Shouzou Yuuki/Synopsis

## Biography

### Background

Shouzou Yuuki is the CEO of RECT Progress. Not much is known about his backstory, but at some point, he got married and had a girl named Asuna. This was not a happy home, however, as he and his wife would constantly argue with each other, and they eventually applied for a divorce.

### Fairy Dance Arc

#### Pre-Episode 12

On November 6, 2022, a NerveGear somehow wound up in Shouzou's house, with a copy of Sword Art Online, a VRMMO set in a multifloored castle in the sky called Aincrad. Asuna then promptly played it on and got stuck in the game along with the other players. Since he was her father, Shouzou was the one who primarily paid her medical bills. However, as the years went on, Shouzou grew to hate doing this, as it drained away at his money, likening her to a parasite.

During this time, Argus, the game's developer, was on the verge of collapse due to their involvement in the incident. Knowing this, one of Shouzou's employees suggested that they should buy the SAO servers, as Argus shutting down would result in the servers getting shut down too, which could potentially result in all the players dying. Since the VR industry was now a minefield no one wanted to get involved in, Shouzou was initially reluctant at the idea. However, he was eventually convinced after learning that buying the servers would benefit their public image and technological superiority.

On November 7, 2024, two years after the death game began, the game was cleared by a player named Kazuto Kirigaya, who was Asuna's boyfriend. However, despite Kazuto clearing the game, 300 players did not wake up from their NerveGear induced comas for some unknown reason, and Asuna was one of them, meaning Shouzou had to keep paying her bills.

After recovering in the hospital, Kazuto would frequently visit Asuna and would occasionally bump into Shouzou. Although he was glad that Kazuto kept visiting her, he was also annoyed, because at this point, he was tempted to pull her plug, in order to stop paying her bills, which Kazuto and Shouzou's lawyers obviously objected to.

After two months, the same employee who convinced him to buy the SAO servers approached him with an offer, saying that he could take Asuna off Shouzou's hands by marrying her, offering him a briefcase of money as an incentive. Blinded by the prospects of both saving and gaining money, Shouzou agreed, even though he did not know what the man was like or what his name was, thinking it was "Versace", as that was on the briefcase full of money.

#### Episode 12

One day, Shouzou went to visit Asuna and found that Kazuto was there again, and the two of them exchange half-hearted pleasantries. Shouzou tells Kazuto that it's good of him to keep visiting Asuna, comparing him to a knight watching over a slumbering princess. However, as he says this, he suddenly slips back into his previous mindset of wanting to pull Asuna's plug to avoid paying her medical bills, until Kazuto sets him right. With Shouzou back to his senses, he assures Kazuto that he's not going to kill Asuna, as his lawyers have advised him against it. However, he then announces his plan to marry Asuna off to a random employee of his, a revelation that horrifies Kazuto.

As Kazuto recovers from the shock, said employee enters the hospital room, who Shouzou introduces to Kazuto as "Versace". However, the man points out to Shouzou that his name isn't Versace, explaining that it was the brand of briefcase he used to hold the money he bought Asuna with. Shouzou is surprised by this revelation, but instead of learning his future son-in-law's name, he suggests that the man should change it to Versace, as it's "all classy and Italian". Saying this reminds Shouzou that he's overdue buying a new Ferrari and leaves to call his Ferrari guy.

## References

1. ↑ Episode 10
2. ↑ Episode 1
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Episode 12