That's just a typical NTR MC thing for known series, is just especially noticeable here thanks to how long the game has been and all the plot-inconsitencies (Especially if you know the original series XD)
Also, rare but good to see someone interesting in actual Canon SAO come from this game, lol! Good luck if you actually get on the series. As for your earlier question, while watching the anime is the most widely known way to see it, the Light Novels are obviously the source material and if possible I would recommend anyone to read them first, the anime (As it's sadly usual with most anime adaptations) removed A LOT of stuff, both actual minor events and character inner monologues, PoVs and descriptions that is either too hard or outright impossible to properly portray from a book to an anime, and so it makes the characters and plot seem a lot more shallow XP
Yesn't: Inoda can use a "decoy clone"...is basically just a puppet that stands there and can't move or talk, it just registers as still being him for all intents and purposes to the sytesm XD
Also, if I had to guess, the Bad Ending is exclusive to the Inoda Route because if it happened in the Gigachad Kirito route, he WOULD notice it right away most likely when he woke up again, or Alice would outright just tell him about it rather than obeying her master XP
