Did Asuna and Kirito take a break from each other, before season 4 started?

Question

In season 4, when Alice asked Asuna "Just how long were you and he together?" Asuna replied "I was his partner for two years. Then we dated for probably a year and a half."

If they were still dating, wouldn't she reply something like "We were partners for two years, and for 2 weeks we lived together, and Kirito and I are still together."

I know that they love each a lot. It's just the way she replied, that made me think that they aren't together anymore. I would understand if maybe, they are taking a break from each other because both sides' life is a bit hectic and they need to sort things out before being together again.

Did Asuna and Kirito take a break from each other?

Answer 1

It seems like that was a sloppy piece of dialogue. It also seems like the math is pretty bad from that line of dialogue. If Ordinal Scale is considered canon, and it takes place in 2026, and they're together at that point, seems more like 2 years partners in SAO, 2 years dating after.

Answer 2

I know it's an old question, but I'm in the process of reading the original novels. Overall, the anime adaptation follows them quite closely, but the novels contain a number of additional details, especially when the text describes what the characters are thinking. This is how it's maybe clearer that Asuna and Kirito remain a closely-knit couple all this time.

They've been dating non-stop since the release from SAO and after Kirito was rushed into the Underworld because of his injury, Asuna refers to him as "her boyfriend" (and doesn't protest when others do the same).

Also, while Kirito adventuring in the Underworld (equivalent to season 3 of the anime), there were two things in the novels that I don't remember being that clear in the anime:

• When he realizes that his stay will be long, thinking of Asuna, he promises to himself to stay away from women as much as possible, expressing relief that Eugeo is a man, and being a bit worried at first that Sortiliena is a woman.
• When he starts to understand what's at stake for that place and its inhabitants, he's not that eager to leave. Which makes him express guilt over what Asuna must be going through in the meantime.