The statuses have also changed. It's a strange phrase, "the opposite sex." It's like Kirito is an object of some kind, not a person. That's not how they talk about the person they love. Either this is a wrong translation, or Asuna is just convincing herself of her feelings. But, in general, Fujino doesn't show any feelings anymore. It's like watching a story about two people who are just friends, sometimes call each other, play games, go to the movies, and fuck with others in their free time. It's like Asuna and Kirito's families arranged a forced wedding, and both people are trying to get laid with other people before the wedding. Such a negligent attitude towards the personalities of the characters is very disappointing. The game is technically very good, beautiful scenes, etc. But in terms of plot and narrative, the game is heading into the abyss.
Since Fujino mentioned that the game is coming to an end, this illogic and fragmentation of the plot will snowball more and more. You shouldn't even mention tags that are out of the game, such as "NTR". "the opposite sex" and "who has helped trough me difficult times." God, that's bad... Although it's probably stupid to say anything here if the whole movement of the plot is based on the epic stupidity of the characters.