Chapter 4: Was the Bond with Asuna a Mistake?
The square had erupted into chaos—understandably so, as it was the official launch day, and no one expected such a crisis.
Hikigaya Hachiman nervously gnawed at his thumb, feeling deeply unsettled by the strange behavior of Kayaba Akihiko.
'Could it be... the board really removed Kayaba-senpai from the development team?ʼ
He recalled their conversation the night before. He had said, "Though I'm still preparing for exams and can't get too into it, I've decided to play Sword Art Online."
Kayaba-senpai had paused for three seconds before replying, "I hope you find your own reality."
That response embarrassed Hachiman, making his ears flush, and he quickly changed the subject.
"Senpai, don't say weird, cringey things like that! Also, do you really think I'll never make any friends?"
At the time, the faces of two girls flashed through his mind, but he quickly shook the thought away—after all, they hadn't even added each other as friends yet.
Only now did he realize that he'd subconsciously used the words "not yet."
"That's right, my only true friend is Totsuka."
"I see..." Kayaba's voice turned hoarse. "But seeing you resolve your issues gives me peace of mind."
Hachiman looked at the darkening sky outside the gaming pod. "I don't fully understand what reality means yet, but I'll try not to run away anymore and make an effort to understand others..."
Before he could finish, Kayaba murmured something unexpected: "I envy you."
"What's there to envy about me!" Hachiman nearly buried his face in his pillow. "You're the one who chased your dream and created SAO!"
"Chased a dream, huh..." Kayaba chuckled lightly. "You think SAO will become a masterpiece?"
"It'll go down in history... I know that sounds arrogant, but I really believe it will."
"I'll proceed at my own pace and give it my all to clear it!"
"I see... If you can aim to clear it, then as the creator, I'm happy."
Hachiman sensed an emotion in Kayaba that he couldn't quite place.
But he didn't dwell on it—after all, that day was right before the start of the week.
"Well then, Kayaba-san, I'm going to sleep to prepare for tomorrow. If possible, let's talk again later."
"Alright... Hachiman-kun, no matter what happens, I believe you'll find me. I'll be waiting for you."
"I don't know if I can reach your level. After all, I'm a humanities student."
"Ah, I see. Then... goodbye, Hachiman-kun."
"Yeah, see you later, Kayaba-san."
Amid the chaos of the crowd, Hachiman fell into thought.
'That was a strange, emotional kind of "see you later," wasn't it...? And that message... "I'm not sorry. I'm sure you'll understand..."ʻ
A deafening scream snapped Hachiman back to reality.
Looking up, the dome of the second floor was being devoured by crimson grids.
He was shocked, but quickly figured it must be a system announcement from the administrators.
A 20-meter tall figure in a red robe appeared in the air. Under the blood moon, Hachiman locked eyes with the figure—those electronic eyes were unmistakably Kayaba's projection!
"Welcome to my world."
Then the giant—Kayaba Akihiko —explained the following:
There was no way to log out.
If you died in the game or someone tried to remove your NerveGear, you would die from the device's high-powered microwaves.
There was a 10-minute grace period for power outages and a two-hour buffer before disconnection.
'That means we need to get our real-world bodies to a hospital or somewhere safe... What a well-planned move.ʼ
Hachiman was surprised by how calm he felt. He thought about the people dear to him.
'Komachi, I'm sorry for making you worry. Totsuka, don't get too close to that Zaimokuza guy just because I'm not around... I wonder if Yukinoshita and Yuigahama will be sad. Good luck with your exams, Kawasaki. I might have been friends with Orimoto.
And Hiratsuka-sensei... sorry for being such a bad student. Lastly, I believe Ms. Haruno will make sure my body gets to a hospital.
He told himself to stay calm.
Kayaba then instructed everyone to check their inventory and use their hand mirrors.
In an instant, the entire crowd was bathed in light, their faces changing.
From the surrounding chatter, it seemed everyone had reverted to their real appearance.
But that didn't matter to Hachiman.
Because, honestly, Hachiman's face hadn't changed much—and more importantly...
'This is bad. If things continue like this, a riot might break out and everything will spiral out of control. If I were alone, I could manage. But now that I've gotten to know her, I can't just abandon her. She's a newcomer, so I have to be strong now.ʼ
213 people had already died.
When Kayaba showed the full video evidence, the crowd erupted in panic.
In the chaos, Hachiman grabbed the wrist of the hooded boy next to him and charged like a rugby player toward a safe house he remembered.
Cries of "Let me out!" echoed behind them, but he didn't look back. The trembling in his grip reminded him how terrified this new player, Asuna, must be.
'An inn with unlimited milk and a bath... I remember one on the northwest corner! Let's get there first. We'll figure out what to do next once things settle. I can't just leave Asuna alone. I'm a siscon, but he feels more like a younger brother right now, so I'll give up that title today.ʼ
"Sorry, Asuna. We can talk about everything else later. I know a secluded inn no one knows about. This place is dangerous. One wrong move and you'll die. Let's get out before we're dragged into something worse."
"U-Understood..."
Asuna seemed dazed, but maybe her survival instincts were kicking in.
She obediently let Hachiman lead her by the hand as they ran.
Meanwhile, Kirito and Klein ran in the opposite direction.
A story of two boys and one girl who hold the fate of Aincrad in their hands.
For now, the two groups separated.
ʼ
Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Hachiman saw a female player with her face painted.
They locked eyes for a moment.
'Argo... Given the situation, I can't afford to be too cautious. Forming a basic alliance here might be a good move. So she's a girl... sorry, I thought you were a guy.ʼ
While running, Hachiman opened a floating window with one hand and, while using his shoulder to push through the crowd, sent a coded message: "Milk bathhouse."
He believed Argo would decipher it—even if it sounded a bit like harassment.
At the inn, Hachiman quickly signed a contract and secured it as a permanent residence.
After confirming no one was behind them, he turned around to speak—only to stumble back in shock.
Her hood had fallen. Chestnut-brown hair cascaded like a waterfall.
Moonlight through the stained glass played on her face. Her amber eyes, brimming with tears, stared at him.
"Y-You're a girl?!"
"You're just realizing that now, idiot?!" Asuna yanked at her returned uniform skirt and suddenly hurled her hand mirror at him. "That heartbeat earlier was from fear, not because of you!"
Hachiman dodged the flying object, but hit a table, spilling warm milk on his pants. He looked at the mess and suddenly laughed—the absurdity lightened the fear of death.
But when Asuna curled up on the sofa sobbing, he quietly picked up the mirror and pushed the warm milk toward her.
"Listen." He knelt to meet her eyes. "Let's calm down with a bath first. Don't get the wrong idea! It's a private hot spring—separate for men and women! And then..."
Before he could finish, Asuna grabbed his collar.
"If you dare say 'then we go our separate ways,' I'll slice you right now, got it?"
Her tear-streaked eyes were already burning with pride again. "Since you dragged me into this, you better take responsibility, Mr. Loner!"
'I don't know how it happened, but I accidentally brought this girl to the inn.ʼ
Looking at their interlocked hands, Hachiman remembered what Yukinoshita once called a "cursed fate."
He hadn't realized he could no longer take his eyes off the beautiful Asuna.
Outside the window, the blood moon had dyed the first floor into a hellscape—and somewhere, a certain information broker was probably smiling cryptically on her way there.
The true battle for survival had only just begun.