agreed
I really don't understand why people consider this to be a good story. Part 1 was as typical of an NTR game as it could possibly be. There was no chemistry between the main characters to begin with. If it weren't for its well-known franchise, nobody would even believe that Kirito and Asuna are a couple. Both main characters are just flat NTR dummies, with the only interesting character being Inoda.
The extreme slowdown in progression and other changes in the world-building and character personalities in Part 2 make things even messier. Nothing makes any sense considering what and how things happened in Part 1.
That's definitely not what I would consider good storytelling
Fujino should've just kept things as they were in Part 1; then it would at least be consistent.
However, I understand that personal development is important, but doing it in the middle of a game is not a good idea.