I kinda agree with a lot of peoples assessments of this update; dialogue heavy, and kinda lame until the end. But I also believe it was still laying groundwork for the future. I feel like I say this every update, but it should start heating up again from next update. At least this time Fujino themself has stated that things are going to heat with with Inoda and Asuna going forward.
Some things I picked up on;
>Uneventful massage scene. Yeah, disappointing, but it sets us up for more massage scenes in future. I can envision them getting a little more lewd each time, both for Inoda/Asuna and Kirito/Liz. So treat it not as '
the massage event' but 'massage event 01' like you'd get in other games. It's the least lewd version, and the next time they go for a massage it'll be a little more lewd, progressing each time.
>Missing Sugu scene. Why? It's obvious
something happened on the second day while Kirito was unconscious. We didn't even get a recollection scene?
>Liz is clearly a sadist. You see this in the way she treats Inoda in the tent (femdom & footjob), and the fact that she 'blows off steam' by shocking Kirito with her magic. It doesn't effect him, but it still shows that she finds causing pain to be fun for her. I'm not into the abusive aspects of BDSM, so I don't really want to see much of this either on Inoda or Kirito. It does kind of paint a bad future for Kirito if Liz gets closer to him. I'm also not a foot lover, so the idea of Inoda catching a foot fetish from the treatment by Liz also doesn't excite me. But from the perk list leaks, we know he's going to ask Asuna to dominate him like that sometime.
>Kyouko. In the anime, a lot of the discussion that mom has with Asuna ("you're going to a better school") happens almost exactly the way Fujino portrayed it. But in Fujino's AU (and it has to be an AU now that this moment sort of dates the exact timing of the game) this is happening because Kyouko is trying to keep Asuna and Kirito apart. I think I picked up on a moment where Kyouko was masturbating on her own, that she was doing it for/because of Inoda. I'll need to replay that to remind myself.
>All the previous points lead to one thing; there was a lot of focus on side characters this update (and others before), but it's so that they can be used in the broader story to corrupt Kirito and Asuna and dismantle their relationship piece by piece. But we know Sinon, Sugu and Liz are already slutty women, and Inoda is better at sex than Kirito, so even if it dips slightly into Kirito getting a harem none of the girls are going to be satisfied with him. Sugu loves him, but we're missing context on that. And Liz would be the type to hurt him for fun. Sinon doesn't really have anything to do with Kirito yet, but she probably will soon now that they've met in FoG.
>The green bar. In v.025 it's referred to in game as your 'pernicious rating', but the definition of that word does not match the way it is used. I think Fujino or the trnaslation probably meant 'promiscuous', as in 'the desire for many casual relationships'. This matches the green ratings use somewhat better, as it seemingly relates to turning Kirito into a horny boy. It comes up to make Asuna do dirty talk during his handjob, and it comes up again to mistake Liz's words for hinting at sexual desire. This bar is also still called the 'cuckholding' meter in the game UI. We thought it was a measure for how likely Kirito was to end up in a netorase solution. I think, given the way it's started to head, that meter is going to lead to Kirito also wanting to cheat on Asuna, and likewise being more open to/aroused by Asuna being lewd and even cheating on him. It is clear that Sugu is trying to get with him now that Hebishima isn't messing with her so much (I think he was only in this update once, fucking Sinon). Also Liz's entire plan seems to be wedging Kirito and Asuna apart with Inoda, perhaps so she can get Kirito herself.
>Admi is interfering. The Admi character from Alicization has now actively interfered in the 'real word', making her a stand in for a real god. Inoda prays to 'any god' to get Asuna horny during the foot massage, and it works. I'm not sure why Admi is on Inoda's side.
