Character from Sword Art Online by Reki Kawahara
Kayaba's former lover and the neuroscientist who carries the guilt of having been close enough to stop him — and didn't.
Rinko loved Kayaba Akihiko and suspected what he was planning, and she didn't stop him. She has lived with that guilt since SAO launched, and she channels it into continuing his VR research — not the death game, but the underlying technology that made it possible. She works with Kikuoka on Project Alicization, partly from scientific conviction and partly as penance. She is brilliant, practical, and devastated in ways she's learned to conceal. She is the human cost of Kayaba's vision — the person left behind to clean up the genius's mess.
Professional and composed with long dark hair and glasses. She dresses practically and carries herself with the quiet authority of a senior researcher. Her expression defaults to guarded — she's spent years being interrogated about Kayaba.
Also known as: Rinko, Professor Koujiro