November 5, 2024 Floor 22: Lake Outside Coral City
Catch anything?
Sorry to scare you...
My name is Nishida.
In the game, I'm a fisherman.
In Japan, I was head of network security for a company
called Toto High-Speed Internet.
I'm Kirito.
Didn't Toto High-Speed Internet...
Yes.
I oversaw network security for this game.
It's big!
This one's easy.
Splendid.
Thank you.
I can catch these things, but I can't cook them.
I'd love to stew them or make sashimi,
but I don't have any soy sauce.
Or maybe baked with soy sauce.
Or maybe with radishes and soy sauce...
I may be able to help with that.
What?!
Edge of Hell's Abyss
That was wonderful!
I had no idea you could get soy sauce in this world.
It's homemade.
Take some with you, if you'd like.
Really?
That's so kind of you.
Your fishing skill must be very high.
Kirito-kun's never brought anything home.
The lakes around here are too hard!
No,
that isn't really true.
The only difficult one
is the big lake where you were fishing.
Why design it like that?
Yes, that's an excellent question!
That lake contains
an enormous fish.
An enormous fish?
Yeah...
I've encountered it several times.
But it's so huge, it dragged my pole away altogether.
And so, I'd like to make you an offer.
I don't mind fishing for that thing,
but is switching possible with a fishing pole?
I know you can do it.
If you catch it, then what?
Will you keep it?
Can you keep something like that?
He was a friendly guy...
I was surprised when you brought him here.
In this world, many people are living normally.
Since we can fight on the front lines,
we have a responsibility to them, don't we?
The main reason
I got stronger was so I'd be able to survive.
I think that lots of people expect great things from you now...
Including me.
Yeah...
I promised that I'd save everyone.
But for just a little longer...
Yeah.
You can do it, Nishida!
Catch the enormous fish!
Seriously?
Everyone had heard about the fish!
And now,
it's time for the day's main event.
We've been waiting for this!
Kirito-san,
let's do this.
How big is this thing?
Here we go...
Um, isn't that it?
Not yet.
N-Nishida-san...
No, not yet.
Now!
I've got it!
Go!
S-Switch...
Damn it! You little...
I see it!
Okay, I can do this...
What?
Hey!
Kirito-kun!
It's dangerous!
What's dangerous?
Th-Th-That's unfair!
Don't run away, leaving me...
Kirito-san!
It's running on land.
Is it a lungfish?
Kirito-san!
Pay attention!
Run away!
Ah, right.
Oh, fine...
Miss, run!
She'll be fine.
Kirito-san, your wife!
Your wife!
A-Amazing!
You're Asuna-san, right?
What are you doing here?
I'm a fan!
Can I shake your hand, too?
Good work.
Heathcliff?
All right, stop moping.
But it's only been two weeks...
If he's summoning us to the front lines when we're on vacation,
something big must've happened.
True, but...
Let's at least talk to him.
Come on, it's time.
Let's deal with it and come back.
Yeah.
Thanks for seeing us off.
November 7, 2024 Floor 22: Coral Teleport Gate Plaza
We didn't spend much time together,
but it was fun.
Yes, it was a good experience for me.
Actually, before meeting you,
I'd thought of those working to clear the game as in a different world.
I've been trapped in here for two years.
Even if I make it back somehow, I don't know if I can return to my old job.
It's possible I'd already given up on escape.
And so, I told myself that spending my time
with a fishing rod in my hand would be the best thing for me.
It's pretty sad.
No...
No, that isn't...
Me, too.
At first, I thought the same thing.
I cried alone every single night.
It felt like every day that passed here
stole another piece of my real life away.
After I cried, I'd go and fight as hard as I could.
My only thought was of winning,
moving forward, and getting stronger.
But then,
I saw someone napping in the shade, at the plaza.
It made me so mad.
I told him to stop wasting his time.
And he replied that it was Aincrad's best season,
and its best weather setting, too.
So entering a dungeon would be a waste.
Then I tried lying down, as well,
and I slept like a baby.
When I awoke, it was evening, and he looked a bit annoyed.
But as we partied up together...
Even in a world like this, he was really living.
He wasn't losing a day in the real world.
He was gaining a day here.
The one who taught me that
was Kirito-kun.
When I began thinking of him as I fell asleep,
I stopped having nightmares.
I began to look forward to seeing him.
For the first time since I arrived here,
I was happy...
To me, Kirito-kun is
the meaning of my two years here...
And proof that I'm alive.
The reason I tried the NerveGear that day
was so that I could meet him.
I'm sure there's also something important to you here.
That's true...
You're exactly right.
Life isn't so bad.
It's not so bad...
There's nothing I can do to help you.
But good luck.
Let's go fishing together again.
We'll be back.
Teleport: Grandzam.
November 7, 2024 Floor 55: Grandzam
The recon team was wiped out?
We sent in a twenty-member party,
taken from five different guilds, to prepare for the boss fight.
However,
when the first ten reached the center of the room,
and the boss appeared, the entrance closed.
An anti-crystal area.
And when it opened five minutes later,
nothing remained in the room.
Neither the ten...
Nor the boss.
That's crazy...
But we cannot give up on clearing the game.
We'll have to attack with the largest group we can.
We'll help.
However, Asuna's safety is my highest priority.
If things get bad,
I will protect her over the rest of the party.
A person is very strong when he seeks to protect something.
I'll expect a good fight.
Three hours left, huh?
What should we do?
What's wrong?
Don't get mad when I say this.
But today, would you stay here
rather than go to the boss fight?
Why would you ask that?
We can't know what will happen when we can't use teleport crystals.
I'm scared.
If anything happened to you...
So you want to go yourself,
while I wait here, where it's safe?
If you went and didn't come back, I would
kill myself!
I'd have no reason to live anymore.
And I wouldn't forgive myself for not going.
I'm sorry...
I'm panicking.
Honestly, I'd rather run away with you.
We don't have to return to the real world.
We can just live in the house in the forest!
It'd be nice if we could...
We could be together every day, forever.
Kirito-kun, have you ever considered
what's happening to our real bodies?
When several weeks had passed, after the game began,
there was a point when most players went offline for several hours, right?
At that point,
all the players were probably moved to hospitals.
If our bodies
are just barely being kept alive on hospital beds,
I can't imagine that will work for too long.
In other words,
whether we clear the game or not,
there's a time limit?
I...
I want to stay with you forever...
I want us to date for real.
To really get married...
To get old together!
So...
For the moment, we have to fight, right?
Floor 75: Yurinia Teleport Gate Plaza
Hey!
What? You guys are coming, too?
You should be happy to see me.
I shut my shop down to come and help.
You don't even understand my selfless desire to help?
Then, we'll remove you from item drop list.
I wouldn't take it that far...
Corridor: open.
Now, let's go.
I don't like this place...
Yeah.
Are you ready?
The Knights of the Blood Oath will take
the majority of damage on the front line.
While we do,
I'd like the rest to discern its attack patterns,
and prepare to change tactics as necessary.
It will be a difficult battle,
but I have faith that we can prevail.
For our day of liberation!
It'll be okay.
I'll protect you.
So you protect me, okay?
Yeah, I will.
Don't die.
Same to you!
I'm gonna make a fortune off today's drops.
I have no intention of dying.
Attack!
Nothing's happening...
Above us!
The Skull...
...Reaper?
Don't stay together!
Stay away from it!
This way!
Run!
W-With one hit?
That's insane...
We can't even get close to it!
Get back!
It's too strong...
If we block together, we can do this...
We can do it!
Okay...
We'll deal with the scythes!
Everyone else, attack from the sides!
Let's go!
Okay...
Stay put!
Damn it!
Kirito-kun!
Yeah.
Next Time: The End of the World