Two months after being freed from SAO, Kazuto's sister, Suguha, has been constantly worrying about him. The pair have a kendo spar, and though Kirito loses, Suguha is both shocked and curious about his unusual yet proficient sword fighting skills as a result of his time in SAO. Later, Kazuto goes to the hospital to visit Asuna who, along with 300 other players, has yet to wake up even after the SAO incident. It is there that he meets an associate of Asuna's father, Nobuyuki Sugou. Much to Kazuto's fury, Sugou tells him that he intends to be adopted into Asuna's family while she is still comatose as a precursor to marriage. Claiming that this is his right since it was his company, RECTO Progress Inc., had been keeping Asuna alive after SAO's developer Argus went bankrupt, he informs Kazuto that the ceremony will occur in a week and tells him not to see her again. Later at home, Kazuto breaks down before Suguha, who tells him not to give up, despite knowing Kazuto is actually her cousin and harboring her own feelings for him. The next morning, Kazuto receives an e-mail from Egil with a screenshot of an avatar resembling Asuna from another game.