Suguha Kirigaya/Synopsis

## Biography

### Background

Suguha grew up in Kawagoe, Japan, with her older brother, Kazuto. The two siblings were the best of friends and Suguha looked up to her big brother. One day, in 2014, Suguha's grandfather decided to train Kazuto in the art of kendo in their family's dojo, with Suguha following after him. The two then trained for two years, but Kazuto never really took to the sport. In 2016, Suguha's mother suggested that Kazuto should study coding instead of kendo, which he leapt at the chance at. This angered their grandfather, as he never wanted to train Suguha, and he started physically and emotionally abusing her to try and get her to quit.

As Kazuto excelled at coding, Suguha in turn excelled at kendo, to show her grandfather that she was better than what he thought of her. As time went on, Suguha would constantly show off how good she was at the sport, to try and convince Kazuto to come back to their lessons, but he never did. The abuse she received from her grandfather resulted in Suguha resenting her own femininity and she developed an overly aggressive front to protect herself from any further abuse. She blamed this abuse on Kazuto, due to his lack involvement, and began lashing out by physically and verbally abusing him for leaving her behind.

### Fairy Dance Arc

#### Pre-Episode 12

Eventually, Kazuto got a job as a beta tester, which inadvertently got him trapped in a VRMMO called Sword Art Online. During this time, just over a year later, Suguha started playing another game called ALfheim Online, a children's edutainment VRMMO set in a land of fairies that had been taken over by a group of roleplayers, creating a Sylph character named Leafa to do so. She then somehow became acquainted with Sakuya, the Queen of the Sylphs, who was played by a man named Brian, one of the original roleplayers that found ALO. Sakuya then took Leafa under her wing, showing her the ways of the game, which they referred to as Sakuya adopting Leafa while roleplaying.

She then befriended a fellow Sylph named Recon, whose real name was Shinichi Nagata, a player who bought a NerveGear from the family of one of the 3,853 players who died in SAO, which randomly pulsed the fear center of his brain and showed him his deepest darkest fears. And even though she would later claim that she only did it for the other players, she took the roleplaying aspect of the game very seriously, even though she wasn't very good at it.

Unfortunately for Leafa, as the newly appointed Princess of the Sylphs, she became entangled in the interracial politics that was spurred on by the Race War, a server wide conflict between the races. It was originally a friendly competition between the races to see who could get to the top of the heavily guarded World Tree at the center of the game first, due to a rumor stating that whoever did so would have their wish granted by the Fairy King, Oberon, but it had since been corrupted into becoming an excuse for Brian to get the other players to pick a side in his fight against his ex-girlfriend, Becky, after they stole each other's characters. All of which Leafa found incredibly boring.

At some point, Suguha and Shinichi developed feelings for each other and entered a sexual relationship, where she would give him handjobs and the occasional cupcake. However, due to her stubbornness regarding her own femininity and her abandonment issues, Suguha refused to admit this meant that they were dating, instead keeping Shinichi at arm's length by refusing to go past a last name basis, claiming that they were barely friends, and insisting that Recon was Leafa's "fuckboi" and that their rendezvous were "quests".

On November 7, 2024, SAO was prematurely cleared, and Kazuto woke up in the hospital, injuring his penis in the process, and Suguha's torment of him resumed. However, since he was the one who cleared SAO, the news heralded Kazuto as a hero, much to Suguha's annoyance. At some point, Kazuto started leaving the house every day before coming home crying. He eventually explained to Suguha that he had gotten married in SAO and he was visiting his wife, Asuna, in the hospital, as she still hadn't woken up from her coma, along with 299 other players. However, Suguha refused to believe this claim, despite Kazuto showing her pictures of Asuna, as she believed that Kazuto was incapable of caring about anyone but himself, and decided to use this as another means of tormenting him.

As her roleplaying continued, a civil war broke out in the Sylph Kingdom of Sylvaine, led by a player named Cazmer, in an attempt to take the throne for himself. To appease Cazmer, Sakuya deemed that the only solution to end the civil war was to have Leafa marry Cazmer, earning him the title of Prince, much to her annoyance. Around this time, Leafa started getting attacked by Salamanders more and more frequently. Eventually, the Sylphs and the Cait Sith arranged to have a peace conference in Butterfly Valley, and Sakuya left to attend it, leaving Leafa to fulfil the arrangement with Cazmer.

#### Episode 12

One day, Suguha challenges Kazuto to a kendo match in their dojo as soon as he leaves his room. Despite the fact that he just survived an MMO based on his in-game swordsmanship skills, Kazuto finds himself getting quickly overwhelmed by Suguha, and repeatedly begs for her to stop. Ignoring Kazuto's pleas, Suguha tells him to "man up" as she continues her assault. Kazuto tries to throw in the towel, but Suguha declares "DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR!!!" and beats Kazuto to a pulp. After the match, Kazuto sarcastically asks Suguha if she could have gone easier on him, since he's barely out of hospital. Suguha then points out that he would have gotten out sooner if he hadn't "ripped [his] dick in half" trying to walk as soon as he woke up. This temporarily triggers Kazuto, as he's still haunted by the sound of it tearing.

Suguha then snaps Kazuto out of it by claiming that he was never going to "make much use of it anyway", before calling him a "fuckin' virgin". Kazuto tries to refute this by stating that he had sex a bunch of times with Asuna while trapped in Sword Art Online, awkwardly calling her his "online wife" in the process, which he immediately regrets. However, Suguha dismisses the fact that Asuna exists in the first place. Kazuto points out that he visits her every day, but Suguha counters that all she sees is him leaving the house for hours before coming home crying, "like bitches do". Kazuto then reminds her that he's shown Suguha pictures of Asuna, but she ignores this and proceeds to go on an overly dramatic monologue about how it's more likely that he spends most of his time masturbating in an abandoned restaurant. Kazuto then mutters his disappointment over how Suguha hasn't changed a bit during the last two years, but when she asked him to repeat himself, he's too terrified to do so. Kazuto then announces that he's going to go visit Asuna, mocking Suguha's idea of her not existing in the process. Suguha brushes this off, however, and recommends that he brings some tissues to clean her face, implying that he's going to masturbate over the comatose girl's body, much to Kazuto's dismay.

Later, Suguha overhears Kazuto making a lame nickname to someone named Sugou and mocks him through the wall. She doesn't stop there, as he then hears him mention that someone's a fairy, prompting her to state that he's a fairy and proceeds to laugh at him. Annoyed by this, Kazuto threatens to get their mom involved.

#### Episode 13

The next day, Suguha is sitting on her house's porch, humming ALO's log in melody to herself. Once she realizes what she's doing, she gets embarrassed and stuffs a muffin in her face. Kazuto then arrives home and is annoyed to see Suguha, asking himself why he came in the back door. Suguha tries to make a joke about Kazuto's poor choice of words but starts choking on the muffin as a result. As she chokes, she thinks that if she eats a second muffin it'll dislodge the first. Luckily, Kazuto ends up saving her by handing her a juice box. Once she catches her breath, Suguha chastises Kazuto for his slow rescue, asking what he would've told their mom if she died. Kazuto then jokes that he would've told her they can convert Suguha's room into a room for the jacuzzi she's always wanted, a statement that offends Suguha. Regardless, Kazuto proclaims that her potential death doesn't matter because he has a date with destiny. Hearing this, Suguha tries provoking Kazuto by making it sound like he's talking about a camgirl. Kazuto ignores this, however, as he's so happy about the potential good things coming his way, drowning out her jokes by singing as he enters the house. Suguha then calls Kazuto a dumbass before chocking on her muffin again.

At some point, Suguha logs into ALO as Leafa and heads to a Dungeon called the Ancient Forest, to avoid going to her engagement party. She is then pursued by group of Salamanders, led by a General, and is eventually cornered. The General commends her for evading them for so long. However, he informs her that they are out of patience and that she's out of options. With nowhere for Leafa to go, one Salamander asks her to strip for them and the other starts chucking mayonnaise at her. Trying to roleplay, Leafa begs the Salamanders not to take her innocence, as she's saving it for Prince Cazmer, and if she loses it, war will rage once more in the Sylph Realm, and begs for their mercy. However, the General gets confused by the fact that Leafa is crying for help while in a perfect battle stance. Leafa denies this, claiming that she but a humble maiden, taken from the streets and adopted by the kind Queen Sakuya, and has never held a blade in her life. However, she soon runs out of poetic descriptions for how weak she is.

Annoyed, the General calls a character break and starts criticizing Leafa's contradictory character, as she's acting like a helpless damsel while also giving off the aura of a battle-hardened veteran. Leafa apologizes for ruining their fun, claiming that "old habits die hard". The General states that this type of attitude is why he hates the Sylph players, as they don't put in the work and ruin the fantasy for everyone else. He then states that he had a long hard shift at the soup kitchen, and all he wants to do is come home and play as a sexually predatory general named "PantySmasher", asking Leafa to give him that for ten minutes. One of the Salamanders, whose name was DeezGunz, then interjects and says, back in character, that PantySmasher would only last about two minutes. Amused by this remark, PantySmasher uses it as an example of how to roleplay, before asking Leafa what her character wants in this situation. Leafa is confused by such a vaguely general question and says that she doesn't want to get raped, an answer that doesn't satisfy PantySmasher.

However, this attempt at assault is halted when a Spriggan comes crashing to the ground in front them. The Spriggan then chastises someone named Yui for making him fly without permission, only to be embarrassed when he realizes he's being watched. He then tries to play cool and asks what's going on, but the Salamanders tell him to leave, as they have "dibs" on Leafa. Though confused by the Salamanders' personas, comparing them to a weird mixture of Deliverance and Peter Pan, the Spriggan asks Leafa if she needs his help. Leafa sees as the perfect opportunity to perfect her persona and accepts the Spriggan's offer, telling him to save her from the "ill-mannered ruffians". PantySmasher then voices his pride in Leafa's improvement, telling her that she just needs to ask herself the right questions and her character will write itself. However, everyone is caught off guard when the Spriggan takes to this opportunity to kill one of the Salamanders, whose name was Keith. With PantySmasher heartbroken by Keith's death and Leafa shocked by how fast the Spriggan is, the Spriggan remarks how it's "good to be home".

#### Episode 14

After the Spriggan kills Keith, one of the other Salamanders, whose name was DeezGunz, voices his disbelief over Keith's demise, and starts monologuing about how it goes against a prophecy. However, the Spriggan catches him off guard and swiftly kills him mid-monologue. Having gotten used to fighting in ALO, the Spriggan challenges the General to come down and fight. The General retorts to this by pointing out that the Spriggan has a set of wings and tells him to fly up so they can "settle this like fairies". The Spriggan refuses, however, claiming that flying up to kill the General only to fly back down again to dig his grave would be a wasted effort. This makes the General realize that the Spriggan can't fly and starts making fun of him for being a part of a garbage race and for being "impotent". This comment causes the Spriggan to throw his sword at the General, telling him it was a warning shot, before asking where he'd like the Spriggan to aim his next attack.

Irritated, PantySmasher ultimately decides to withdraw from the conflict. He then states that he doesn't know what the Spriggan's relationship with the Sylphs is, but he tells the two players that the Salamanders can't be stopped, and they shall not rest until they have "dat booty". However, PantySmasher realizes that his character would never say something like that and blames the Spriggan and Leafa for throwing him off his rhythm. He then tells the two to "enjoy the ground" before departing. With PantySmasher gone, the Spriggan is initially glad his bluff worked, only to realize that he just threw his only sword away and curses over having to retrieve it. However, instead of saying the intended words of profanity, they're replaced with kid friendly alternatives, causing the Spriggan to panic. Leafa explains to the Spriggan, while still trying to roleplay, that the island has an enchantment which halts the forbidden tongue. The Spriggan, already irritated, tells Leafa to drop the façade and talk to him like a normal person. Leafa does so with a sigh and reminds the Spriggan that ALO is a kid's game and therefore has a profanity filter, much to the Spriggan's horror.

As he bursts into tears over this revelation, Leafa, back in roleplaying mode, tells the "filthy Spriggan" not to show weakness before the enemy, pointing out that the players the Spriggan killed are in a near death state called Remain Lights, and can still listen to their conversation. When the Salamanders fade away, Leafa points her sword at the Spriggan and asks him what he wants. This annoys the Spriggan, as Leafa isn't showing any gratitude after he rescued her. Believing that the Spriggan wants change, Leafa throws some coins in his face and tells him to go. The Spriggan tries to explain what he wants, but before he can say anything, a Pixie pops out of his pocket and tells him they don't have time to deal with the "obstinate hussy". The Pixie then tries to threaten Leafa to not get in their way, but the Spriggan stops her from saying anymore. Intrigued, Leafa asks who the Pixie is, to which the Spriggan tells Leafa her name is Yui and that she's a pet he got a rare drop, much to Yui's shock. Leafa becomes suspicious of the Spriggan, as he claims that he's new to the game, yet his stats were high enough to kill two high level players, and he's in possession of a rare pet item. With nothing adding up, Leafa asks the rookie Spriggan what his game is. Backed into a corner, the Spriggan tells Leafa that "ALfheim" is his game, prompting her to laugh in response.

Amused by the Spriggan, Leafa sheaths her sword introduces herself, demanding him to bow. The Spriggan refuses, however, and decides to leave Leafa, out of irritation over how useless their conversation has been, much to Yui's relief. However, Leafa decides to drop the whole Princess act and begs the Spriggan not to go, which enrages Yui. Leafa apologizes for the roleplaying, explaining that other players have a tendency of getting intense about the subject, and promises to drop it for a while. She thanks the Spriggan for rescuing her and asks what he wants to know. Now having a normal conversation, the Spriggan asks Leafa what she knows about the game, especially the tree. At first, Leafa believes that the Spriggan's referring to the Math Tree, a talking tree that challenges players to solve math problems, but the Spriggan explains that he meant the World Tree. Leafa agrees to tell him all about it, but says they better get to a safer location first, as there are still Salamanders rampant in the area, and they've been attacking Leafa a lot lately for some reason. Leafa then offers to take the Spriggan to a bar in Sylvaine. This confuses the Spriggan, as ALO is supposed to be a kid's game, to which Leafa counters by saying it's a "cool kid's game".

Due to his inability to fly, the Spriggan tries suggesting that they should take a nice stroll through the forest, defeating the Math Tree in the process, but Leafa sees right through him and offers to help. She orders the Spriggan to turn around and summon his wings, before telling him to "think happy thoughts" and shoving him upwards, causing him to crash through the trees. Leafa checks to see if he's alright, but to her surprise, the Spriggan manages to get the hang of flying rather quickly. This makes Leafa jealous, as she took six months to get a hang of it. The two then start heading towards Sylvaine, with Leafa telling the Spriggan she'll be gentle with him, since it's his "first time". The Spriggan reassures her it's alright, however, because his wife punches him during sex, something that confuses Leafa. Annoyed with the Spriggan's cocky attitude, Leafa decides to speed up, to show him that no one can fly faster than her, only to be shocked when the Spriggan manages to catch up. The Spriggan teases her about this, prompting her fly even faster, but the Spriggan still manages to keep up with her.

Eventually, they arrive in Sylvaine, where Leafa tells the Spriggan they should land. This worries the Spriggan, as Leafa never told him how to land, prompting Leafa to let the Spriggan fly face first into a building and fall the rest of the way down, to teach him a lesson. Leafa then finds the Spriggan lying in the streets and asks if he's learned his place. The Spriggan says he hasn't, but has now developed a very powerful distrust of the monarchy. Leafa dismisses this claim and heals the Spriggan with some Magic, which she summons by chanting a verse from a Dick and Jane book. Despite being confused by the incantation, the Spriggan asks if he can learn the same spell. Leafa says he can try, but Spriggans are more suited for Illusion Magic and Treasure Hunting, which she refers to as "lying and stealing", much to the Spriggan's dismay.

Suddenly, Leafa notices her friend, Recon, running towards them, warning Kirito that she's about to start roleplaying again. Leafa greets Recon, inquiring what has brought him before her royal countenance this fine evening, but Recon doesn't follow along her roleplaying and simply asks how she is. Annoyed, Leafa chastises Recon for making her look bad in front of Kirito. Recon apologizes for embarrassing Leafa, only to suddenly become hostile when he notices Kirito's there, due to him being a Spriggan. Trying his best to roleplay, Recon states that Kirito has some nerve entering the Sylphs' territory before asking Leafa if she wants Kirito killed. Leafa tells Recon to stand down, however, assuring him that Kirito's "one of the good ones", a statement that offends Kirito.

No longer hostile, Recon declares that any friend of Leafa's is a friend of his and introduces himself to the Spriggan, shaking his hand. However, during his introduction, his NerveGear short-circuits and Recon starts screaming in terror, crushing the Spriggan's hand. The Spriggan asks what's wrong, to which Leafa reveals Recon's problem with his NerveGear. When Recon finally snaps out of it, the Spriggan asks him why he would keep using the NerveGear. Recon states that, while he agrees that being ambushed by his deepest fears isn't "ideal", he tries to take the good with the bad. He then states that he bought the NerveGear cheap for $600 and only had to clean the brains out. However, the Spriggan reveals to Recon that the NerveGears were actually $500 when they were new. Recon is completely shocked by this revelation and tries to convince himself that the family was probably too busy grieving to think about the math. Kirito then sympathetically states that Recon is too precious for this world.

Changing the subject, Recon asks Leafa if she's going to attend her engagement party with Cazmer, telling her that, while it's fashionable to be a little late, everyone's looking for her and the band has been playing her entrance music for about five hours now. Leafa pretends that she forgot about the party, but admits that she's not going, since she's helping the Spriggan with the game. Recon is shocked by this and tells Leafa that, if he doesn't bring her back to the party, Cazmer will hunt him "like a common Cait Sith". Leafa ignores this, however, and drags the Spriggan off to the bar, leaving Recon behind.

At the bar, the Spriggan asks Leafa about her engagement as Yui eats a cracker. Leafa dismisses it, however, stating that it's only in the game, something the Spriggan takes offence to. The Spriggan then teases Leafa about her reluctance to get married, asking if she had someone else in mind, like Recon. Hearing this, Leafa instantly tries to deny any relationship with Recon, but reveals that she did suck him off once. The Spriggan is caught off guard by this revelation, which Yui confuses as him not understanding what "sucked him off" means and tries to explain. Leafa says they're not dating and claims that she did it for a quest. Though confused by this, the Spriggan decides not to pursue the matter, stating that he doesn't have "the time, nor the inclination" to navigate Leafa's love life. Leafa is offended by this term of phrase, thinking that the Spriggan's calling her love life a mountain, before stating that, "Princesses don't climb mountains. Mountains climb Princesses". Hearing this, the Spriggan suddenly feels sorry for Recon.

The Spriggan then changes the topic by asking about the World Tree. Leafa agrees to tell the Spriggan about it, as a favor for rescuing her and for getting her out of her engagement party, although she needed to be reminded of both. However, she tells the Spriggan she needs to fill him in on background info first. Leafa explains that, when ALO first came out, parents didn't want their children playing it, even though they were the target audience. Leafa doesn't understand why this happened, but the Spriggan guesses it was probably because of the SAO disaster, which Leafa says people should just "get over". Leafa then tells the Spriggan about how the roleplayers found ALO in a bargain bin and decided that it would be the perfect place for their roleplaying, and that the game was perfectly the Race War, which they dreamt of since they were children. Initially, the Spriggan doesn't register what she said, as he was eating a piece of cake at the time, but once he does, he asks her to clarify.

Leafa then tells the Spriggan about the Race War and the rumor that spurred it on. Though uncomfortable with the name, the Spriggan understands the players' goal, relieved that it wasn't as bad as he thought. However, Leafa then informs him that the competition has resulted in some actual racial violence within the game. As she explains this, two Sylphs enter the bar and invite Leafa to go "fox hunting" with a Cait Sith, who they caught sneaking across the border. The Cait Sith tries to retaliate, calling them maniacs, but is promptly gagged and shoved into the trunk of their car. The Sylphs then drive off, playing their favorite song on the radio. The Spriggan voices his confusion at a car being in the game, to which Leafa tells him that it's an epic level mount, and that she's heard that there are more at the top of the World Tree.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the ludicrous narrative he's stumbled into, the Spriggan asks Leafa how to get to the top of the World Tree, as that's all he really cares about. However, Leafa informs him that she doesn't know, nor does any other player, since the war would be over if they did. This causes the Spriggan to curse in frustration, slamming the table in the process, much to Leafa's confusion. Yui then takes this opportunity to ask the Spriggan for another cracker. Realizes there's nothing he can do, the Spriggan apologizes for his outburst, explaining that he's in a rush to get to the top. Leafa asks why the Spriggan's so concerned, since it's just game, but the Spriggan tells the Sylph Princess not to worry about it. He thanks Leafa for her assistance, but dismisses the matter as not her problem, something that triggers Leafa's abandonment issues. The Spriggan then says he's going to find someone with a bit more experience.

As the Spriggan tries to leave the tavern, Leafa slips back into roleplay mode and voices her offense at his comment, stating that he won't find an ally more capable than her. The Spriggan tries to apologize for offending her, but Leafa cuts him off, telling him that, while she may not know how to conquer the World Tree, she can throw waves of loyal subjects at the problem until it's solved, as "that's how a Princess do". Confused, the Spriggan asks if Leafa wants to come with, which Leafa says he can bet his "sweet patootie" on, as the Spriggan and Yui won't last a day without her. Seeing that there's no stopping her, the Spriggan reluctantly welcomes Leafa on board, with Yui warning her that she'll throw her to the wolves if she slows them down. Leafa then arranges to meet with the Spriggan the next day and proceeds to log out, bidding the Spriggan farewell. The Spriggan then realizes he hasn't introduced himself yet, and finally tells Leafa his name is Kirito. Realizing that the Spriggan is her brother, Leafa tries her best to hide her shock, and she departs from the game in a hurry. Upon logging out, Suguha screams in frustration about her brother being in "[her] game", only to be mortified when she realizes that she accidentally complimented her brother's butt.

#### Episode 15

The next day, in the real world, Suguha is confronted by Shinichi outside their school for ditching him in ALO. Suguha reminds Shinichi not to mention the game in public, which he apologizes for, but she becomes hostile when he accidentally calls her by her screen name. Shinichi then tells her that, when he told Cazmer that Leafa was not coming to the engagement party, he was "less than pleased". He then decided to take his frustration out on Recon by tying his hands together, preventing him from logging out, and crushing his nuts in his vice, all while the band were forced to play their music. Suguha isn't moved by Shinichi's plight, although she is disappointed that she missed hearing some renditions of her favorite band. Regardless, she then tells Shinichi to let Cazmer know that she doesn't care what kind of story the latter has cooked up, pointing out that it's no fun being a Princess if people are still going to tell her what to do. Shinichi accepts the request but is disappointed by Suguha's lack of care for his safety.

With the matter settled, Suguha tells Shinichi to get out of her way, as he's making her late for kendo practice. This makes Shinichi excited and asks if Kazuto will be joining her now that he's out of the hospital, stating that he'd love to meet the "Hero of Aincrad". Annoyed by her brother's nickname, Suguha tells Shinichi that Kazuto hasn't practiced kendo in years, remarking on his preference for "screens than swords". Hearing this, Shinichi voices how ironic it is that the Black Swordsman doesn't like swords. Annoyed, Suguha demands Shinchi to move, threatening to use her shinai. Shinichi says he will but has something to ask Suguha first, much to her annoyance. Shinichi then plucks up the courage and asks Suguha if they could go on a real date, instead of the "quests" they go on as Leafa and Recon. Flustered by this request, Suguha jabs Shinichi in the stomach with her shinai. As Shinichi writhes around in pain, Suguha reminds him that the two of them are barely friends and that Recon is Leafa's "fuccboi", nothing more. She then tells Shinichi not to confuse a game with real life, before almost immediately inviting him to meet her in the janitor's closet after kendo practise for another "quest".

Sometime later, Suguha's in her bedroom and starts having an inner rant about her frustrations with Kazuto, wondering what makes him so great. While logging in to ALO, she comes to the conclusion that Kazuto's playing the game because he's planning to blackmail her with the fact that she's playing such a girly game, to get back at her for all her years of torment. After imagining what he'll say when exposes her, she convinces herself further that Kirito's seriousness to get to the World Tree was just a clever ruse to gain Leafa's sympathy. Retaliating against him, Suguha decides to mess with her brother on their journey by taking him to the "dark corners" of ALO that would annoy him the most.

In ALO, Leafa meets up with Kirito in Sylvaine, who has bought himself some new gear, and takes him to the Fairport, a fairy airport. As Leafa drags him through the building, Kirito voices his astonishment at the fact that there are players who log into the game just so they can pretend to run an airport. Just then, the duo is stopped by Cazmer and two Sylph bodyguards. Cazmer confronts Leafa for failing to attend their engagement party and chastises her for gallivanting with "detestable Spriggan trash", much to Kirito's annoyance. Finally caught, Leafa bluntly tells Cazmer that she doesn't want to fake marry him, having only agreed to it because Sakuya, her fake mom, told her to in order to end the civil war, something Cazmer needs to remind her of. She then tells Cazmer that she has become bored with the ordeal, opting to hang out with Kirito for a while instead. Cazmer tries to insist that Leafa should reconsider the engagement, but Kirito interjects, reinforcing Leafa's decision. He then tells the Sylph Prince to have some self-respect, stating that a respectable gentleman like Cazmer must have plenty of cousins that could replace Leafa as his wife.

Offended by this comment, Cazmer draws his sword and tells Kirito to know his place. He then states that, while he doesn't know how Kirito managed to seduce Leafa, something that makes Leafa gag in disgust for obvious reasons, events have been set in motion that are beyond the Spriggan's comprehension. Kirito isn't fazed by such a vague statement, however, and continues to poke fun of Cazmer's storyline, referencing the movie Stardust in the process. Cazmer, who catches the reference, tells Kirito that he doesn't have time to explain his motivations to him, claiming that all that the Spriggan needs to understand is that his actions are for the good of everyone.

One of Cazmer's bodyguards then recommends that they should have this conversation somewhere private, as they are drawing the attention of bystanders, such as the pretzel guy. Cazmer blames this on Leafa, telling her that she's making a scene. Angered by this, Leafa threatens to tell Sakuya about Cazmer's actions once she's back from the peace conference at Butterfly Valley, which would result in Cazmer getting banished. Hearing this, Cazmer suddenly sheaths his sword, claiming that he has been intimidated by the threat, and leaves along with his bodyguards, telling Leafa to "enjoy slumming it". Leafa then apologizes to Kirito for the incident, as players like Cazmer take the game too seriously, a sentiment Kirito agrees with. Kirito then asks Leafa if he's going to be subjected to "additional screening", giving the other players' attitudes towards his race. Leafa doesn't answer this, however, and shoves Kirito into the hands of a Fairport Security Guard, who gives him full body cavity search.

Having passed the screening, Kirito voices displeasure over the whole situation, stating that you wouldn't see something like that in Lord of the Rings. Leafa agrees with this, although she voices her contempt for Sam and Frodo disrespecting Sauron's borders, comparing them to Spriggans. Kirito asks Leafa if she just doesn't care if she hurts his feelings, since he's a Spriggan, but she ignores him and comments on the beautiful view, just as the skybox starts glitching out. Getting back on topic, Kirito tells Leafa he's in a hurry to save his wife and asks her about the army she promised. At first Leafa's unimpressed by Kirito's "excuse" for getting to the top of the World Tree, but she then gets confused and asks what Kirito means by "army". Kirito then reminds Leafa that she told him she had hordes of subjects who could he help them the previous night. Backed into a corner, Leafa suggests that they could ask Sakuya for assistance, stating that she might be cool, "for once".

Luckily for Leafa, the subject is changed when Recon arrives. Leafa tells him that she's glad to see him, which makes Recon happy for a second, but the moment is ruined when Leafa admits that she would've taken anyone, something that Kirito takes offence to. Recon then wonders if Kirito and Leafa were going on a quest, although he changes the word to "mission" at the last second after realizing the unintentional subtext, before asking if he could tag along. Internally, Leafa becomes worried that, once Kirito and Recon talk to each other, Recon will realize who Kirito is, which would in turn cause Kirito to find out that she gave Recon a handjob, or worse, that she made him cupcakes. To prevent this from happening, Leafa tells Recon that she has a "super special mission" for him, ordering him to keep a close eye on Cazmer, who she claims has been "acting real sus lately", a statement that disgusts Kirito. Recon states that he's willing to do so, but asks if Leafa's sure that Cazmer's weird behavior isn't because he's mad that she's not going along with his wedding storyline. Leafa denies this, however, and assures Recon that Cazmer's "def into some sketch shiz". Kirito then gets annoyed by Leafa's vocabulary and asks her to stop.

Convinced that Cazmer's up to something, Recon declares that he'll get to the bottom of this no matter what. However, he then gets deflated when Leafa reacts to this nonchalantly. Regardless, Recon wishes her luck on her mission before asking Kirito to watch Leafa's back, as she has a habit of getting into trouble. Kirito agrees to Recon's request, but admits that he was going to keep an eye on her anyway, since he doesn't trust her. Recon then states that he trusts Kirito but doesn't really understand why, commenting that there's something really familiar about him. However, before Recon can piece together who Kirito really is, Leafa stomps on his foot, breaking his concentration, and takes off with Kirito following her, leaving Recon behind yet again. As they're flying, Kirito tells Leafa to be nicer to Recon, calling the latter her boyfriend. Despite Leafa trying to deny that she and Recon are together, which makes Kirito laugh, Yui tells Leafa that both her and Recon's heart rates increased upon seeing each other. Leafa tries explaining this away by claiming that her heart elevation could've been out of fear, as Recon has a big knife, but Kirito and Yui laugh this excuse, much to Leafa's embarrassment.

Kirito and Leafa eventually land in a clearing in the Ancient Forest, with Kirito asking why Leafa was in such a hurry to get there. Leafa claims that it's a "Safe Zone", where the two can recharge their wings, when in actuality it's the territory of a group of feral roleplayers called the "forest folk", who will mug him. Kirito isn't quite convinced by her claim, as the area is surrounded by unconscious players, but Leafa dismisses them by claiming they were outside of the Safe Zone. To make sure Kirito is defenceless when the forest folk attack, Leafa tells him to log out and get a snack, claiming that she'll guard his body. Kirito tries to decline this order, as he's too worried about Asuna, but he reluctantly accepts when his stomach starts growling. After Kirito logs out to get a sandwich, leaving his avatar in sleep mode, Leafa uses this opportunity to find evidence of Kirito's plot before the forest folk do their work.

However, before Leafa can do anything, Yui emerges from Kirito's pocket. Leafa immediately tries to deny any wrongdoing, but Yui calls her out on it, revealing that she knows who Leafa really is. This causes Leafa to realize that Yui isn't really a pet, to which Yui reveals that she's an AI. However, Leafa doesn't know what that is. This makes Yui realize that Leafa wasn't as smart as she thought and decides to dumb down her vocabulary to talk to her. Leafa then asks Yui what Kirito's planning, but Yui reveals that Kirito doesn't know who she is, admitting that she discovered Leafa's identity by hacking into her AmuSphere, as well as a few other things, and found her account information. Shocked, Leafa asks what Kirito's doing in the game, to which Yui explains that Kirito's goal is to rescue Asuna from the game's admin, and that it was pure coincidence that he ran into his sister. Leafa doubts that the two of them really met by chance and continues to believe that Kirito logged into the game to enact his vengeance upon her.

Disappointed that Leafa still won't listen to reason, Yui decides to take more drastic methods by removing her face, causing her to briefly suffocate. Having been terrified into submission, Leafa agrees to stop messing with Kirito and will do whatever Yui wants. It is at this moment that Kirito logs back in and gets confused by Leafa's outburst, startling Leafa. Kirito then asks if something happened when he was gone, which Yui tries to explain, but Leafa cuts her off before she can say anything. Though perplexed by Leafa's behavior, Kirito asks her if she wants to log out too, only for Leafa to say that they should get going. Though glad that they're making progress again, Kirito asks why Leafa's suddenly in such a rush. Yui then forges a story that Sakuya sent Leafa a message telling her that the peace conference will be ending soon. She then claims that Leafa came up with a plan to take advantage of the situation and recruit both the Sylph and Cait Sith armies to help raid the World Tree, meaning they'll need to hurry before the delegates leave. However, since Butterfly Valley is blocked by a mountain range that surpasses their wing's altitude limit, they'll have to take a shortcut through a Dungeon called Kandy Kane Kavern in order to make it in time.

Kirito doubts this claim, however, since Leafa herself starts daydreaming about food after confusing the word "delegates" for "delis". After Yui snaps her out of it, Leafa tries to convince Kirito that he can trust her. However, as she's saying this, Leafa spots a member of the forest folk hiding in the bushes and scares him off. She then takes off before Kirito can ask any questions. Kirito flies after her, confused about what really happened while he was away, wondering if this was one of Yui's "jokes".

#### Episode 16

Kirito and Leafa make their way through Kandy Kane Kavern. After wandering for hours, Kirito starts complaining about their journey, asking how kids don't get lost in the cave. The two then hear a scared little child somewhere deep within the cave. Kirito asks if they should help the child, but Leafa tells him that the voice was coming from the Hall of History, so the child is "basically already dead". The child then triggers the Animatronic Gandalf, the Hall of History's NPC that teaches children dodgy history facts. The Animatronic Gandalf asks a question about the moon landing, which the child gets "wrong", as the moon landing was a communist conspiracy to lull America into a false sense of superiority, so they'd be underprepared for Russia's army of psychic super bears. The child is then mauled to death by these bears as punishment. Shocked by this, Kirito voices his disdain for ALO's curriculum.

Sometime later, Kirito voices his disbelief that they left the child behind. Leafa tells him they had no choice, and that it was the child's fault for not knowing "basic history" anyway. Kirito's shocked that Leafa believes the Animatronic Gandalf, but tells himself not to pursue the topic any further, as it will only make things worse. With the matter settled, Leafa tells Kirito to focus on more important things, like his "totally real wife". Annoyed, Kirito tells Leafa to stop saying things like that, as he gets enough of that at home, and the less he thinks about that the better. Leafa's caught off guard by this statement and decides to ask Kirito about his struggles at home, taking advantage of the fact that he doesn't know who she is. Kirito then vents to Leafa about how his parents are never around and expresses his discomfort with his sister always making fun of him for not being as successful as her. He then complains about how she's always telling him that his hobbies will lead to him dying alone and unloved, slowly consumed by a legion of cats. Shocked by her brother's opinion of her, Leafa tells Kirito that his sister's probably lashing out, stemming from Kirito hurting her at some point. Kirito denies this possibility, however, stating that he didn't do anything. This upsets Leafa, who asks if Kirito ever considered that was the problem, a question that confuses him.

Before Kirito can pursue this, however, Yui pops out of his pocket and alerts the duo that she detects twelve players approaching from behind them. Leafa then spots a bat named Squeaker and realizes that the Salamanders have been tracking them. She casts Wind Needles and fatally wounds the bat before telling Kirito to run. Kirito's shocked by this, as the bat called out to its master before getting attacked, but Leafa shrugs it off, claiming that the Salamanders deliberately boost the affection levels of their pets to make them more willing to go on suicide missions, a statement that horrifies Kirito.

The duo then reaches the capital of Kandy Kane Kavern, Kandy Kane Kapital. Kirito voices his shock at how lazy the place's name is which causes a stone wall to rise up and block the entrance. Kirito tries to break the wall but is deflected back and crashes to the ground. Leafa explains that Kirito accidently locked them out, as punishment for spelling the places name wrong, and now they'll have to wait for the lock to reset. This confuses Kirito, since he said the name out loud, but Leafa tells him that the game detected that he spelled it with C's instead of K's. This annoys Kirito because that how you're supposed to spell those words. Leafa then tells him they don't have time to argue, since the Salamanders are almost there. As the enemies approach them, Kirito asks Leafa why the Salamanders want her dead, only to discover that she doesn't know, having not paid attention to the roleplayers' boring politics. With no choice but to face the Salamanders head on, Kirito asks Leafa to shield him while he attacks. This gives Leafa an idea and agrees to help, but when the time comes, she ignores his increasingly frantic requests to shield him and lets him get hit by the Salamanders' Fireballs. She then plays dumb, claiming that she wasn't sure on when to shield him. This annoys Kirito and he yells at her to shield him when he asks her to. Irritated by Kirito's attitude, Leafa restores his health and he charges back into battle.

As Leafa watches on, Yui tells her that she's found something in the game's code that can help Kirito, but she needs Leafa's help to do it. Leafa refuses, however, as she sees Kirito struggling against the Salamanders as a perfect opportunity to watch him suffer. As she says this, Kirito begs the Salamanders to let him save Asuna, as he's nothing without her, but the Salamanders think he's just roleplaying, which Leafa finds hilarious. Yui then pleads with Leafa, stating that Kirito will be vulnerable while she initiates the code, and ask Leafa to put everything she has into protecting him. Leafa's hesitant to help, but Yui tells that, while she knows their bond as siblings is strained, nothing will change unless one of them takes the first step. Leafa asks why she has to be the one to do it, blaming her brother for ruining her life, but Yui tells her that she's the only one who can make things right in this moment. She then asks Leafa to assistance once more, calling her "Auntie Sugu" for good measure, which Leafa thinks is cheating.

Finally giving into Yui's plea, Leafa casts Butterfly Shield, shielding the exhausted Kirito just as the Salamanders launch a more powerful version of their Fireball spell. With Kirito now safe, Yui hacks into the system and turns Kirito into a giant goat demon called the Gleam Eyes, a feat that impresses Leafa. Kirito then loses control of himself, roaring the Salamanders before charging at them. The Salamanders are completely caught off guard by this turn of events, but their commander tries to reassure his men, stating that Kirito was just using Illusion Magic and couldn't actually hurt them. However, he is almost immediately proven wrong when Kirito picks up two Salamanders, eating one of them and slamming the other into the ground. The Salamander commander then admits his mistake and tells his men to retreat, but Kirito pursues them and starts mercilessly slaughtering the army. Since Kirito no longer needs any assistance, Leafa asks Yui if she can log out to take a shower. Yui agrees to this, stating that if a Salamander tries to attack her, she will "subject them to a world of unimaginable pain and/or terror", which Leafa appreciates.

Back in the real world, Suguha wakes up to find that her phone is blinking. She checks it and becomes furious to discover that Shinichi has tried to call her ninety-six times. Just then, Shinichi calls her yet again, which Suguha answer rather annoyed. Having finally gotten into contact with her, Shinichi starts panicking about things being bad and says he doesn't know where to start. Suguha then tells Shinichi to take a deep breath and "pour that tea", which he literally does. Having finally calmed down, Shinichi reveals to Suguha that her false suspicion of Cazmer being up to something was actually correct. This shocks Suguha, making Shinichi realize that she just wanted to get rid of him. Suguha tries to brush this aside, however, telling Shinichi to focus on the good job he did, instead of what she "may or may not have done".

Regardless, Shinichi tells to Suguha that, true to his word, he followed Cazmer and his bodyguards with the help of his Hollow Body spell. After a while, he saw them wander into the sewers with invisibility cloaks on. This delighted the bodyguards, and they started loudly humming the Harry Potter theme, much to Cazmer's annoyance. Suguha reminds Shinichi that just because they don't want to be seen doesn't necessarily imply that Cazmer's doing anything shameful or illegal, as the sewers was one of their rendezvous spots. Shinichi then elaborates that, as he followed Cazmer and his bodyguards into the sewers, he saw them meet up with DeezGunz and Keith, who Cazmer berated for failing to kill Princess Leafa like he ordered them to. The Salamanders tried to explain that they were fought off by a very powerful Spriggan, but Cazmer couldn't understand what they were talking about due to their southern dialect.

Despite being annoyed with their failure, Cazmer resigned his frustrations and told the two that Leafa's death will no longer be necessary, informing them that the Sylph Queen will be in Butterfly Valley to sign a peace treaty with the Cait Sith. He then told the two to let their King know that, if his army hurries, they can hunt a few Cait Sith as bonus if he wishes. DeezGunz told Cazmer that he wishes he told them sooner, as they just sent thirty Salamanders to kill Leafa. Just as he said that, a Salamander named RamRod called DeezGunz to inform him that, not only are they about to enter the tunnel, but Squeaker's wife just had her babies. He then told DeezGunz not to tell Squeaker, as they want to surprise him after the mission. Unfortunately, while listening into this conversation, Recon's defected NerveGear short circuited again, causing him to scream in terror. With his cover blown, Recon was shot with several poisoned arrows, leaving his avatar paralyzed, face down in the sewer with a few dollops of mayo thrown onto his butt.

Hearing this, Suguha doesn't see the problem with the Salamanders invading the peace conference, as she's glad that this means they'll stop hunting her now. Shinichi tries to tell Suguha that the Salamanders ruining the treaty will result in them pillaging Sylph lands, but she doesn't care, stating that, as a Princess, she'll "bounce back". She then considers starting her own country, where all the guys will wear thongs and all the fat people will be banished. Shinichi then wonders who told Cazmer about the peace conference's location, as that was top secret information, stating that Sakuya will want the culprit's head on a pike. This makes Suguha realizes that she was the one that told Cazmer, and begins worrying what will happen to her once Sakuya finds out. Back in ALO, Leafa tells Kirito to run, who is back to his normal self, but has no memory of his actions during his transformation. Leafa gives Kirito the rundown of the situation, while still trying to dodge the responsibility for her actions, despite Kirito reminding her of it. Despite this explanation, Kirito remains confused about the situation, stating that he was kind of curious to see Kandy Kane Kapital. Leafa remarks that Kirito did see it, but he's no longer allowed back since he burned it to the ground during his demon rampage.

As they fly Butterfly Valley, Kirito asks Leafa how she plans to fix this mess. Leafa then comes up with a plan to warn the Sylph and Cait Sith armies about the attack, so they can ambush the Salamanders when they arrive, only for Yui to reveal that the Salamanders have already arrived at the peace conference, much to Leafa's dismay. Kirito then taunts Leafa for having her "carefully laid plans" brought to ruin by the cruel hand of time, prompting Leafa to ask him what he thinks they should do. Kirito proposes they should just talk to the Salamanders, since they're going to a peace conference. Leafa states that Kirito's plan might work, but reminds him that the players are committed roleplayers, meaning, in order for them to listen, Kirito will have to engage in the roleplaying too. At first, Kirito refuses, but Leafa reminds him that he probably doesn't have long before Asuna starts developing Stockholm syndrome. Kirito reluctantly decides to endure it for Asuna's sake, exclaiming, "The things we do for love".

The two then arrive at Butterfly Valley, where Kirito interrupts the tense standoff by crash landing between the two opposing factions, shocking everyone there, including Leafa, who lands safely. Doing his best to roleplay, Kirito introduces himself as the Viscount of the Spriggan Ziggurat, despite the Salamanders pointing out that his gamer tag says otherwise. Kirito then claims that he is there to speak on the behalf of his people, only for the Salamanders inform him that they killed all of the Spriggans. Caught off guard by this revelation, Kirito, with the help of Leafa, comes up with a story where he was adopted by the Undine, who sent him to join the Sylph/Cait Sith alliance. Sakuya is disgust by this claim, stating that she always knew there was something "off" about the Undine, to which Leafa tells her to "read the room". Ignoring Sakuya's response, Kirito tells the Salamanders that, if they attack the peace conference, they will be at war with the Sylphs, the Cait Sith, the Undine, and the Spriggans to a much lesser degree.

Hearing this, Eugene, Becky's character, emerges and tells Kirito that his army will take their chances, remarking that the alliance will most likely eat each other within a week. Sakuya is offended by this, stating that, while the Cait Sith may be delicious, they are a "powerful and succulent ally", a statement that visibly shocks the leader of the Cait Sith, Princess Hime Kuronekodesuchan. Despite the evidence stacking up against him, Kirito still refuses to back down, stating that the alliance forming in such unlikely circumstances only shows the strength of their resolve. However, this declaration is somewhat ruined when Kirito takes the opportunity to break character and ask Eugene if they ate the Spriggans. Eugene ignores Kirito's question, however, and offers to settle their feud one on one, "dingle to dingle", wanting to end the conflict quickly so they don't miss Squeaker's baby shower. One of the Salamanders tries to tell Eugene that Squeaker died, but Eugene tells him save it for after he defeats the Spriggan, believing it will make his victory "all the sweeter". Although confused by the King's confidence, Kirito agrees to take Eugene up on his gentlemanly offer. Eugene then boasts to Sakuya about being called a gentleman, who responds in disgust, revealing his name to Kirito, which confuses him.

With Kirito off guard, Eugene takes this opportunity to reflect the sunlight off his sword, blinding Kirito. He then launches his attack, which Kirito attempts to block, but Eugene's sword passes through Kirito's and sends the latter face first into a cliff. Confused, Leafa asks what happened, to which Hime explains that Eugene's sword can pass through anything that tries to block it. However, due to the Cait Sith's habit of mixing cat puns and Japanese words into their sentences, Leafa couldn't understand any of her explanation and asks her to refrain from speaking like that. Kirito then charges back into the fight, to which Eugene calls Kirito a typical Spriggan, voicing his disdain for their habit of always butting into people's business. Irritated by this, Kirito asks Eugene why the players hate Spriggans so much in this game. Eugene states that the answer should already be clear, since Kirito's using a variation of the name of ALO's great betrayer: Kirito Prime. Overwhelmed by this revelation, and due to Eugene having the upper hand, Kirito states that he "needs a minute" and casts Smokescreen, covering Butterfly Valley in a thick cloud of smoke. He then takes this opportunity to steal something from Leafa. Annoyed by Kirito's antiques, Eugene swipes the smoke away, only to find that Kirito has vanished. Hime and Cait Sith voice their amazement at this with more cat puns and broken Japanese, to which Leafa threatens to eat them if they don't stop.

Kirito then calls out to Eugene, who looks up and gets blinded by the sun, just managing to see that Kirito's above him, flying down directly in the sun's light. Eugene is offended that Kirito would dare steal the former's tactics and goes to attack him. However, just as he swipes through Kirito's sword and is about to slash his throat, Kirito reveals that he stole Leafa's sword and uses it to block Eugene's attack. He then parries Euguene, stating that stealing the King's tactic is "just what [my] character would do". With the tables turned, and two swords in hand, Kirito begins slashing away at Eugene, ranting about how every time he tries to do the right thing it only causes him to lose the things he loves. Euguene tries to retaliate, but Kirito dodges his attack and stabs him in stomach. He then states that, to top off everything he's been dealing with, he's now learned that the players of ALO have somehow found a way to ruin his name. Kirito then deals the finishing blow, causing Eugene to burst into flames, wondering what Kirito meant by his last remark. The rest of the players look on in awe, as one Salamander asks why Eugene exploded.

With the fight over, Sakuya revives Eugene, who remarks how unusually civil this is of her. Sakuya clarifies that she only revived him to prevent the Salamanders from harassing them further, telling Eugene to pay her back for the diamond she used later. Eugene states that it's typical for Sakuya to not "loosen the purse strings a bit" for a revival spell. Seeing this, Kirito's relieved that the two leaders are talking, stating that this might be their chance to recruit all the armies to help them. Leafa doubts this, however, and tells Kirito to "give it a minute". Sure enough, Sakuya gets offended by Eugene's remark, asking if he thinks her kingdom is cheap. Eugene states that he doesn't need to say that, since Sakuya's outfit is doing all the work for him. Sakuya then points out how ridiculous Eugene's armor looks, particularly with the fidget spinner he's decorated it with. Eugene explains that the fidget spinner is actually a medal, and it's the highest honor the Salamander military can bestow. Just then, a gust of wind causes the "medal" to spin, playing Sandstorm as it does. Eugene then states that the song is the Salamanders' national anthem, which always causes a veteran like him to tear up.

This comment causes Brian to break character and tell Becky that he never said he was a veteran, he just thinks that his job isn't that different from serving in the navy. Becky then snaps back at Brian, reminding him that he's just a lifeguard. Seeing this, Kirito asks Leafa what's happening, to which she explains Brian and Becky' history, and that the entire conflict in the game is the result of their breakup, much to Kirito's dismay. As Brian and Becky mock each other's former characters and real-life interests, Becky's new boyfriend, PantySmasher, whose real name is Jonathan, emerges from the crowd and suggests that they call it a day. Becky assumes this is because Jonathan believes she won't be able to beat Brian due to being a woman, which Jonathan denies, claiming that he thinks they should get going if they want to binge the Crown. This amuses Brian, who remarks that Becky should learn to keep better control of her man. This enrages Becky, who remarks that Brian was always obsessed with control when they were dating. Brian counters that the only time he was being "controlling" was when he apologized on her behalf after she vomited on their neighbor's dog again, even though he was guilty of this himself out of "solidarity".

Becky then reluctantly agrees with Jonathan, stating that fighting everyone at the peace conference isn't worth it. She then tells everyone that they should be lucky that she's in a healthy relationship now, before departing. As she leaves, Hime, whose real name is Denise, breaks character to tell Brian that she can't believe he slept with Becky, only for Brian to remind her that Becky is her cousin. As the Salamanders fly away, Becky lets out a mournful scream upon learning that Squeaker is dead. As they watch the Salamanders fly away, Kirito and Leafa reluctantly accept that they probably won't be recruiting their help. They are the approached by Sakuya, who asks why Kirito's there.

Leafa then tells Sakuya that Cazmer was behind the Salamanders' attack, claiming that Cazmer got the location of the peace conference by beating up Sakuya's scribes. Sakuya believes this revelation, stating that Cazmer has gone "rogue with his roleplaying" before by sparking the Sylph civil war in an attempt to take Sakuya's throne. Kirito then asks if Cazmer's just trying to take over the Sylph Kingdom, making a deal with the Salamanders after getting bored waiting to marry into the family. However, Sakuya realizes what Cazmer's actual goal is and explains that his ambitions go much deeper than seeking power. She the asks Hime for a Moon Mirror so she can contact him, which catches Cazmer off guard. He tries greeting her to hide his suspiciousness, but Sakuya confronts him on his actions, revealing that his deal with the Salamanders was an elaborate attempt to get Brian and Becky to talk to each other, a revelation that confuses Kirito.

Having to been caught, Cazmer, whose real name is Travis, breaks character to tell Brian that ALO used to be fun, but ever since he and Becky broke up, they've been forcing the others to choose sides and fight a proxy war just to spend time with them. This annoys Sakuya, stating that he sounds just like Kirito Prime, who was "an embarrassment to the name". However, Travis states that Kirito Prime, whose real name was Ted, had the right idea, as he just wanted Brian and Becky to talk things out so they could at least be friends again. Instead, Sakuya and Eugene committed genocide against the Spriggans to the point that none of them wanted to play anymore. This shocks Kirito, but he's still relieved that the Spriggans weren't eaten. Travis then tearfully admits that regrets not standing by the Spriggans' side when they needed him the most. He then apologizes to Kirito for how he treated him, stating that he had to keep the ruse that he was still on Brian's side, and that he only wanted peace between the races. Despite his good intentions, Sakuya tells Travis that his "mad dreams" have come to an end, before banishing him from ALO. Seeing all this unfold, Kirito states that he doesn't feel good about what just happened.

With the threat dealt with, Leafa tries to butter her adoptive mother up by saying she looks pretty. Sakuya sees right through her, however, and asks what she wants. Having been called out, Leafa claims that she would never ask Sakuya for a favor after going through such a perilous ordeal like she did, but Kirito would. With the attention now on him, Kirito bluntly asks the two leaders to borrow their armies. This shocks Leafa and the two leaders, to which Kirito states that they wasted enough time doing things Leafa's way. Sakuya admits that they probably owe him a favor after he rescued them but asks why he wants their armies. Trying his best to roleplay again, Kirito explains that his beloved has been captured by "the cruel King of the World Tree", and he needs their help to save her. However, he soon becomes more interested in just getting the Sylph army after Hime tries to get Kirito to call her "Princess Hime-Senpai".

Hearing Kirito's request, Sakuya and Hime both state that it would take more than just a single army to conquer the World Tree. Kirito wonders why the armies don't work together to storm the World Tree, asking if that's not the purpose of the peace conference. However, Sakuya explains that their peace treaty is just a non-aggression pact stating that "Eugene" was in the wrong when "he" bought opera tickets on the night "Sakuya" was planning to go to the Lakers game, even though "she" had been talking about it for months, something that riles Brian up just thinking about it, much to Kirito and Leafa's awkwardness. Sakuya then adds that working together would be pointless anyway, since only one of the races would receive the wish. This statement confuses Denise, and she break character to ask if the wish was real or something they made up, something Brian can't remember anymore. Regardless, they both decline Kirito's request and wish him luck on his suicide mission. Kirito voices his disbelief that he went through all the effort of saving them from the Salamanders, and exposing their "traitor", only to get nothing. Hime thanks Kirito for understanding their position, and tries to get him to calm down, reminding him that it's just a game. This reminds Kirito that Sakuya and Hime don't know how serious this is for him and decides not to get mad at them.

As Kirito and Leafa watch the Sylphs and the Cait Sith leave, Leafa tries to talk to Kirito. However, she's cut off by Yui, who yells in frustration about how their entire adventure was a colossal waste of time, having lost seven hours and forty-eight minutes. While Kirito's upset too, he calms Yui down, telling her that losing their cool won't help the situation. He then states that they should just cut their losses and head directly to the World Tree. Before they can, however, Leafa, trying to follow Yui's suggestion to make things right, sincerely apologizes to Kirito for wasting their time, taking full responsibility for her actions. She then thanks him for helping the Sylphs and tries to reassure him that things will eventually work out for him. However, she awkwardly stumbles over her words and ends up quoting the Poison song Every Rose Has Its Thorn. Kirito and Yui are shocked that Leafa's genuinely trying to make them feel better as opposed to her normal snarky behavior. Leafa's surprised that her advice didn't cheer Kirito up, as she's "throwing out her 'A' materiel", to which Kirito points out that her unintentional song reference ruined the moment a bit. Leafa defends herself by stating she's "out of practice" with being nice, before threatening to beat up Kirito if he doesn't accept her encouragement. Under threat, Kirito accept her words of kindness, but begins teasing her awkward delivery by singing the song she accidentally quoted. Leafa then chases after him, telling Kirito he's being a jerk, as they fly off towards the World Tree.

#### Episode 17

After much flying, Kirito and Leafa arrive in Arun, home of the World Tree and ALO's largest freestanding Pinwheel. Kirito comments on how beautiful the view is, but realizes how incredibly hopeless the situation is upon seeing the full scale of the tree. Leafa tells Kirito to cheer up, as they just had a long day of diplomacy and light treason, before advising him to relax and enjoy the moment. Kirito takes this advice, but Yui's still distressed, reminding the two that the wedding they're trying to prevent is two days away and they still don't the manpower to stop it. Leafa tells Yui to calm down, stating that, while they don't have an army yet, they're in the largest city in the game. She then suggests that they should look for the strongest and most bribable players they can find and recruit them to their side.

However, as she says this, the system announces that the server will be shutting down for the next eleven hours to apply the game's "Say No to Drugs" update, causing Leafa to reschedule their recruitment process to the next day. With no alternative, Yui states that she will guide the duo to the nearest inn. She then warns Leafa that, if they suffer any more delays due to her tomfoolery, there shall be a reckoning. Leafa pays no attention to this threat, however, as she's just realized that Yui sounds like "a teeny tiny prospector" whenever she gets mad, which infuriates Yui even more. Kirito states that having their plans delayed is probably for the best, as they're all pretty exhausted and need be at their freshest to take on the World Tree. He then states that they might need to give the city some time to "air itself out", as all the drug addicted citizens of Arun are rioting in response to the update, destroying the largest pinwheel in the process.

The next day, back in the real world, a very sleepy Suguha confronts Kazuto while he's washing his face in the outside sink. After exchanging very bitter greetings, Kazuto tells Suguha that, once he's finished washing up, he's going to visit the hospital again to check on Asuna. Hearing this, Suguha remembers her conversation with Yui about taking the first step to repair their relationship. She reluctantly admits to herself that Yui might be right, only to be caught off guard when she hears Yui in her head reinforcing her statement. Trying to take the initiative, Suguha offers to tag along, stating that she wants to meet her "sister-in-law". This makes Kazuto wary, however, wondering why she's trying to be so nice all of a sudden. Suguha tries to convince him that she's just trying to support him as his sister, prompting Kazuto to sarcastically claim that he thought she was a feral possum this entire time. Trying to have the moral high ground, Suguha to turn her back to Kazuto, chastising him for being an asshole. However, this gives Kazuto the opportunity to pour cold water down her back as a prank, causing Suguha to scream loudly. Kazuto's delighted to finally get one over on Suguha, only to have her hit with a rock as payback.

Sometime later, Kazuto and Suguha board the bus to the hospital, with Kazuto commenting that Suguha's taking her joke a little far. Suguha tells him she's not joking, and that she really does want to meet his "wife", but Kazuto still isn't convinced, particularly because she keeps hesitating before saying the word "wife". Changing the subject, Suguha asks Kazuto how he and Asuna met. This confuses Kazuto, as they obviously met in the death game. Annoyed by Kazuto's ignorance, Suguha clarifies that she meant how the two fell in love. Kazuto then tells Suguha about the time he and Asuna worked together to solve a murder mystery, but Suguha doesn't believe him, stating that Kazuto described the plot of the Lake House.

The siblings then arrive at the hospital, where Kazuto warns Suguha that security will arrive in fifteen seconds if she tries anything. Suguha asks him what he thinks she'll do, to which Kazuto responds that he doesn't know, and that's what scares him. Annoyed, Suguha tells Kazuto to enter the room, which he begrudgingly does. Once inside, Kazuto introduces the still unconscious Asuna to his sister, who yells her introduction at Asuna. Kazuto chastises Suguha for her lack of respect to a coma patient, prompting her to try a more friendly introduction. The two then stand by Asuna's bedside, where Suguha comments on how gentle Asuna looks, comparing her to an angel. Kazuto chuckles at this remark, stating that, if Asuna was an angel, she'd probably be Lucifer. Feeling awkward with the atmosphere, Suguha decides to refill the flower vase at Asuna's bedside. As she does, Suguha wonders what Kazuto gets out of visiting Asuna, asking if he expects Asuna to be grateful that he didn't abandon her. She then tries to make witty comment about how Asuna wouldn't be much fun at parties in her current state, but stops herself when she sees Kazuto sadly holding Asuna's hand. Seeing how much Kazuto cares for Asuna, Suguha apologizes for her comment and starts to realize that she might be the problem.

With the maintenance finished, Leafa logs back into ALO and takes a moment to reflect on how her brother really cares about Asuna. Just then, Kirito logs in and asks Leafa how she is. Hearing this question, Leafa bursts into tears, stating that she doesn't know how she's feeling, much to Kirito's awkwardness. Trying to keep things vague, Leafa explains that she knows a guy and thought he was the problem, but she's realized that he might be nice, which means she might be the problem, something Leafa doesn't want to be. Unsure what to say, Kirito sits down and tells Leafa that he doesn't have time for this, a statement that confuses Leafa. Kirito explains that this is making him uncomfortable, since they're basically strangers, and gently tells her to bottle up her emotions until he's rescued his wife and at a safe distance. Unfortunately, this doesn't work, and Leafa starts crying even harder, calling Kirito the worst brother ever, but luckily, she's too incomprehensible for Kirito to understand. Seeing how upset Leafa is, Kirito apologizes and decides to be her shoulder to cry on, telling Leafa to take all the time she needs. Eventually, Leafa regains her composure and apologizes her outburst, telling Kirito that they better keep moving. Kirito tries to make sure that Leafa's actually alright, but Yui yells at them continue their quest.

As the pair are walking though Arun, Kirito notices that things have really been cleaned up after the update, commenting how nice it is to see the streets full of different races are getting along. Despite this, however, he then states that he still feels on edge for some reason. Leafa agrees with this, stating that she's always been creeped out by the city, before criticising a Gnome and Cait Sith couple for "living in sin". Kirito assumes that Leafa's roleplaying again, sarcastically commenting that he missed her character, much to her confusion. As they're walking through the city, Yui detects that Sugou has updated his Facebook status, moving up the wedding to that night. Kirito is horrified by the revelation, while Leafa's more shocked that Sugou still uses Facebook. Back in the game, Yui launches another scan, which tells her that Asuna's right above them, and Kirito flies towards the branches. Leafa chases after them, trying to warn them that there's an invisible wall around the tree now, but she's too late and Kirito end up hitting it.

Despite being unsuccessful, Kirito continues to attack the wall, much to Leafa's confusion. Kirito explains he's trying to see if hitting the wall at the right angle will glitch him through, stating that if it's good enough for Mario Kart, it's good enough for him. Leafa asks Yui why she's not stopping him, to which Yui explains that Kirito's logic is sound enough. Leafa then points out that continuing to hit the wall will only end up hurting Kirito, but Yui says she's willing to risk that in order to save Asuna, before recommending where Kirito should hit next. As he tries one last punch, Kirito sees something falling from the sky and catches it, discovering that it's a card that has "USE THE DOOR, IDIOT! ♡" scratched on it. Kirito realizes this is a message from Asuna, reassuring him and Yui that she's okay. Yui then scans the card and realizes that it's a system admin access code, which they can use to log out Asuna. Kirito says they better do this at once, to which Leafa reminds him of their plan to recruit other players. Kirito states that they don't have time, however, pointing out that the admins might change the code once they realize the card is missing. He then states that they'll just have to rush in and hope for the best, which Leafa says is a terrible plan and that he's being an idiot. Kirito admits that she's probably right, but flies down to the entrance anyway, declaring that "fools rush in". Leafa thinks this is a reference to the movie of the same name and declares that it was a terrible one.

While she initially doesn't follow them, Leafa soon gets worried and heads to the World Tree herself. After accepting the quest, Leafa discovers that Kirito has been defeated by the Dungeon's Guardian Knights, and flies in to save him. She manages to retrieve Kirito's Remain Light, chastising him for not listening to her in the process, but is eventually shot and beaten to the ground by the Guardian Knights. She then staggers to her feet, avoiding a hail of swords and arrows, and manages to escape the Dungeon.

Now safely outside, Leafa revives Kirito with a Healing Potion and berates him for trying to do everything on his own. However, much to her surprise, Kirito thanks Leafa for saving him, admitting that he rushed in too quickly and that he's going to need help with this. Relived that Kirito seems to have learned his lesson, Leafa suggests that they head back into town to recruit some players. However, Kirito gets back up and starts heading back to the Dungeon. Leafa asks him where he's going, to which Kirito states that, while he did die, he almost made it to the door. He then states that, if Leafa backs him up, he believes that they'll be able to beat the quest. While briefly touched by this, Leafa tries to convince Kirito that it still won't be enough, as the Dungeon keeps spawning more Guardian Knights no matter how many you defeat. Kirito dismisses this, however, stating that they better get to the door quickly then. Hearing this, Leafa runs over to Kirito and hugs him, telling him to just stop, as he'll keep getting hurt for no reason if he continues. Kirito states that he has every reason, however, as Asuna's in trouble and needs his help. Hurt by how far Kirito's willing to go for Asuna, Leafa asks him why he couldn't fight for her this hard, accidentally calling him Kazuto in the process. As Leafa backs away in horror, realizing what she's done, a confused Kirito realizes that Leafa is his sister. Knowing that she's been caught, Leafa panics and logs out, leaving a very confused Kirito behind.

Back in the real world, Suguha wakes up crying, only to hear Kazuto knocking on her door, asking if she's in her room. She tells him to go away, but he doesn't listen, stating that he has some question for her. Kazuto asks Suguha if she knew who he was the whole time and when she started playing video games, since she always called them "stupid nerd shit". He then wonders if Suguha bought an AmuSphere, and became Leafa, just fuck with him. Assuming this is the case, Kazuto points out that Suguha went to the hospital with him, so she can't still think that Asuna's not real. He then asks if all of this was an elaborate prank, or if Suguha was so cruel that she can never let Kazuto be happy, asking if she hated him that much. Angered by his remarks, Suguha opens the door and tells Kazuto that she can't hate him, because she doesn't even know him anymore, not since he left her behind. She then laments that they used to be best friends, and that she wanted to be just like him, which is why when their grandfather wanted to teach him kendo, she wanted to learn too. This comment confuses Kazuto, to which Suguha reveals how their grandfather abused her, and how she persevered, hoping that Kazuto would come back. She explains that all the times she was showing off was actually her trying to make kendo seem fun, so Kazuto would change his mind, but he continued to shut her out in favor of his games.

Kazuto tries to defend himself, reminding her that it was their mother who wanted him to learn coding, but Suguha calls bullshit on this claim, pointing out that Kazuto didn't even try to fight their mother on the subject. She then tells Kazuto that all she's seen during their adventure is how hard he fights for the things he cares for, asking if she was just not worth the effort. Suguha then wonders if their bond as siblings was only in her head, before chastising Kazuto for accusing her of hating him when he clearly never gave a shit about her. Expecting to hear another rebuttal, Suguha is surprised when Kazuto looks away ashamed, admitting that he had no idea what his sister was going through. With nothing else to say, Suguha tells Kazuto to leave her alone, stating that he's had enough practice, before shutting the door in his face.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Episode 15
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Episode 16
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Episode 17
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Episode 13
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Episode 14
6. ↑ Leafa and Recon's "quests"
7. ↑ Episode 11
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Episode 12