Zongman, Rebirth of the Heaven-Defying Kirito

Finally, the player shook his head helplessly and relaxed the conditions: "Alright, one last question, what was the first song that Kirito sang?"

"Crossing Field!" Kirito blurted out.

He remembered this one clearly, after all, he had practiced it in private for a long time.

"Congratulations on getting it right!" The player beamed instantly, patting Kirito on the shoulder: "You passed, I'll add you to the group!"

"Join the group?" Before Kirito could react, he received a group invitation.

[Melancholy Evening Breeze invites you to join the 16th group of 'Miss Kiriko's Backyard Club']

Goodness, we've already reached the sixteenth group?

Kirito's eyes widened.

After clicking "Confirm," the group chat was instantly flooded with messages, with messages bombarding the screen every second:

[Newcomer here? Share your photos!]

[Don't worry about the newbies yet, assign tasks first! We haven't finished searching Area B!]

I just saw a girl in a black dress in section C, and I chased after her, but why did she run away when she saw me?

Good grief, I'd run too! Couldn't you have approached quietly?

Kirito felt a chill run down his spine as he watched the scrolling messages.

Opening the group member list reveals a whopping 4023 people.

And this is only the sixteenth group!

This isn't just a support group, it's practically a 'support army'!

He gasped, finally understanding why there were so many people by the lake.

They say their legion is the number one guild in SAO, but now it seems that's just an empty title. If we're talking about number one, then my 'Support Army' is the one that truly deserves the title!

Seeing Kirito's reaction, the person continued, "Welcome to join us, but you are currently only the lowest level, Bronze. You need to make contributions to have a chance to be promoted. Above you are Silver, Gold, and Diamond, who is the group leader."

"By the way, I'm a Silver-ranked player!"

Huh? He's only one level higher than me, so why is he so smug?

Looking at the group chat, he got a general idea of ​​the situation.

Only the group owner has the Diamond title, there are only a handful of Gold members, and although there are many Silver members, there are only about two hundred.

Silver members only make up one-twentieth of the large group, which can be considered upper-class individuals.

However, there were too many messages in the group, and most of them were useless information, so Kirito couldn't figure out what was going on for a while.

Kirito spoke again: "Now you can tell me, what exactly are 'we' doing here?"

The man smiled upon hearing this, seemingly pleased that the other person had already gotten into character: "Of course, my 'compatriot'!"

After saying that, he sent a picture to Kirito.

Kirito clicked on the picture, and his pupils contracted sharply.

As the sun sets, a young girl in a black dress stands by the lake, practicing her sword-wielding techniques.

Even though it was just a side profile, Kirito recognized her clearly...

Isn't this a photo of Kuroyuki practicing swordsmanship?!

Moreover, the angle from which the photo was taken was very discreet, clearly indicating that someone took it secretly.

The man smiled with satisfaction: "That's right, that's right, I had the same expression when I saw it, but I didn't expect Kirito to be in SAO too."

"When...when did this happen?" Kirito's voice trembled slightly.

"Just recently," the player said nonchalantly. "At first, no one was sure, but then we confirmed it really was her! We searched for half a month before narrowing down the search to this area."

Then he leaned closer to Kirito and whispered, "Hey bro, wanna join us? If you find Kirito, your group level will go straight to Gold!"

"And then what happened after you found her?" Kirito was embarrassed.

"Of course!" The player's eyes lit up, and his tone was excited: "It's been two months since she released a new song. Even if it's Kiriko, she can't just keep delaying like this! We've got a plan. After we find Kiriko, we'll lock her in a dark room until she agrees to hold another live performance!"

Kirito reminded her, "Um... this is SAO. Even if we lock her in the dark room, she can just use a teleportation crystal or log off, right?"

The player gave him a look that said, "You're still too green." "Of course we know that, but we outnumber her! Every time Miss Kirito logs in, we'll catch her and let her experience the enthusiasm of our fans!"

Blocking...blocking the spring, is that it?

The fanaticism in their tone sent chills down Kirito's spine; these people were terrifying!

With that thought in mind, Kirito decided to leave.

The man asked in confusion, "Where are you going? Aren't you coming with us?"

"Um... I suddenly remembered I have something important to take care of, I'll have to go now!" Kirito turned and ran.

Back at the cabin, Kirito told Asuna everything that had happened.

From the sheer size of the "Kiriko-san Fan Club" to the bizarre entry requirements, and their fervent search for the "Kuroyuki sword practice photo"...

"That's how it is..." Kirito rubbed his throbbing temples, his tone full of helplessness.

Asuna said, "You mean, those players mistook Kuroyuki for Kirito, so they gathered here to capture you and take you back to hold another live performance?"

Kirito nodded: "In general, that's how it is."

Upon hearing this, Asuna burst out laughing, tears welling up in her eyes.

"What are you laughing at?" Kirito asked, his voice tinged with grievance. "What are you laughing at? This is about the fate of those players. We can't just watch them wander around here every day, can we?"

Asuna wiped her eyes, trying to suppress a laugh: "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, I just suddenly remembered what I told you last time."

"What did you say?" Kirito asked, puzzled.

“I said back then, ‘Sachi really does look a lot like Kirito.’” Asuna smiled and reminded me, “See, now it’s not just me who thinks so.”

Kirito opened his mouth, but couldn't find any words to refute it.

If Kirito and Sachiko only look alike, then Kiriko and Kuroyuki are exactly the same.

Kirito couldn't help but complain, "This isn't the time to talk about that! The important thing is how to get rid of those crazy fans!"

"Don't rush," Asuna comforted her. "That will only make things chaotic. Let's calm down and think of a solution."

Kirito took a deep breath, leaned back on the sofa, and slowly calmed down.

Indeed, there's no use in being anxious now.

Since no one knows my real identity and the cabin has special access protection, it's safe for now.

But the thought of having to face the 'search team' by the lake every day gave him a headache.

Even if it's safe for now, it can't stay like this forever!

No one knows how long they will search before giving up.

Are we just going to keep putting up with them?

This is supposed to be a private space for just the two of us, Asuna, but now it's surrounded by a bunch of players... No way!