Board Thread:Questions and Answers/@comment-2600:8803:7D00:3E00:3171:FB3E:1AEC:F392-20170815143813/@comment-1200981-20170816025704

Additionally, there is no actual love triangle. Kawahara has pointed out on Twitter that Alice's feelings for Kirito aren't romantic in nature, she admires Kirito as a respected battle buddy and that rubs Asuna the wrong way because as Kirito's lover, she views herself as the one who fights alongside him and protects him; which sparks a rivalry between the two. Kawahara confessed that he did this simply because he finds a jealous Asuna to be adorable(also, he admits that he hates harems). And as per usual, Kirito doesn't express any romantic interest in anyone but Asuna and stays loyal to her throughout his time in the Underworld.

In other words, nothing has nor will ever topple SAO's OTP.