Haruko Kurosawa is not exactly noticeable. Her father was a drug addict who left Tokyo to deal with his problems, then came back and divorced her mother when she was eight. Her friends at school seem preoccupied, and once people see the real her, it seems like they clear out. Not in this world. Haruko's only escape seems to be gaming. In the MMORPG world, no one knows the real her. And the newest addition to her collection, "Sword Art Online," is sure to be the best of them all. Or so she thinks.

Sword Art Online. Those three words are enough to put Hideko into a happy coma. She was a beta tester and automatically fell in love with the game, despite the warnings her father gave her about not getting too attached.