Yolko/Synopsis

#### Pre-Episode 5

On November 6, 2022, Yolko got her hands on a NerveGear and a copy of Sword Art Online, a VRMMO set in a multifloored castle in the sky called Aincrad. She logged into SAO and was trapped in the game along with 10,000 other players.

She eventually joined a Guild called the Golden Apple, along with Kains, Schmitt, Grimlock, Griselda and three other players, with Griselda as their leader, and even though Schmitt annoyed them with his paranoia, believing his haters from his days as a YouTuber were going to kill him, all of them became great friends.

However, one unfortunate day, around October 2023, the Guild came upon a rare and valuable item, but were unsure of what to do with it. A meeting was held to determine whether they should sell or keep the item, and it was eventually put to a vote. Kains, Yolko, and Schmitt voted to keep the item while the rest of the Guild voted to sell it. Griselda then went into town to sell the item, but she never returned. It wasn't long afterwards that the Guild learned the terrible truth that Griselda had been murdered and the item was gone. Distraught over the loss of their friend and suspecting the killer was among them, as they were the only ones who knew about the item, the Guild placed a grave in Cross Hill on Floor 19 and soon disbanded.

However, Kains and Yolko were not satisfied with this outcome and plotted to find the killer for the next six months. They recruited Grimlock, who was Griselda's husband, to help them in their investigation, as they believed he wanted revenge as well. Grimlock steered them to look towards Schmitt, as he was the only other person who wanted to keep the item. Kains and Yolko, blinded by vengeance, believed that he was the culprit and started brainstorming ways to get him to confess.

At some point, the two learned of the glitch on Floor 57, where if a player teleports while in freefall, the game's teleport animation would be replaced with the death animation. Yolko then came up with an idea to use this glitch to their advantage and fake their deaths, in order to convince Schmitt that Griselda's ghost was out for revenge and scare him into confessing his guilt. They then asked Grimlock to make a sword for them, named Guilty Thorn, and two other blades, to use in their plan in order to make it look more believable.

#### Episode 5

On April 11, 2024, in the Floor 57 town of Martin, Kains and Yolko put their plan into action. Kains stabs himself with the Guilty Thorn in the bell tower of a church and hung himself from the window of the tower. Yolko then screamed in order to drawn in a crowd, which attracted the attention of two players named Kirito and Asuna. While most of the crowd members are shocked, Kirito isn't convinced, because the town acts as a Safe Zone, meaning he won't die, and calls Kains a "human piñata". Asuna then goes into the tower to cut Kains down while Kirito goes to catch him. However, as Kirito makes his way into position, Kains uses a Teleport Crystal to disappear, and, as a result of the glitch, it seemed like he had been killed within the Safe Zone. While Kirito begins to doubt that the ordeal was real, thinking it was part of an event or players messing with an NPC, Yolko emerges from the crowd and tells the two that Kains was her friend. She then gives Kirito and Asuna a false narrative that Kains and her came into town to get dinner, but they got separated, before pretending to burst into tears for good measure. Asuna makes a snide remark about Kirito claiming he's always right, to which Kirito says his foundation is "going through a bit of a rough patch".

Kirito and Asuna escort Yolko back to her hotel, where Asuna asks Yolko if they can ask her questions tomorrow, which she accepts. Kirito then reassures Yolko that she'll be fine since they're in a Safe Zone, realizing what he just said halfway through his sentence, and awkwardly wishes her goodnight.

The next day, Kirito and Asuna meet Yolko in the restaurant Kirito hates and ask her if she knows Grimlock, which causes Yolko to gasp over how well their investigation is going. After a brief argument between Kirito and Asuna about whether Kains is dead or not, Kirito asks Yolko if Kains would have any reason to fake his death. Yolko begins to panic over how close Kirito is to the truth but relaxes when Asuna shoots that idea down. After Asuna chastises Kirito for his hollow attempt to give Yolko hope, Kirito asks, quite bluntly, why Grimlock would want to kill Kains.

Although both she and Asuna are shocked by his gruesome choice of words, Yolko tells them the story of what happened to Griselda and how their Guild disbanded, leaving out the part where she and Kains teamed up to seek revenge. With Kirito and Asuna under the assumption that Grimlock was behind the "attack", Yolko decides to take advantage of this and throw them off her and Kains' trail. She tells them that Kains was targeted because he, Yolko and Schmitt voted to keep the item, meaning they were the most likely suspects of Griselda's murder, and therefore targets of Grimlock's revenge. Asuna notices that Yolko mentioned Schmitt's name with more disdain than the others, but Yolko denies this, claiming they're still good friends. Kirito then remembers that he has met Schmitt before and is less than thrilled to meet him again.

Kirito and Asuna find Schmitt and bring him to Yolko, where Asuna finds out how paranoid Schmitt can be, a fact that she isn't thrilled to learn. Schmitt rants about his predicament, referencing the most prominent threat he received, which involved chopping off his limbs, disembowelling him and riding him like a "meat toboggan", a fear that Kirito exacerbates by detailing the aftermath. Yolko reassures Schmitt that his haters aren't coming to kill him, but warns him Grimlock may be after both of them to avenge Griselda's death, which makes Schmitt even more terrified. This makes Asuna realize that bringing Schmitt to Yolko probably wasn't a good idea. With Schmitt in front of her, Yolko takes the opportunity to start weaving her narrative and rises from her seat, saying Grimlock couldn't have been the killer because the attack was in a Safe Zone. Kirito is relieved that Yolko seems to be making sense at first, but she suddenly starts screaming her tale that Griselda's ghost has come back from the dead to take bloody vengeance on all three of her potential murderers, a statement that dumbfounds both Kirito and Asuna.

Having fulfilled her role, Yolko sits on the window ledge and waits for Kains, who is standing on the roof opposite her room, to throw a dagger into her back. As Yolko pretends to accept her fate, Schmitt vows to keep living for his less murderous fans. Asuna tells the two friends to calm down, ruling out the notion that a ghost is the killer, as it's impossible for a dead player to still inhabit the game. Kirito agrees with this, but makes a sarcastic remark that it was obviously an assassination by the Mermaid Mafia paid in Leprechaun gold. Asuna tells Kirito to take things seriously, but Kirito refuses, still holding onto his belief that you can't die in a Safe Zone. However, as Kirito says this, Kains throws the dagger into Yolko's back, prompting her to fall out the window, using a Teleport Crystal to fake her death like Kains did.

#### Episode 6

Terrified of being killed next, Schmitt goes to Griselda's grave and apologizes to her, stating he'll do whatever it'll take to make things right. Hearing this, Yolko appears before Schmitt in a ghostly disguise and asks what he's apologizing for. Terrified, believing Yolko to be Griselda, Schmitt apologizes again and repeats his offer. Kains then appears in his disguise and asks the question again. Instead of confessing, Schmitt offers to kill others in order to stay alive, ranging from collecting scalps to crucifying people. Horrified by Schmitt's willingness to sacrifice others, Kains and Yolko reveal themselves to Schmitt. No longer concerned with Griselda for the moment, Kains asks Schmitt how many people he would've killed if they asked him to, but Schmitt dismisses the amount as unimportant.

However, as they're talking, Schmitt is stabbed with a throwing knife, which paralyzes him. Two members of Laughing Coffin then reveal themselves, with one of them holding Kains and Yolko at sword point while the one who attacked Schmitt inspects his prey. To his surprise, the Laughing Coffin member recognizes Schmitt from his YouTube channel, Piece of Schmitt Games, baffling Kains and Yolko that that's what Schmitt called his channel. The Laughing Coffin member then excitedly states that he's a huge fan of Schmitt's and reveals himself to be Johnny Black, the fan who threatened to kill Schmitt and ride his corpse like a meat toboggan. Johnny is flattered that Schmitt remembers and proceeds to introduce Schmitt to his "friends".

The Guild leader, Jeffrey, then emerges quoting Judges 15:16, stating that he's killed a thousand men with an ass' jawbone, which confuses his targets instead scaring them. This causes Johnny to break character and complain that, while "bible quoting serial killer" is a great motif, not every bible verse is as well-known or as scary as Jeffrey clearly thinks they are. Amused by his critique, Jeffrey challenges Johnny to think of a better verse than the one he just quoted. Johnny retaliates by quoting Mark 13:20, which talks about how "no flesh shall be spared", which shocks Jeffrey, making Johnny question if he's even read the bible. As Kains and Yolko watch on in confusion, Jeffrey tries to end the argument, stating that his word as Guild leader is final, but Johnny takes this opportunity to tell Jeffrey that they're religious quota might be holding the Guild back from their true potential, and that Jeffrey isn't good at it anyway. This insults Jeffrey, stating that everything he does is to the letter of "the J-Man's" teachings, and prepares to kill Schmitt, quoting an entirely fake bible verse in the process, much to Johnny's annoyance.

However, luckily for Schmitt, Jeffrey's assassination attempt is halted when he notices a horse galloping towards them, which causes Laughing Coffin to go on the defensive. At first, Kains is relieved that someone has come to rescue them, only to be disappointed when Kirito unceremoniously gets bucked off the horse. Kirito then chastises the horse for ruining his entrance, as it was almost perfect. Yolko tries and cheer him up, only for Kirito to snap back at her for patronizing him. After Kirito sends the horse on its way, Jeffrey asks Kirito what he wants, to which Kirito, in a batmanish tone, claims to be a member of "Aincrad PD" and demands Laughing Coffin to let Kains, Yolko and Schmitt go. Jeffrey refuses, as they have already been paid 50 bucks by their client.

Hearing the rather unimpressive amount of money given for the murder of three people, Kirito breaks out of character, stating that the Guild should cash in on their infamy, which Johnny completely agrees with, explaining that Jeffrey's persona always scares off the high paying customers. Kirito then suggests that Laughing Coffin should restructure their business strategy, advising them to tone down their religious theme, and spreading their appeal through ad campaigns, in a speech that shocks Kains, Yolko and Schmitt, and gives Johnny chills. Taking this advice under consideration, Jeffrey declares that the three friends are now Kirito's slaves to show his gratitude. As the Murder Guild leaves, Jeffrey quotes Ephesians 2:8 to Kirito, telling him that, "It is by grace you have been saved. Through faith... not by works". This quote impresses Johnny, only to become disappointed when Jeffrey states that Jesus told him to say it.

Though grateful for the save, Yolko asks Kirito why he came in the first place, to which Kirito tells her that he has finally solved the Safe Zone murders. Kirito reveals how Kains and Yolko faked their deaths to the trio by explaining the existence of the glitch. Yolko tries to justify their lies by reminding him that a ghost wouldn't obey the rules of the game, asking how he knew she was lying. Kirito explains that he didn't believe the ghost story they were telling, as he wasn't an idiot, which Kains agrees was a flaw in their plan, much to Yolko's dismay. Kirito also explains that he saw Kains use the Teleport Crystal while escaping, something a ghost wouldn't need. After Kirito reveals that their ruse was targeted at Schmitt, Yolko once again tries to argue that Schmitt might've been in on it to scare Kirito off. This statement causes Kirito to burst out laughing, as Schmitt is too paranoid to be involved in a conspiracy, stating that a landmine handles pressure better than him, and would kill fewer people, an assertion that offends Schmitt.

After Kirito is done unravelling the Safe Zone murders, Kains asks Kirito who he is, as this was the first time they officially met. Yolko admits she entangled Kirito in their web of lies, but when Kains asks her why she did that she couldn't think of an answer. Kirito then leaves Kains and Yolko to question Schmitt, who ask him how he could've killed Griselda for something as simple as money. Schmitt claims he had nothing to do with their friend's death, but neither Kains nor Yolko believe him. Kirito then comes out of nowhere and reveals that Schmitt is in fact not the killer, and he has solved Griselda's murder as well, much to Kains and Yolko's annoyance over how he revealed it. Kains isn't convinced that Schmitt is innocent, due to believing there weren't any other suspects, but Kirito proves otherwise, calling upon Grimlock.

Initially, Kains and Yolko are shocked to hear Grimlock's name, but the surprise wears off when he doesn't appear. After being summoned two more times, Asuna emerges with Grimlock, which annoys Kirito, as he planned out his grand reveal for Kains, Yolko and Schmitt. Asuna counters Kirito's snark by explaining that Grimlock wasn't very cooperative to meet with his former Guild mates. Kains is furious that Yolko involved yet another person, but Asuna points out that, if Yolko never friended her, they wouldn't have been able to save the three players from Laughing Coffin's attack. This makes Kains even more furious, as their plan could've been compromised, but Yolko claims she couldn't get the menu to delete her friend's list, something Kains can't believe she wasn't able do. After telling Kirito to stop laughing, due to her having similar problems, Asuna tells the two to focus on the fact that they just caught their friend's killer. Kains doubts that Grimlock is the culprit, because he was helping them catch Schmitt, but Kirito points out that it's not uncommon for killers to frame others for their crimes, a fact that makes Kains reluctantly hear Kirito out.

Kirito points out that Schmitt would have nothing to gain from Griselda's death, as the item would have been destroyed along with Griselda if he killed her. Kains argues that bandits extort items out of people all the time, but Kirito points out that Schmitt wouldn't have trusted a complete stranger with the task, nor would he have been skilled enough to defeat Griselda singlehandedly or smart enough to kill her with a sneak attack. Kains and Yolko realize that this is true, much to Schmitt's dismay. Kains then asks Schmitt why he was apologizing to Griselda in the first place if he wasn't guilty, to which Schmitt explains that, after receiving so many death threats as a game reviewer, he has "learned to just assume the position".

With Schmitt no longer a suspect, Yolko asks why Kirito suspects Grimlock, as he and Griselda were the perfect couple, but Kirito explains that's exactly what made Grimlock a major suspect. Kirito points out that, in SAO, married players have the unique ability of sharing inventory spaces, meaning Grimlock could've stolen the item at any time, and, with Griselda dead, the widower could have all the profits to himself. Grimlock only agreed to help Kains and Yolko because he hoped to cover up his crime by gathering the three of them together and hiring Laughing Coffin to kill them so they wouldn't discover the truth.

Hearing Kirito's explanation, Grimlock gets offended and suddenly interjects, saying that the item had nothing to do with why he killed Griselda. Grimlock then explains that he and Griselda were indeed a perfect couple and never had a single fight. However, their relationship changed when Griselda started becoming more independent, and became so focused on clearing the game that she forgot to make him dinner one night. Although Griselda promised to make up for it the next day, this shock to Grimlock's routine drove him to despair, believing that his wife betrayed him. Grimlock then became convinced that, in order to preserve the memory of who his wife used to be, he had to "kill the thing that took her place".

After hearing this revelation, everyone is shocked that Griselda died for such a stupid, sexist reason, even Kirito. Grimlock tries to have Kains and Schmitt back him up, but Kains tells him not to speak to them. Kirito then goes on a passionate speech about how love is something special that most people spend their whole lives looking for, and Grimlock wasted his own love over something as simple as a meal. Kirito then states that Grimlock never truly loved Griselda, he was just being possessive, before telling Grimlock that he disgusts him. Grimlock isn't fazed by this, however, and simply states that Kirito will understand what it's like to be in love someday. Before Kirito can retaliate, Asuna takes the opportunity to tell Grimlock his hat makes him look like a hipster, which makes the widower fall to his knees in despair, much to Kirito's dismay.

With Grimlock dealt with, Kains laments on the fact that they spent six months investigating only to think Schmitt was the culprit. Kains then tries to extend an olive branch to Kirito, thanking him for saving them, but Kirito ruins the moment by reminding the three friends that they're still technically his slaves, causing Kains to give up trying with Kirito. Now knowing who really killed Griselda, Kains, Yolko and Schmitt take Grimlock and start beating him to death behind a tree. The noise of this eventually gets so loud it almost ruins a moment between Kirito and Asuna. Schmitt then apologizes for this and promptly snaps Grimlock's neck, finally avenging Griselda's murder.

#### Post-Episode 6

Yolko was likely freed from SAO after Kirito defeated Kayaba, along with all of the other players.

## References

1. ↑ Episode 1
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Episode 5
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Episode 6
4. ↑ Episode 11