"Mhm, it's okay. A heartbeat is just a feeling—it can't be forced to move to a rhythm," Asuna said softly, shaking her head. Her smile remained bright and joyful.
"I've liked Kurumi-chan for eleven months. I've been troubled for many of them. I thought my love was distorted... because I fell for someone of the same gender." Her gaze was gentle as she patted Kurumi's back soothingly. Then she continued.
"But love is love. Who decides that feelings must be controlled? That girls can only love boys, and boys can only love girls? That would be far too strange. I fell for Kurumi-chan, uncontrollably so. But just because Kurumi-chan is a girl, must I deny my own feelings? Reject my love? How could anyone do that!" Asuna released Kurumi and stood up, brushing her hair elegantly behind her ear with one hand.
"I can't deny my feelings. My heart beats for Kurumi-chan. So I'll throw away all worries and accept my heart. I, Asuna, am in love with Kurumi-chan."
Asuna reached out her hand to Kurumi, her smile tender and sweet.
"Kurumi-chan, I'm right here. Where are you? What are you worrying about? What are you afraid of? The one I love has always been my Kurumi-chan. If Kurumi-chan says Kimi-nee isn't herself, then the one I love is Kurumi Tokisaki, not Kimi-nee."
Leaning forward, Asuna's eyes curved into joyful crescents. "Kurumi-chan, have I found you?"
"Ah, you have. The real me—Kurumi Tokisaki," Kurumi said, placing her hand in Asuna's palm. Asuna gently pulled her up.
"I have," Asuna whispered, gazing at Kurumi's flawless figure. Her golden eyes sparkled with deep admiration.
Kurumi's crimson eyes softened with warmth as she spoke in her rich, magnetic voice, "Would you like to bathe together?"
"No, I'll prepare dinner for Kurumi-chan first," Asuna replied, her golden eyes full of longing, though she shook her head.
In the kitchen, Asuna—dressed simply in pajamas with an apron over them—carefully began preparing dinner.
After drying herself off, Kurumi walked into the kitchen. Seeing Asuna radiating happiness from head to toe, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Asuna's waist.
"Kurumi-chan, I wish this life could last forever," Asuna said, her golden eyes gleaming with intoxicated joy.
"If forever means a fleeting century, then I can give you that promise," Kurumi whispered. Her wine-red eyes narrowed gently.
The apron disappeared. So did Asuna's pajamas. Whoever said one couldn't make love in the kitchen?
What followed was a passionate exchange of intimacy between the two young women, their bodies entwined amid the gentle warmth of the kitchen.
...
Along a forest path, Kurumi stood wearing a bright red pleated skirt—radiant as a noble young lady. She gazed down at the parasol that still swayed gently in the wind.
With a serene smile, she opened the Book of the World and drew out a trace of World Essence, infusing the faith of thousands of SAO players into the parasol, transforming it into a vessel of devotion.
Of course, it couldn't compare to the Wings of Freedom—those had been forged from the faith of an entire world's people, costing Alaya an immense amount of essence.
Kurumi's handmade parasol was little more than a trinket, her extracted essence minimal and insignificant. Yet after finishing her work, she didn't put it away. Instead, she walked past it quietly.
Soon after, Asuna appeared, dressed once more in her blue uniform. She spotted the beautiful parasol lying by the path.
"Kurumi-chan, you gave me a promise that would last a lifetime. As promised, I'll wait for you all my life. Please, come to my world soon." Hugging the parasol tightly, Asuna's tears fell onto its surface.
Kurumi-chan was someone from another world. After clearing the game, she would return to her own.
On the 100th floor, in the Dragon's Valley, Kurumi stood upon the vast grassy plain. Before her was Kayaba Akihiko, dressed in a white lab coat.
"The operation begins—the final chapter: Crimson Romance, Ballad of Love and Tears," Kurumi said softly, opening her folding fan with a gentle smile.
Kayaba pushed his glasses upward before transforming into his avatar—Heathcliff—and floating into the air.
Moments later, the grassy field flared with the light of teleportation circles. One after another, players materialized amidst the radiance.
A dense crowd appeared on the grassy plain, murmuring with confusion and unease. In the blink of an eye, more than eight thousand players filled the vast field—every remaining player in the game, except for those marked with red names.
"Everyone, good morning." A voice descended from above. All heads lifted to the sky, where Heathcliff hovered.
"I am Heathcliff, commander of the Knights of the Blood—and also the creator of this game, Kayaba Akihiko." Heathcliff canceled his transformation, revealing a man in a white lab coat, glasses gleaming in the sunlight. The members of the Knights of the Blood froze in disbelief.
"Why? Why did you do this? Forcing us into this game, making it a world where death is real? Over a thousand people have already died! For what purpose?!" one of the guild members shouted, his voice trembling with grief and fury.
Kayaba Akihiko stood calmly above them all and said softly, "For observation."
"When I was very young, I dreamed of a floating continent in the sky. I truly believed it existed." Adjusting his glasses, he continued, "For years, I worked tirelessly to bring that dream to life. That dream became Aincrad—the floating continent of one hundred floors, a world where humans could live. That is my dream. The removal of the logout function, the rule of a single life—it was all to make that dream more real."
"Ha... For your so-called dream, you toyed with the lives of ten thousand people. You're insane!" a Blood Knight screamed, his voice cracking. Their beloved commander had become the ultimate villain—the shock was unbearable.
"Scientists are often seen as madmen," Kayaba said calmly, removing his hand from his glasses. "Correction: this game does not contain ten thousand players—but ten thousand and two."
A sharp gleam flashed in his lenses as he revealed, "Originally, I intended to be the final boss on the 100th floor. But the appearance of two unexpected players made me change my mind."
"I only sold ten thousand NerveGears. So how did two extra players appear in the game? Virus? Bug? Ghosts? None of the above. According to the system, these two players are indistinguishable from normal ones. Without a doubt, they are human."
Kayaba's voice grew lively. "Once I confirmed they were human, my curiosity grew. The system couldn't trace their login data, and their neural signals existed only within the game. Their real bodies couldn't be detected at all."
With his hands tucked into the pockets of his lab coat, Kayaba smiled faintly. "I was fascinated. Perhaps you can enlighten me—mystery players Futayo Honda and Kimi Aoi. Of course, it's now proven that Kimi Aoi is a façade. Her true identity is Kurumi Tokisaki."
"Kurumi-chan! You've been exposed!" Asuna gasped, her pupils contracting sharply as she turned to Kurumi. The eight companions who had once fought alongside Asuna also looked toward Futayo Honda and Kurumi. They had always known the two were from another world—and had buried that secret deep within their hearts.
"I'm sorry. I can't answer that question," Kurumi said quietly, closing her folding fan and clasping it with both hands. Her expression was calm, tinged with faint regret.
"You refuse to answer? No matter. I already know what kind of beings you are," Kayaba said, his lips curling into a smile. "A certain labyrinth boss once revealed fragments of Miss Honda's memories."
Instantly, the nine members of the Crystal Guild who knew the truth paled in shock.
"You are people from another world—one that also floats in the sky. Your homeland isn't inhabited by humans alone, but also witches, werewolves, undead, elves... and many more. Your world is the heaven I've always dreamed of. A real floating continent!" Kayaba spread his arms wide, his face twisting with mad ecstasy.
Everyone was dumbstruck. His words detonated like a bomb across the field.
Wait—what?! They're from another world? the crowd buzzed with disbelief and awe.
"Miss Honda," Kayaba said with mock politeness, "may I visit your homeland someday?"
"On that matter alone, I must refuse. You are far too dangerous. Were you to reach my homeland, you would become a calamity," Futayo said seriously, gripping the Tonbokiri tightly in her hand.
"She admitted it! She actually admitted it!" gasps rippled through the players. So another world really exists!
"I see. Then I have no choice but to find my own way to another world," Kayaba said, activating the system interface before him. For the first time ever, a system-wide announcement appeared before every player's eyes.
"System Announcement: Player Kurumi Tokisaki has been designated as the 100th Floor Boss."
Silence. Absolute silence. The entire field—over eight thousand people—stood frozen in shock.
"Kayaba Akihiko! Why did you make Kurumi-chan the final boss?!" Asuna cried out in despair. Yesterday's dreamlike happiness still lingered in her mind, only to be crushed today by cruel reality. Her legs trembled uncontrollably. "Why Kurumi-chan? Why her?!"
Kayaba adjusted his glasses and said flatly, "Every player who dies here— their consciousness briefly returns to their body. I believe that rule applies to beings from other worlds as well."
"Do you know the world's unsolved mysteries? Airplanes that vanish mid-flight for ten minutes, only to reappear suddenly on their route. Ships lost in the Bermuda Triangle, only to be found in a completely different sea. Do you know why? The answer is dimensional transit. But without the coordinates of another world, they always return to Earth."