Shirou's clones number 30 million

"Suguha, come over here too. What I'm about to say is related to both of you."

"What is it?" Kirigaya Suguha glanced at Kazuto, her eyes showing surprise.

"Let's talk in the private room inside."

Shirou led the two into a private room on the second floor of the hotel, gestured for them to sit down, and then spoke:

"Kazuto, I'm sorry for the late greeting. You might not remember me, but I've actually been keeping an eye on you."

"What does it mean?"

“Don’t you recognize the surname Narusaka? I’m your grandfather’s…cousin’s grandson. In other words, we’re distant cousins.”

Don't stop in weird places!

Kiritani Kazuto stared at him speechlessly, thinking to himself:

This guy has such a twisted sense of humor; I thought he was about to swear.

"Since you're my cousin, why have I never heard of you?"

"Because my grandfather was so focused on his research, he never told me about this. I only found out about it when I was sorting through his belongings."

Unexpectedly, a cousin suddenly appeared.

This extraordinary event caused Kiritani Kazuto to fall into deep thought for a moment.

As he was gathering his thoughts, Kirigaya Suguha couldn't help but ask:

"Um, Mom's original surname wasn't Narumaka, was it? We don't think we have any relatives with the surname Narumaka."

“I am not related to your parents at all. I am related to your father, Narusaka Yukito. My grandfather was a cousin of your father’s father.”

"Huh...!? What does this mean?"

Kirigaya Suguha looked surprised and subconsciously glanced at Kazuto:

"Isn't my brother's father also my father?"

Shirou glanced at Kirito, then spoke:

"I think you've already guessed it, haven't you? He's not your biological son; he's the son of your mother's sister."

In her panic, Kirigaya Suguha noticed that Kazuto showed no surprise whatsoever, and couldn't help but ask:

"This... why aren't you surprised at all, brother? Did you already know?"

"I'm sorry." Kirito lowered his head slightly and remained silent.

"So, the older brother wasn't actually the older brother, but a cousin?"

For some reason, at this moment, Kirigaya Suguha felt a mix of panic and a touch of joy.

Since the older brother isn't her biological brother, it's not strange that she likes him, right?

“I’m sorry, Kazuto, I found in my grandfather’s diary that he originally intended to adopt you, but he was too busy with his research and was too late.”

Shirou sighed softly and continued:

"Because you have become an adopted son of the Kiritani family, in order to avoid disputes and because he was busy with research, he never went to see you again."

"However, he has always been paying attention to your growth."

The first half of the statement is false, but the second half is true.

At first, Shirou had no intention of adopting him.

After all, someone who only has themselves to worry about and no one else to worry about is really not suited to taking care of children.

But after all, he's their own grandson and the main character in the original storyline, so it's impossible to completely ignore him.

"What a pity. If Grandpa had adopted you back then, we would have been even closer brothers."

If things really turn out that way, what kind of person will Kazuto become? A researcher like Kayaba Akihiko, or a passionate, youthful high school student?

"Thank you," Kirito said softly.

Just knowing that there are other relatives in the world who care about me is enough to make me happy.

If I had known about this sooner, I probably wouldn't have been so addicted to games for so long.

Sensing his thoughts, Shirou smiled and then said:

"Are you two interested in the strategy team leader I mentioned earlier?"

"No." The two shook their heads in unison.

"Is that so? There's no need to answer so quickly. We'll only know if it works by trying. If you have the ability, but allow other less capable people to become team leaders, isn't that irresponsible to all of humanity?"

"There's no need to use reverse psychology; I know I'm not capable enough."

Kiritani Kazuto paused for a moment, then continued:

"Moreover, with the information you provided, conquering Aincrad won't take too long; it should only take about six months."

"Such a short time, with a time difference of 400 times, translates to only half a day in reality, and the human body will not suffer any problems as a result."

Shirou nodded slightly, then shook his head again, and said in a deep voice in denial:

"Theoretically, that's true, but that only applies to safe places like home or office. What if you were driving before entering here? You'd probably be in a car accident by now."

"In addition, there are hospital patients, construction workers, hikers... These people may have already been involved in accidents. Once the golden rescue time is missed, the number of victims will gradually increase."

Kiritani Kazuto fell silent.

He already knew that the sooner the better, and if possible, he also wanted to contribute to the conquest of Aincrad.

But that was only as a team member; as for the team leader, there are definitely more suitable candidates.

Even so, he still couldn't help but think:

What if you are truly the most suitable candidate for team leader, but you voluntarily give up the position and allow someone else who is not suitable to take the place, thus delaying the rescue?

Back then, weren't all the people who died indirectly caused by their own actions?

Narusaka Shirou's words echoed in his mind like a spell.

After a long silence, Kiritani Kazuto said seriously:

"I understand, I'll give it a try. Although I don't think I'm the most suitable candidate, if I am selected, I will definitely shoulder the responsibility of the strategy team."

Shirou smiled slightly, "That's exactly how it should be done."

You are the most suitable candidate, so what are you shirking?

Chapter 205 Specialization is Key

Chapter 205, Section 206: Specialization is Key

Three days later, the selection competition for the leader of the strategy team to conquer Aincrad was held as scheduled.

However, when the Kiritani siblings arrived at the gathering place, they did not find Shirou Narusaka, but instead saw a group of people wearing camouflage.

Guided by the staff, the two quickly arrived at a corner of the players' seating area.

A group of people who had been seen at the hotel three days ago were gathered here. After looking around, Kirito quickly spotted Klein.

Just as he was about to go up and say hello, Narusaka Shirou, who was walking over from a distance, suddenly came into his field of vision.

Beside Shirou were several people dressed in camouflage.

Without much thought, Kirito immediately ran over.

"Why are there so many people? How many people signed up in total? Can Aincrad accommodate so many players at once?"

"I'm not sure, but they'll probably select some elites."

"Huh...? Didn't you count the number of applicants up to yesterday?"

"There are statistics, but I haven't had time to look at them yet."

As he spoke, Shirou smiled and shook his head:

“That day, after I drove you home, I had only gone a little over 100 meters when I was invited for tea by the relevant authorities.”

"Uh……"

Kiritani Kazuto looked surprised, but quickly recovered.

Indeed, with such a serious incident occurring, and everyone in a state of confusion, the sudden appearance of someone claiming to know the inside story inevitably leads to this kind of situation.

So, the people in camouflage uniforms at the scene and behind my cousin are all genuine soldiers.

"Are you okay?"

"Well... don't worry about safety. These people are both the shackles that restrict my movements and the bodyguards who protect my life."

"Then... about what we talked about before, the strategy for conquering Aincrad?"

"Those still count, only the control has been taken away. By the way, I've now been promoted to major. I'll probably get promoted again when I return to the real world, right?"

Kiritani Kazuto looked at him with a subtle expression, thinking to himself:

Is this a good thing or a bad thing? However, with the country, or even the whole world, providing a safety net, it shouldn't be a bad thing, right?

"Now that the government has taken action, what use are we? Why not just send in the army and arrest Kayaba Akihiko?"

"Unfortunately, Kayaba Akihiko hid in another world, where modern weapons cannot be brought. In that case, special forces soldiers are not much stronger than elite players."

Shirou smiled and spoke again:

"Of course, even so, it really took me a lot of effort to convince them to agree to the formation of the strategy team."

"So, let's go and take over the leadership of the raiding party. Then, lead the entire raiding party to defeat Kayaba Akihiko before the military does, and prove to the world that I didn't misjudge you!"

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Kirito shook his head with a smile:

"You overestimate me, cousin. I'm just an ordinary high school student. How could I possibly do something so outrageous?"

“No, you can do it!” Shirou replied without hesitation, “Because you are the one I’ve chosen!”

This was the first time Kiritani Kazuto had ever heard such a thing.

A strange feeling welled up inside me, as if I were omnipotent at this moment.

"Thank you, I will work hard and prove to everyone that you didn't misjudge me."