikey…” Shino mewed.

“Randy…” Yuuki giggled.

"Hi, Tim..." Keiko shyly greeted.

While Kazuto and the others admired the new looks, Alex and Tim, along with Suguha and Keiko stared at each other in silence. Alex's eyes soaked in Sugu’s appearance and admiring of her bikini, while Tim was blushing at Keiko's choice of bikini.

“Was this the swimsuit you mentioned earlier," Alex asked Sugu. The blushing girl just nodded.

“It’s so…beautiful and very attractive,” he breathed. This caused her to perk up and look him in the eye.

“R-Really?” Sugu asked.

“I’d be lying if I wasn’t,” Alex complimented with a smile. He’d seen her in different outfits that made her appearance very stunning, even in a more private and intimate state. Seeing her in the bikini though had left him breathless. It was then he stepped forward, nose-to-nose with his Sugu. “My beautiful swordswoman.”

“My handsome swordsman.” The two shared heated gazes in each other’s eyes as they lost each other in the moment. Leaning in, they shared a hot, passionate kiss. Alex moaned as he felt her chest pressing and rubbing against his bare chest. His hands found their way down to her back and gave it a good rub, earning a muffled moan from Sugu and deepening the kiss.

Tim’s face was rosy due to seeing Keiko’s swimsuit. He’d never seen her in a two-piece since they started dating. He scanned the equally rosy-faced girl from head to toe, admiring the details of her pose and body in the swimsuit.

“You look stunning.” Tim finally spoke, breaking the silence between the two.

“You sure?” Keiko rubbed her cheeks shyly as she stuttered, “I-it’s not my best since I couldn’t…” She didn’t finish as her face continued to get rosier.

“Wrong, Keiko. You look amazing,” Tim beamed. Finally casting her doubts aside, Keiko headed toward him and hugged him. She then stood up on her tip-toes to plant a sweet kiss on his lips, while Tim held her close to keep her balance. They parted lips and just shared sweet and heated gazes. "Meow," Keiko cutely mewed, causing her boyfriend to grin as Cheshire Cat.

“Can we get swimming before something else happens,” Yuuki asked, breaking the awkwardness. Asuna smiled as she stood next to her to show her some preparations for swimming.

“Remember Yuuki, stretching is very important for swimming so that you don’t get cramps while in the pool,” Asuna said to her.

“Cannonball,” Rika shouted as she jumped into the pool, along with Keiko and Shino.

“Unlike some others who don’t stretch before jumping in,” Asuna said in a tone of annoyance by her friends’ rush to the pool.

“OK, Asuna,” Yuuki chimed as she did some stretches with Asuna, Kazuto, Alex, and Randy. Meanwhile, Scott, Tim, and Shigeru were exchanging snippets with each other on who was doing the ‘belly flop’.

“No, No way I’m doing it,” Tim protested.

“Come on Tim,” Scott egged him on, “it’ll be fun.”

“Like that time you talked me and Randy into charging against the Nazis in the ‘Wolfenstein game,” Tim snapped at him.

“It was the one time,” Scott groaned from the memory of when they played ‘Wolfenstein’ in VR, which landed them in the hands of heavily armed Nazi soldiers as well as a pack of Panzerhunds, forcing them to run helter-skelter from bullets and flamethrowers.

“So are you gonna do it,” Scott asked again.

“I don’t think so,” Tim replied again. It was then that Shigeru stepped up.

“I’ll do it,” Shigeru volunteered, “never tried it, but it shouldn’t hurt.” He stepped up to the board for his dive. Scott stood on the other board next to him, ready to make the dive as the two ran towards the pool.

The two boys jumped. "Belly flop," Scott yelled as they landed in the pool on their stomachs and resurfaced with their stomachs and chests red and stinging from the dive. Tim shook his head as the boys laughed at their silliness.

“Boys,” Rika groaned as she shook her head.

After stretching, Kazuto, Asuna, Suguha, Alex, and Randy jumped in with excited shouts. Yuuki just lowered herself into the pool with a small inner tube.

“I don’t think that swimming lessons are done with a floaty,” Randy chuckled.

“It’s just a little something before I can start,” Yuuki replied with a smile.

“Well, you'll eventually have to learn how to float without that ring," Randy remarked.

It was then the Konno girl thought about it before removing the ring.

“You’re right,” Yuuki said with a devious smirk on her face as she suddenly latched herself onto Randy. She giggled, “I can hold onto you until I’m ready.” The Mitchell boy felt Yuuki’s leg hitching up to his waist and wrapping around him, making his heart do leaps in his chest. She gave him a seductive look before giving him a wet peck on the cheek. Both Randy and Yuuki agreed to take things slowly with their relationship, but they still got to tease each other lightly.

“Mmmmmmm…Yuuki you tease…” Randy growled while nuzzling her nose, causing his girl to giggle and sigh happily.

“Sheesh,” Rika just scoffed. It was then Scott crept up from behind and caught her in a hug.

“Scott!” Rika squeaked as she felt his arms wrap around her stomach.

“You’re so cute when you make those noises,” Scott remarked as he rubbed her stomach, causing her to coo and moan from his touches.

“Scottttttyyyy,” she moaned as she lost herself in her boyfriend's gentleness. Scott even nibbled on her ear in a teasing matter.

Tim cuddled up with Keiko, who giggled from his soft hug. “My my, someone misses me,” Keiko giggled.

“Indeed I do.” Tim smiled before they turned to face each other. “And I do love to see a cute kitten like you swimming.”

“Hehehehe…Meow,” Keiko mewed. She curled up in his arms, nuzzling and rubbing her face against his bare chest as a cat would do.

“Mmmmm…Good kitty,” Tim petted her hair.

“Meow….Buuurrrrr,” she purred and giggled. Shino smiled on before Shigeru moved in and hugged her from behind.

“I see another kitten who loves the water.” Shigeru smiled as he pressed himself against her back.

“Meow….” Shino mewed in response, causing him to nibble on her ear.

“Such a good kitty…”

“Hehehehehe…” She giggled before mewing again.

Meanwhile, Suguha looked around and wondered where Alex is. “Has anybody see Ale…EEEKK!” She squealed softly when she felt something grabbing her waist from underwater. Her face blushes as she felt her sides being rubbed and squeezed from underwater, citing soft moans and coos from her lips. Suguha turned her head to see Alex rising out of the water.

“Gotcha my beauty.” Alex teased. Suguha laughed when she saw his wet hair covered his eyes, she wipes her fingers across his face to move the hair away from his beautiful eyes.

“You tease…” Suguha giggled.

“My love…” Alex cooed as his arms wrapped around her sides and they hugged.

“Alright, guys.” Asuna said, ending the moment between the lovers. “Let’s get to swimming lessons before more weird things happened.” She then turned to Yuuki. “You ready for your swimming lessons?”

“Indeed I am,” Yuuki answers before asking. “Mind if Randy helps out as well? I’d love to have my boyfriend teach me how to swim as well.”

“Of course.” Asuna smiled as she and Randy begin teaching her on holding her head underwater. The outcome of the lesson was great as the three came back up for air.

“You did great Yuuki,” Randy commented.

“Yeah, I sure did.” Yuuki beamed happily.

“It’s the first start,” Asuna added. Then the next lesson, Yuuki is learning how to swim from one side of the pool to the other. Her legs kicked back and forth in the water for propelling with Randy and Asuna holding her arms.

“You’re doing great Yuuki.” Asuna said.

“Yeah Yuuki, keep going.” Randy chimed in; their encouragements are what Yuuki needed as she made it to the end.

“You did it!” Randy congratulated her as she came back up for air.

“Thanks,” Yuuki said happily. “You’re all very good help with me.” She turned to her boyfriend. “Especially you Randy.”

“What can I say?” Randy said proudly. “I’m your knight in shining armor.”

“Indeed you are.” Yuuki laughed, Randy and Asuna laughed with her. It was then Randy offered. “Want me to help continue the lessons with you?”

“Sure,” Yuuki replied as the couple continued their lessons. Asuna sighed happily for her. It was hard to believe that she came all this way after being cleared from her AIDS. From relearning how to walk to help her defeat the bosses in the ‘Ordinal Scale’ game after her memory, as well as the memories of her friends who survived SAO, were stolen and helped restored them.

The other couples watched on with happy and dreamy expressions as they see Randy and Yuuki swam from one side of the pool to the other several times. Eventually, they begin swimming laps with each other and playfully splashing each other.

“Such a lovely couple,” Alex remarked as he sees his young cousin happy with his girl.

“Yes, they are.” Suguha replied with him as they recalled their playful moment in the pool. It was then the girls waded out of the pool and sat on the edge with only their feet and lower legs in the water. They giggled and laughed when they see their boyfriends, who are still in the water, swimming up to them slowly.

“Well look who has decided to show up.” Rika giggled as Scott nears her legs. It was then she raised one of her legs out of the water, displaying her foot to him. Then she planted her wet foot against his face.

“Hey!” Scott protested, Rika giggled like a child as she plays with Scott with her foot, she uses her other foot to rub his chest, laughing as she does this. Then Scott’s fingers rub to bottom of her foot, causing her to squeal with laughter and tried to pull her foot again, only to have it in a soft, but firm grip before he starts tickling her.

“Stop it you brute!” Rika laughed as she splashed everywhere. Scott then picks her up off of the edge and back into the pool. The two laughed as they held each other while still in the pool. Shino raised her leg out from the water as Shigeru got closer. However as she placed her foot against his face as Rika did to her boyfriend, Shigeru smiled and rubbed his cheek against her foot; his nose touching between her toes.

“Hehehehe…..” Shino giggles.

“Such a lovely foot.,” Shigeru said smugly before giving her foot kisses, earning cute moans and giggles from the girl.

Tim approached Keiko and rests his head against her legs, rubbing his cheek against the smooth skin coated by water.

“Aww…Cute Timmy..” Keiko cooed as she pets his hair.

“Mmmmm…Keiko.” Tim sighed. Underneath the water, his hands found one of Keiko’s feet and he begins rubbing them. She squeaked when she felt his hand, but relaxes as she feels his fingers rubbing her foot.

“Mmmmm…Timmy….” Keiko sighed; she raised her foot out of the water for Tim to get a good view of her foot while displaying her slim, but perfect legs in the air. He gently massages her foot, causing the girl to coo and sigh by his touch before moving to the next foot.

“Yyeeeeaaaahhh…” Keiko said in a dazed trance.

“Keiko’s got him trained.” Asuna chuckled.

“She sure did,” Sugu replied she feels Alex placing his head against her legs. The girl giggled and places her legs on his shoulders, pulling him in a hug until his face is almost in her groin.

“You look beautiful from down here,” Alex commented nearly muffled.

“Why thank you, my handsome knight.” Suguha replied while she places her hand over her heart. She coos when she felt his hands rubbing against her legs and caressed her thighs.

Kazuto rubs his face against Asuna’s thighs while gazing up to her princess, the sunlight shined off perfectly, giving her wet skin and hair a perfect glow.

“My princess.” Kazuto sighed by the beautiful love of his life.

“My valiant knight.” Asuna replied, the side of his face pressed against her thighs, giving his cheek a cute chipmunk look.

“You look so adorable when you do that.” Asuna giggled. She remembered when she pressed his cheeks together when they expressed their feelings together. Those were one of the best memories of SAO and she was glad that her memories were restored.

“Anything for my love.” He said while he nibbled on her thigh, causing her to giggle.

After some playful splashing, Randy and Yuuki stopped and just held each other in a warming embrace. Their wet skin shined perfectly from the sunlight along with their eyes.

“My Randy.” Yuuki cooed softly as her hand touches his cheek.

“My Yuuki,” Randy replied softly while his hands move on her hips, pulling her closer to him. Then they shared a sweet kiss, the couple moaned as their lips caressed each other while their bodies pressed against each other. They parted lips and rest their foreheads against each other’s not moving a muscle as they stand in the middle of the pool.

Then a growl from Yuuki’s stomach is heard.

“Hehe…Sounds like someone’s hungry.” Randy chucked.

“Oh man, talk about killing the moment,” Yuuki admitted before they turned to see that their friends are getting out of the pool and are sitting down on the blanket with two baskets.

“Wanna have lunch?” Asuna asked from afar. The couple then waded out of the water and sat with the group. Asuna and Suguha have brought food, such as sandwiches for the group. Everyone chewed delightfully on the lunches the girls have brought with them while sitting at their respected couples.

Kazuto smiled at his girlfriend. "You never fail to continue to impress," he complimented, "What would we do without you?"

Asuna smiles back cutely at Kazuto.

“This is darn good,” Scott admitted as he wolfed his down.

“Wow, Asuna. These are good.” Yuuki smiled while taking bites of her sandwich.

“Suguha and I have made the lunches together.” Asuna said.

"Suguha?" Alex looked at his girl. Suguha just blushed and smiled sheepishly. Alex laughed as he hugged and snuggled next to her. "Good girl..." he purred.

Suguha giggled and hugs Alex.

“My cooking skills continue to pay off,” Sugu said to Alex.

“Indeed it has.” Alex admitted, “Especially with the fondue dinner.” The couple blushes from that memory where they made fondue that night, with chocolate-covered strawberries and bananas for dessert.

Tim and Keiko sat lovely with each other; so far, Tim has gotten better with the chopsticks since he moved to Japan. There were some moments where he fumbles with the food whenever he tried to use chopsticks, even on the first date with Keiko, who giggled and agrees to help him out. Keiko sighed as she enjoyed feeding him with the chopsticks, and of course, they still do every once in a while.

"You're getting better," Keiko cutely complimented.

“Indeed I am,” Tim replied with a smile.

"But..." Keiko snuggled up to her boyfriend with a purr. "Don't learn too much, because I still have things to show you."

“I’ll wait for them.” Tim purred back.

"Meow," Keiko cutely made a cat impression to Tim. The latter rubs her ears.

"You're such a sweet Neko," Tim chuckled as Keiko's eyes closed under his ministrations. The others looked on at the lovely young couple.

"Keiko, so shy, and now blooming into quite the seductress," Rika snickered.

“Yes indeed.” Asuna agreed.

"Hmm..." Shino hummed in agreement, "not to mention she plays up her cat charm."

“You said it Shino,” Shigeru agreed.

"Doesn't mean I'm going to let her steal all the cuteness," Shino purred and giggled.

“Couldn’t agree more,” Shigeru chuckled before petting her.

"Meow...Puuurrrr," Shino gave out cat sounds, Shigeru rubs her ears.

As the group continues their meals, they had conversations on the events in the past.

“It’s hard to believe that it’s been over a month since the ‘Ordinal Scale’ game ended,” Alex admitted. Everyone nodded in agreement. It was an unpleasant incident for everyone since the creator of the game used the system to steal memories from SAO survivors.

“No kidding,” Randy added.

Kazuto hugged Asuna tightly on reflex. He was still having that chip on the shoulder over her nearly losing all the precious memories she had with him.

“He’s got a lot of nerve of doing that to all of us,” Scott said. His tone had some bitterness in him by the thought of Professor Tetsuhiro Shigemura of stealing the memories of his girlfriend was enough to make his blood boil.

“I mean, just because his daughter suffered brain damage while in SAO doesn’t mean he had the right to steal everyone’s memories, including your girlfriend Kazuto.” He turned to her. It was indeed an emotional moment for him when he learned that Asuna no longer had memories of the moments when they met in SAO. It was the same emotions that he had when he learned of Asuna’s arranged marriage to the creature Sugou and he was powerless to stop it. But he vowed to have her memories restored and he did after everyone defeated the bosses and YUNA have their memories restored before disappearing.

But of course, it wasn’t just him that experienced it, but Scott and Tim who are scared of their girlfriends’ memories, Suguha and Shino as their boyfriends are survivors of SAO. Fortunately, they, along with both Randy and Yuuki were spared from the memory theft.

"Say..." Yuuki then remembered, "what happened to the doc anyway?" Alex explains that Professor Shigemura disappeared without a trace. But he was found dead roughly nine to ten days later when the deep-sea fishermen found his body floating in the middle of the ocean and recovered it. After several days of an autopsy by the Coalition of Allied Nations, his death was declared as ‘suicide’

"That's rather suspicious..." Randy remarked with incredulity.

“At least he won’t be causing any more trouble with all of us,” Scott remarked. The others agreed with him. The whole Ordinal Scale incident scared everyone who didn’t take part in SAO back in 2022.

Tim hugged his Keiko protectively and stroked her hair. He can still remember the grief he suffered from nearly losing her. Scott hugged Rika in the same matter as well as Kazuto with Asuna.

"No one is stealing my Alex away from me again," Suguha seethed.

“Same with my Spikey.” Shin agreed. Alex and Shigeru were touched by their respective girls' possessiveness of them. It was a tough fight, but in the end, they prevailed and defeated the Professor.

However, Alex couldn’t shake the feeling that there’s something else to his death.

“Alex?” Suguha asked when she noticed her boyfriend pondering.

“I’m just getting this feeling that….that his death is more to it,” Alex stated. Everyone gathered around him as he made this statement.

“What do you mean by that?” Yuuki asked curiosity was amongst the group.

“When he was taken to the Coalition base. I’ve overheard some conversations that they didn’t find any water in the lungs.” Alex explained. “Meaning that he was dead before he got to the ocean; plus they found what appears to be cyanide in his body, which is unusual. But of course, the corpse has decomposed during that time, not to mention being waterlogged and all.”

"You're saying someone assassinated him," Kirito questioned, "but who?"

“I believe so,” Alex answers. “But I don’t know who.”

“You don’t think the Ghosts may have something to do with his death. Do they?” Keiko asked. Everyone has heard about the Ghost Op faction as it’s a secret branch of the Coalition peacekeepers. However, from what they heard from Yuki Tsutano, the Ghosts used brutal tactics of interrogation.

“No, my dad said that it couldn’t be them since they were stationed when it occurred…..But…” He continued. “There’s something else that was odd.” He went on explaining that around his disappearance, he overheard his brother saying that the base had picked up strange signals that were coming out of the ocean near Tokyo.

“Near Tokyo?” Suguha gasped.

“Yeah. But when they tried to investigate it, it vanished and wasn’t heard since.” Alex finishes.

“Was it by boat?” Tim asked.

“They send in recon drones out and didn’t find anything above the water,” Alex mentions and then said that his brother managed to pick up some of the messages and he believed it could be Chinese. At this time, everyone was silent from the shocking testimony from him. No one could think of all of this. Was China responsible for the disappearance and death of the professor?

“But I’m not sure if it is since the message is garbled up. Plus I highly doubt that China would admit it as they’ll deny it like they always have.” Alex said bluntly.

Silence loomed around the group, at this point, nothing made sense. The media have been reluctant on reporting the news to the public lately, mostly on the United Islamic Republics expanding their borders from Pakistan to Morocco.

Kazuto and Asuna looked at each other, wondering if they should continue this conversation or end it. They’re not very keen on continuing the former, so they went with the latter.

"Well, not that we can do anything about it right now," Randy said to lift the atmosphere, "and talking about it is becoming a real downer."

"I agree," Yuuki said as she snuggled Randy, "let's all be grateful that we're alive and still here as friends."

“Yes, as well as boyfriend and girlfriend,” Randy added.

"Yes, sweetie," Yuuki teased, "all lovey-dovey and still going." She pecked him on the cheek, causing him to smile.

“Did anyone else see the Meteor shower last month?” Kazuto asked. Alex and Suguha saw it from her bedroom window while others admitted they haven’t.

“Although the view wasn’t as good, it’s close enough.” Alex and Suguha admitted. “You and Asuna?”

“It was a great moment that night for us.” Kazuto looked to Asuna with a smile as they explained the details on it.

“Do tell,” Keiko said as everyone gathered around them.

May 4th:

Kazuto and Asuna sat on the hill that gives a great view of the nighttime sky as well as the city of Tokyo from the distance. With them is Yui who is using the probe orb on Kazuto’s shoulder. It’s been days since the ‘Ordinal Scale’ incident ended and Asuna had her memories restored.

“Beautiful…” Asuna sighed at the beauty of the nighttime sky.

“Indeed it is…” Kazuto answered before turned to her. “But do you know what else is beautiful?” The hazelnut-haired girl turned to her with an eyebrow raised.

“Is it a beautiful swordswoman in your life?” She smirked

“Indeed my Lighting Flash…” He finishes. Asuna giggled.

“Oh Kazuto, you always love saying that.” She smiled. Her smile glowed warmly from the moonlight. “My Black Swordsman.”

“I’m glad that it’s all over. That we still remember the great times we had in the past.” Kazuto said sincerely. It was then that Asuna pulled a small gift out of the basket and hands it to Kazuto.

“One of my gifts to you.” Asuna stated as she placed it in his hand.

“Thanks.” Kazuto smiled. “But what’s the other…” He was cut off as Asuna suddenly pressed her lips against him in a kiss. It was sweet and passionate as their lips caressed softly; Kazuto eased up and returns the kiss as tears begin to form in their eyes. They parted lips and gazed at each other in the eyes which tears streaming down their cheeks. But they’re tears of joy, not sadness.

“I thank you with all of my heart for restoring my memories.” Asuna said happily. “I don’t know what would happen if I didn’t have them restored.”

“Me neither. You’re the world and the universe to me.” Kazuto replied. “The times in SAO are some of the good times because we’ve met and I’d never know what my life would be if I never met you.” They wiped the tears away from their faces and continued gazing in each other; the world begins to disappear around them.

“Kazuto….” She said softly and sweetly.

“Asuna…” He replied in the same tone. As the two were about to move in for a kiss, Yui gasped from her probe. "Mommy, Daddy, look in the sky!"

Snapping back into reality as they looked up and see the meteor shower. The couple gazes in awe at the nighttime sky before turning around and sharing their kiss once more, holding each other in a warming embrace and intertwining hands as the meteor shower continued above them.

The Present:

"Aahhh..." Yuuki swooned for her friend, Asuna, "that is so romantic!"

“I had a feeling that was gonna happened with you two.” Suguha admitted to her cousin’s sweet story.

“Never a dull moment for you two.” Scott gives him the ‘thumbs up’.

“Indeed,” Alex added. “I’m surprised that he didn’t propose to you that night.” It caused the couple to blush from Alex’s statement.

“It’s just me since that would be the right moment with the meteor shower over you.” He chuckled nervously. “That would’ve been a romantic moment.”

"What?" Suguha suddenly grabbed Alex's face, "wasn't our moment romantic enough?" She had a naughty scolding grin on her face.

“A fair point, Sugu,” Alex said with a smirk.

"Of course," Suguha now felt naughty, "we don't have to end it there." She smashed her lips against Alex's captive ones.

Alex hums with delight as he feels her lips pressed against his.

Rika pretended to be disgusted. "Ew... total PDA," she teasingly stuck her tongue out.

“Let’s show them how it’s done,” Scott said with a devious grin before pecking her on the cheek.

"That all you got?" Rika teased before grabbing Scott and pressing her tongue and lips against his own. Scott pulls Rika in the loving embrace.

“Whoa! Didn’t see this coming.” Yuuki laughed.

"More where that came from," Randy cooed as he gently pressed his lips against Yuuki's.

“MMmmmm..” Yuuki hummed.

As the make-out through couples continued, Shigeru and Shino watched the others while sitting close to each other.

“I could tell that you love the swimsuit I’m wearing,” Shino said in a soft tone.

“Indeed I do,” Shigeru remarked. “It suits you perfectly.” She then hugs him from behind while nuzzling in his back.

“Spikey, my handsome noobie.” Shino cooed while she kneads his chest with her clenched fingers that resemble cat paws. “Meow.”

“My kitty.” Shigeru smiled as he rubs her paw-like hands.

"Purrr..." Shino purred as she licked Shigeru from the nape of his neck. She drew her tongue up his neck, ending up at his lips.

“Mmmmm…” Shigeru rubs her ears as they made out.

Keiko curls up on Tim’s lap; she rests her face against his chest with her hair underneath his chin. He sighs as he pulls her close to him while she sits on his lap.

"Meow?" Keiko cutely nuzzled against Tim's face.

“Such as sweet kitty.” Tim cooed softly while he pets her pigtails.

“As always…” She replied. Tim gave her a gentle, long kiss, as Keiko liked it.

“Mmmm…” Keiko sighed as they parted lips and she continued resting on his shoulder.

"Mmmm..." Tim made soft noises as the gentlest of the couples lingered in their kiss.

Asuna watched in contentment, happy that her female friends had men in their lives to share what she and Kazuto have.

“Love is in the air today.” She giggled. Kazuto purposefully bumped his chest against Asuna's back causing her to squeak in surprise.

"If so," Kazuto said in a low, cool voice, "let's not miss it."

“Mmmm…You’ve read my mind.” Asuna smirked before turning around and pressed her lips against his.

"Mmmm..." Kazuto and Asuna moaned together, savoring each other. They soon become lost in each other’s presence. Kazuto then glanced over at a small spa pool that was recently added, shallow enough for people to sit and relax. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted his beloved in his arms and went over to the bubbling pool. Asuna moaned as she and Kazuto were immersed in the warm water.

“Mmmmm..” The two lovers cooed softly.

Breaking the kiss, Kazuto smirked at Asuna. "You like?"

“Yes, I like.” Asuna sighs happily. The other couples saw Kazuto and Asuna relaxing and cuddling in the spa.

“Looks like they’re having the spa for themselves,” Rika said in a teasing manner.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea," Scott winked as he swept Rika off the ground.

“Eep!” Rika squeaked in surprise as she is carried in his arms, both she and Scott immerse themselves in the spa pool.

"Oh!" Rika's face turned pure pink from the gesture and the heat.

“My blacksmith,” Scott brushed his fingers against her soft cheeks.

"Hehe..." Rika giggled girlishly, as she continued to embrace Scott.

Suguha sees the couples and turned to Alex. “Mind if you carry me to the spa?”

"Do you need to ask?" Alex scooped up Suguha and lowered himself with her into the warm pool, pressing himself against her to give her extra warmth. Soon, everyone joins the others in the spa pool.

"Ahh..." Asuna sighed as her cheeks turned rosy, from the water, the heat, and sitting and cuddling with Kazuto, who also had rosy cheeks.

“This is turning out to be a lovely day indeed,” Kazuto admitted, bringing Asuna closer.

"Yes my black knight," Asuna said as she smiled in her love's warmth. She could chalk this one into one of her long lines of good memories with Kazuto. As she closed her eyes, she began dreaming of all the wonderful things still ahead for both of them and their friends.

They continued to cuddle in the spa pool for a long time until everyone decided that they should continue on Yuuki’s swimming lessons.

“Ready to continue?” Asuna asked Yuuki.

“I’m ready,” Yuuki exclaimed as everyone got up and continued swimming until around 4 in the afternoon.

"Ah... that was fun," Yuuki said as she stretched after a good day of swimming.

“Indeed it was, I’m glad you had fun.” Asuna agreed.

Yuuki made a show of her muscles as she flexed them happily. "That's another great thing I never got to do as a kid."

Randy smiles before saying, “And I’m glad that you’ve experienced it.” He went and hugged her from behind.

"Hehehe," Yuuki giggled, "thanks Randy,"

“You’re welcome, my love.” Randy cooed.

“Shall we head onto my place?” Alex suggested.

"Sure, Alex," Suguha cooed, "I can show you and your family what cooking I can do."

“Mind if we come along too?” Asuna chimed in.

Alex shrugged, "any friend of mine is welcome."

“Neat, we’ll see you there,” Kazuto smiled, everyone heads back into their locker rooms to change back into their clothes.

The Mitchell Residence:

Everyone gathered at the backyard patio at the Mitchell Residence, they all talked and laughed while cuddling with their respected partners.

"Suguha, Asuna," Yuuki beamed, "you guys outdid yourselves."

“We sure did,” Asuna smiled. Everyone was enjoying the meals the two girls have made for their friends and the Mitchell family.

"Yum yum," Kazuto grinned as he teasingly licked his fingers in front of Asuna, who giggles at his responses.

"Stop it," Asuna playfully slapped her boyfriend. Kazuto chuckles from her response.

"Wonder if there's any dessert to go around," Randy asked.

Alex laughed. "I've already got my sweet treat here," he said as he gave a mischievous grin to Suguha, "don't I?"

“Hehe, you sure do, Alex.” Suguha giggles.

“Same goes for me and Scott,” Tim said, referring to Keiko and Rika. Yuuki giggled. Her friends were such romantics for just about any subject.

“You were amazing Yuuki.” Randy complimented on her successful swimming.

“Thanks, and I couldn’t thank you and Asuna enough.” Yuuki chimed at their kindness.

"With enough practice, you'll be as smooth and sexy moving through the water as the rest of us," Asuna teased as the other girls nodded with naughty grins.

The faces on their boyfriends’ were still rosy red from their first times in their swimwear.

"Ooohhh..." Yuuki grinned, "smooth and sexy... that's something the new me can get used to."

“You bet,” Randy said with a big grin.

Tim whispered in her ear, “You looked amazing earlier,”. This caused her to blush even more from the compliment of her swimsuit.

"Thank you, Tim," Keiko said as she felt bashfulness at having attracted Tim like that.“You looked amazing in your trunks as well.” She added.

"Hey," Rika looked at Keiko naughtily, "is it just me, or did you grow more... curvy?"

Keiko’s face grew rosy red by Rika’s question, it was true that her figure has become curvier in the past few months.

"Hehe..." Rika continued, "who knows... maybe you'll be just as endowed as Asuna and Suguha are when they cuddle with their boys."

“That may happen one day,” Keiko said sheepishly. Asuna and Suguha blushed at how bashful Rika could be in talking about the female physique, especially their own.

It was then Alex leaned into Suguha’s ear and said in a hushed tone. “You looked stunning in that bikini,”

Suguha giggled in embarrassment and shyness. “I thought I try something different for you.” She confessed.

"And why would you have to?" Alex raised an eyebrow.

“Well… I didn’t…I wanted to.” Sugu blushes.

“Ah-ha, I knew there was a reason you’ve picked a bikini Sugu.” Rika teased.

"Hey," Suguha retorted, "it's none of your business if I wanted to show off my curves and vanilla skin to Alex to give him a show!" Everyone fell silent at Suguha's outburst. Realizing what she said aloud, Suguha cupped her hands together to cover her blush. Rika’s grin grew wider.

It was then Alex spoke up. “Well you still looked amazing; as you do in every clothing you wear.”

"Y-you mean it?" Suguha shyly asked.

Alex gave her a Cheshire Cat grin. "Of course, there's nothing wrong with that." He licked around her earlobe where she was slightly ticklish. He leaned in and spoke in a soft tone. “Even when you’re not wearing anything.”

Suguha giggled and blushes. Asuna looked at her own body.

It was then Kazuto moves closer to her. “Don’t worry Asuna, you’re beautiful to me as well.”

"Of course," Asuna beamed, "I do my best for you."

“As I do my best for you too,” Kazuto added.

"Hey," Scott noticed something, "what's that in the distance?" Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked to where Scott was pointing. They see what appears to be a small vehicle coming down the road. As it got closer and closer, the group see that it’s a motorbike, the ones both Kazuto, and Alex drive.

"Who is that?" Alex wondered, especially with the evening starting to turn into night. The motorbike arrives at the driveway in front.

Scott's eyes widened, before narrowing as he frowned at the rider. "Eiji!" He sprung up in a defensive posture. Alex and the others heard this and too sprung up in defensive postures.

"What do you want, Eiji?" Alex growled.

"You're not welcome here!" Tim had an unusually hostile tone as he held Keiko behind him.

“Guys, relax..” Kazuto said in a calm tone before turning to Eiji.

"But Kazuto..." Suguha lowered her voice, "that's the guy who stole my Alex's memories!"

“I know,” He reassured her. “But he told me that the Professor betrayed him near the end.”

"That still doesn't excuse what he tried to do to my Rika," Scott threatened as he clenched his fists.

“Guys! Please!” Kazuto waved his hands up, trying to defuse the situation before things get out of hand. It was then Eiji begins to speak. "Kazuto," Eiji said, "it's because of that. It's why I'm here to offer my apologies."

“Apologies?” Shino asked while defending Shigeru.

"Guys," Kazuto said as he held Asuna comfortingly, "please let him explain." It felt like the tension towards Eiji lasted for hours, but in the end, they begin to ease off and calm down.

"Alright then," Suguha said as she squeezed Alex's hand.

Eiji continued. “After the incident, I’ve turned myself to the police and told him what Professor Shigemura has done and what I’ve done,”

"And?" Rika raised her eyebrows with Scott. Both of them still had a hard time with Eiji.

“They kept me there for a few days as no one from the Fuurinkazan guild pressed charges against me.” He said.

"Ah... Klein," both Rika and Scott groaned to themselves.

“But I wandered around because I couldn’t help but feel responsible for what has happened.” Eiji continued. “And that’s was when I ran into Kazuto.”

Asuna looked at her boyfriend with a strange look. "Kazuto?"

“He and I spoke in a restaurant and I told him about the distress message I’ve received through a YUNA mascot application on my Augma,” Kazuto says. “He’d helped gain access to the Sword Art Online server due to the possibility of Yuna still being on the server and in need of assistance.”

"Yuna!?" Everyone else's voices rang out in shock. They thought that after she had helped them defeat the final boss of SAO, she vanished so she can restore their memories.

It was then the two boys tell them that Yuna was saved through the existence of copies of her made by her management company as well as a higher-ranked Artificial Intelligence module was stabilizing Yuna's condition by using its data, yet it lacked a core, representing Yuna's most precious memory, that could be used to complete the repairs.

"Hard to believe she's still alive..." Keiko muttered, "... but where is she now?"

''"Over here!" ''Yuna's voice sounded from a probe that was resting on Eiji's bike. Everyone perked up when they heard the voice, Eiji headed over to his bike and picked up the probe. It was the same probe that both Kazuto and Asuna uses for Yui.

''"Long time no see, guys!" Yuna spoke, "I missed you all!"''

“Oh…Well hello, Yuna.” Keiko greeted nervously, not knowing what else to say.

"Is that you in there Yuna?" Tim almost did not want to believe.

“The one and only,” The voice chirped.

"And you're not going to go stealing my Spikey's memories," Shino reminded as she possessively hugged her boyfriend.

“Don’t worry, I won’t be doing any of that,” Yuna says. “Kirito and Nautilus filled me the details of what happened.”

"You remember?" Alex questioned as Suguha continued to cling to him.

“Apparently, yes.” Yuna finishes with a sad tone. ''“After I’ve vanished from the Ordinal Scale game, I’ve found out that there were copies of me being stored through my father’s computer hard drive and managed to survive. But my structure was starting to collapse as I wasn’t fully complete. But Nautilus here.”'' The probe turned to Eiji. “He managed to fill in my most precious memory in my life.”

Asuna spoke up, this time feeling a bit more understanding. "The time you both spent in SAO..." she surmised.

“Yes, those were the best moments of my life with him.” Yuna answers.

"So what... or who are you?" Shino questioned, now totally confused.

“Well, as both Kirito and Nautilus tell me, I’m an Artificial Intelligence…Yet..." Yuna took on a contemplative tone, ''"at the same time I'm Yuuna Shigemura... or at least a shadow of her."''

“I see,” Shino says, relieved that her Spike, as well as her friends, will be safe.

Eiji stroked the probe, as though he was holding Yuuna in his arms. "Yuna, you're more than a shadow..."

“Nautilus.” Was all Yuna could say, touched by his words. The others began to soften up upon seeing this, they begin to wonder if they will be seeing Yuna in ALO soon.

"Well," Yuuki flicked her hair with a forgiving smile, "that went better than I expected. I suppose we can re-introduce ourselves. I'm Yuuki Konno! Nice to meet you!"

“The name’s Yuna, and I’m glad to meet all of you,” Yuna said in a happy tone.

"Asuna Yuuki," the chestnut-haired girl beamed.

“Suguha Kirigaya,” the short black-haired girl chimed in.

"Alex Mitchell," the blond boy showed off an arm muscle.

“Scott Mason,” the dark-haired boy smiled.

"Rika Shinozaki," the tomboy grinned.

“Keiko Ayano,” the timid girl swayed her pigtails.

"Tim Hudson," the gentle boy said as he rubbed Keiko's arm to her soft delight.

“Shigeru Hirose,” The young man smiled.

"Shino Asada." Shino gave a joking, yet friendly growl as she hugged Shigeru's arm protectively.

“And last, but not least, Randy Mitchell,” The young Mitchell boy says while stroking Yuuki’s hair.

Yuuki giggled as Randy played with her hair. She still looked at the probe that Yuna was in. "Believe it or not," she spoke, "you remind me a little of myself."

“Really?” Yuna asked, a little puzzled.

"Yep," Yuuki winked, "I was just like you, using a probe to talk with all my friends."

“Until the day she was cured,” Randy finishes with a smile.

"Sounds similar to what I'm in right now," Yuna muttered, "I guess that makes the two of us, Yuuki.”

“It sure does,” Yuuki smiled back at the probe. Shortly after, they offered Eiji a seat with the group.

"Good to have you join us," Kazuto patted his back.

“Thanks, Kazuto,” Eiji replied. “And thanks for helping me repair Yuna.”

"It's the least I could do for a fellow SAO Survivor," Kazuto replied, "I went through hell and back to get Asuna back."

“Very well said, Kazuto.” Asuna agreed before resting her head on his shoulder.

"That's still more than what I could do for Yuna... even back in SAO." Eiji was still trying to come to grips with his failures.

“We’ll make new memories for us, Nautilus,” Yuna reassured him.

"But..." Eiji was about to answer back, but Alex grabbed him by the shoulder with an exasperated look.

“It’s OK, at least Kazuto and I are taking interest in Mechatronics.” He says and explains that Kazuto is looking into the company to create a way to replace FullDive technology.

"Mechatronics... as in robotics," Eiji asked.

“Robotics and many other things,” Kazuto answers before pointing out. "That probe is but a preliminary design testing the concept of AI interaction with our world,"

“We hope that we’ll create a device that’ll allow anyone from the ALO digital world to come into our world,” Alex added.

"That would mean..." the former accomplice of Shigemura began to realize what it meant.

“We’ll bring in people like Yuna to our world.” Kazuto finishes. Yuna gasped as a reaction from the probe. Eiji was speechless for what he had heard. A way to bring Yuna into the real world and not be limited to ALO. Yuuki and Randy looked at Eiji and Yuna with hope and sympathy. It was no doubt that Eiji and Yuna are going through the same phased that they went through themselves. However, with Yuuki being the recipient of Randy's unexpected cure, both of them knew a thing or two about hopes and miracles.

“He’s right, you know.” Randy then spoke up.

"And being a former Medicuboid user," Yuuki said with happiness, "I can tell you and Yuna a thing or two about miracles.” This gets the attention of both Eiji and Yuna.

“When I signed up for the Medicuboid three years ago, there were times where a cure for my condition was far from reach and I was about to give up any hope. But then these people came in and gave me something to believe in.” She gazes at Randy while gently squeezes his hand. “Including one who fell for me the moment he saw me, because Randy donated his blood to my cure," Yuuki continued, "my AIDS went into permanent remission. I can do the things I do now because God sent my love my way."

Eiji and Yuna were touched by her words.

“You see, I believe there’s hope for the both of you and there’s no need to give it up.” She then says.

"That's right," Randy beamed, proud of Yuuki. “I believe there’s hope for both of you as well.” Yuna made hums of appreciation from the probe, and Eiji, for the first time in a long while, actually gave a friendly smile of approval. It was then at that moment, Randy stood up.

“The Ordinal Scale did give most of us a scare,” He spoke. "Many of us suffered, and lost our most precious memories because of it," Randy gave a look of sympathy to those affected.

"Some even became pawns, witting and unwittingly in the scheme of the mad hatter, Shigemura."

Eiji and Yuna looked away, having nothing to say. Their memory of Dr. Shigemura was a conflicted one.

“But despite it all, we managed to fight through it all, defeat the bosses, and retained those memories back.” He continued. "And in the process, we found each other again, and the love and brotherhood that keep us bound through thick and rough."

It was then Yuuki stood up and spoke. “And let’s not forget that in the midst of it all, two people managed to be on the right path and be given hope.” The young Absolute Sword looked to the newcomers, Eiji and Yuna.

“Even though you’ve done bad things during the Ordinal Scale incident, but it does mean that there isn’t a second chance.” She said with confidence. “We’ll begin a new relationship and help you out.”

"I'm with Yuuki," Randy cheered, "not too late for second chances and doing what is right." Everyone now looked at Eiji and the probe. Eiji and Yuna looked at each other. Silence passed, but no words needed to be spoken, other than sounds of approving hums. Time felt like it slowed down for everyone as they waited.

"What do you think, Eiji?" Yuna looked with an expectant tone in her voice.

“I think that we should.” Eiji finally answers. “After all, I felt shame for what I’ve done.”

"It's not just you," Yuna said in a solemn voice, "but Yuuki is right. We don't have to face the world alone."

“That is true,” Eiji agrees.

Randy laughed as he patted Eiji. "Listen to your girl," he chuckled, "she's right."

“Alright, we’ll take it,” Eiji answers, letting out a small smile.

Yuuki looked at Randy with gentleness, before beaming at Eiji and Yuna in the probe. "Welcome to the circle of trust."

“Thanks, everyone,” Eiji said, it was at that moment, a small tear rolled from his eye.

"Hey, cheer up, buddy," Randy encouraged, "you're among friends now."

“Yeah, I think we should celebrate,” Yuuki suggested.

"I second that," Alex agreed as he raised his soda.

“Same here,” Kazuto added, as he too raised his soda.

Asuna followed her beloved's lead, "may all be forgiven, and we are allowed to start anew." Soon, everyone stood up and held their drinks up.

"Welcome, Eiji and Yuna," the group of friends chorused. And with it, they enjoyed the lovely evening with their new friends with hopes for a better future.

May 3rd:

The waters of the Pacific Ocean is calm in the nighttime sky as well as daytime, but sometimes the busiest depending if they’re near Tokyo harbor or Yokohama. However, it also houses secrets from the world; but in this case, underneath the ocean, the Chinese attack submarine, the CNS Revolution lay silently under the ocean, completely undetected by radar when underwater, but they have anti-radar equipment and coatings placed but only for a couple of minutes before they had to dive down again.

The Submarine Commander, Kwan Zhōu, sits quietly in his office. So far, it’s been over a week since they’ve left the port of Hong Kong on a mission that involved with the creator of the ‘Ordinal Scale’ game and the ‘Augma’ headset. Receiving orders from the Politburo, Commander Zhōu sends in a Chinese Commando Strike Force to retrieve Professor Tetsuhiro Shigemura from the Augma headquarters, which once a headquarters of the defunct RECT Progress Inc. It wasn’t an easy task as Seijirou Kikuoka and his team were moving in to arrest him and they would have too if the Strike Force didn’t make it in time and managed to slip away to the Revolution before anyone noticed their presence.

They agreed to help him try to have his daughter restored in another way instead of his original plan on one condition; he aids them in their project of cyber defense that’ll give the Chinese the advantage from all forms of cyberattacks…At least that’s what they told him, but in reality, their secret project involves the VR technology, reverse-engineered from the NerveGear helmets. The project was successful and shared with their allies, but only the United Islamic Republics took interest in the project as the Latin American Federation, the United Republic of Venezuela, and the New Uganda Republic either turned it down or weren’t qualified for it.

After some moments of silence, one of the Lieutenants approached his office and made a crisp salute; Zhōu returned the salute before speaking. “How’s our guest?”

“So far, he’s made great progress.” The Lieutenant says. “He says that he’s almost finished and expected to be ready once installed.”

“Excellent. I’ll see him shortly.” Zhōu replied. Afterward, the Lieutenant leaves his office. The Commander stood up shortly and begins to head down the hallway. The CNS Revolution is a very complex submarine and the upgrade of its submarine fleets. Built-in the dry docks of Singapore, the Revolution holds their usual compartments such as the bunkroom, the galley, the command center, and even the reactor room where it houses its nuclear reactor that powered the entire submarine. He recruited a couple of soldiers from the strike force with him as they made their way towards the room where they keep Professor Shigemura. For days, the Professor has been working on the project, taking breaks to eat and rest up as he went along.

"Shigemura," Zhōu addressed. Shigemura stood up from his chair.

“I heard that you’re almost finished,” Zhōu mentioned as he walked in.

“Indeed it has,” Shigemura stated as he turned the commander’s attention to the laptop which is hooked to one of the NerveGear helmet processing chips.

"Explain what it does," the Chinese commander ordered.

“I’ve managed to make some updates to the software program within the helmet.” He explains as he continues typing in various codes into the laptop. “Once the new codes are put in place, you’ll have full protection for the entire nation.”

"The president will be very pleased with this," Zhōu said in a calm tone, concealing his ambitious fire. “How soon can this be done.”

“Not too long,” The former professor replied. After a few minutes, he steps back with sighs of relief. “The coding and updates have been placed.”

“Excellent.” The Commander said with satisfaction. Shigermura held the small portrait of his daughter Yuuna and sighs sadly.

“I understand that she means the world to you.” Zhōu sympathized with the man. “I too have a child of my own and cared for her deeply as you have.”

“It’s just not fair that she was taken from me.” He lamented. “I wanted to have her restored…But those brats put an end to my process, thus taking away my hope of having her reunited with me again.”

“I understand your frustration.” He replied. “But there are others way of bringing back your daughter, together we can accomplish that.”

"Thank you," the disgraced professor said, "I will do what I can for your country if you can bring her back." Bitterness and madness are seen in Shigemura's eyes. His defeat at the hands of the SAO Survivors had caused his wishes for Yuna to cross even more into obsession than before.

The officer came in with a tray with two teacups. Commander Zhōu takes the teacups and hands one to Shigermura.

"You must be very thirsty and exhausted from the hard work," Zhōu coaxed, "please, have some tea."

“Thank you very much,” Shigermura said in the following and drank his tea. After he finishes, he set the teacup down.

It was then that Zhōu suddenly said, "once again, I wish to thank you on behalf of all of China in giving us the edge in the war that's to come... however..."

Shigermura was about to ask him when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He stumbled over and fell onto the floor, the pain in his chest grew at an alarming pace. He felt his breaths becoming shorter. It was then he realized something.

“The tea..” Shigermura gurgled

"The People’s Liberation Army is not your tool in your silly and petty family drama or obsession," Zhōu took on a colder tone, "now that your work is complete, I'm rather sad to say that we can ill-afford to give defectors special treatment. After all, we can only handle so many potential liabilities, and you are one that we cannot have around..."

Shigermura gurgled as he tries to reach up and grab him, but to no ale, as his body grew weaker by the second.

“It’s time to see your daughter….zai jian Shigermura.” He said before he stepped back. As Shigemura lay dying on the floor, his hands shook as he reached for the portrait of Yuuna, he held the portrait to his chest.

“Yuuna….I’m sorry…” He wheezed as he breathed his last breath, soon, he became limp when everything went dark for him.

The Commander leaned down and picked up the picture of Yuuna and scoffed.

“Very sad that he’ll resort to this.” He muttered before letting the picture drop on the floor. He turned to the laptop and sees the results of the success. ‘At least he served his purpose.’ He thought before turning to the soldiers.

“Remove this piece of filth from my ship and order the command bridge to raise the submarine to the surface.” He ordered as well as telling them to dive down as soon as they remove the body. The soldiers replied before they came over and begins carrying out Shigemura’s corpse, stepping on Yuuna’s picture as they do so.

The Revolution rises out of the ocean’s depths and surfaces into the nighttime sky. Despite having state-of-the-art technology of stealth, they’re still at risk of being spotted by satellite, so they have to make this very quick. The two soldiers carried out Shigemura’s motionless body through the hatch and together, they heaved the body into the ocean with a splash. Then they turned and quickly headed back down the submarine and closed the hatch behind them. The second they did, the submarine begins to descend back into the ocean, disappearing underneath the waves and into the abyss.