Kirito and Asuna, now newly wed, formally request time off from the front lines, due to the incident with Kuradeel and a growing mistrust of the guild. Heathcliff grants them leave, but warns Kirito that he will eventually return to the front lines.
The two purchase a wooden cabin in Coral Village on the 22nd floor of Aincrad and spend the next few days taking it easy. During a walk through the woods one day, however, they come across something peculiar: a young girl, lost in the woods, but without a player indicator. She isn't an NPC, since approaching her does not yield quest information, nor does moving her back into their cabin yield a harassment warning.
The girl awakens and sees Kirito and Asuna. Aside from her name of Yui, she has no memories of anything before awakening, and calls Asuna and Kirito "Mommy" and "Daddy". While surprised, they both quickly take her in as a foster daughter. All the while, though, they believe her real parents may be looking for her. As such, the next day, they set off for the Town of Beginnings on the 1st floor for information that may lead to Yui's parents.
The town had become largely abandoned since the Aincrad Liberation Army started using it as a base of operations. They find a group of Army players harassing a woman trying to take care of some children, and Asuna fends them off. Suddenly, Yui mutters about everyone's hearts, and a loud noise-like glitch floods the surrounding area as she panics and falls unconscious.
