Chapter 99: Has Komachi Already Become an Aunt?
"Hmm, so that's how it is after all."
"Yes, we once took part in that battle. It was just abnormal. It felt like fighting against an endless flood of enemies."
"To that extent?"
"Exactly, the enemies were so many, the sheer numbers were just overwhelming."
"I see. But we can't back down, right, Kirito?"
"Yeah. To achieve my goal, I definitely have to rescue Asuna."
"You two have such firm determination."
"Of course."
"Even though you know it might be futile?"
"As long as the conditions are right, the possibility isn't zero. That's how I see it."
Yukino was clearly caught off guard by that statement. "Do you have any combat plans?"
"Before that, I believe that what's called the 'Grand Quest' actually hasn't been implemented at all."
"What did you say?"
"Hachiman, what does that mean?"
"Yeah, senpai, how could such a thing be…"
"Do you have any basis for that, Hachiman?"
"Think about it carefully. Right now, Asuna is Titania. If someone had really cleared the Grand Quest, Asuna would have appeared as a player, right? How could Sugou not consider such a risk?"
"But... how could that be..."
"If there were a mechanism to actually clear it, turning Asuna into Titania would be meaningless.
It'd be like planting a landmine for yourself.
If I were Sugou, I'd worry so much I couldn't sleep at night.
But that guy doesn't seem worried at all. Instead, he's very confident."
Everyone pondered Hachiman's reasoning. But no one could deny the conclusion. "There really is that possibility."
"Also, I told Kikuoka-san before that the clear rewards setup was strange."
"The first race to clear gets to fly infinitely? That kind of stupid mechanic makes no business sense."
"Because once someone clears the Grand Quest, nearly every player will choose to start as that Alf race."
"Originally, players from other races would switch over, right? If that happens, the only value
of ALO would be the ability to fly."
"Although I never suspected before, hearing it from you, it really makes sense.
So, the method to rescue Miss Asuna completely doesn't exist, does it?"
Everyone nodded in agreement with Yukino's question. "That's right, basically, freeing Asuna from inside the game is almost impossible."
"But if Zaimokuza succeeds, we still have a slim chance."
"Zaimokuza-kun? What's wrong with him?"
"Right now, that guy is working at RECT Progress."
"Huh? That Zaimokuza-kun?"
"He even passed the interview."
"Haruno-san secretly manipulated it."
"Ah~"
Everyone except Kirito looked understanding. Kirito, who didn't understand the situation, remained silent. "We need Zaimokuza to investigate and obtain a high-level ID as much as possible. Next up is Yui's turn."
"Me!?"
Yui was surprised and widened her eyes when suddenly called upon. "Sorry, Yui is our trump card."
"Although she currently acts as a Navigation Pixie guiding us, she's actually the SAO psychological counseling program and is the daughter of Asuna and me."
"..."
"Daughter!? Komachi is already an aunt!?"
"Senpai! What's going on here?"
"It's a long story. Anyway, here's a brief explanation."
Hachiman told the story of meeting, parting, and reuniting with Yui in detail. "Just getting married is one thing, but you even have a daughter."
"Now it's even less likely we have a chance."
"Putting aside the daughter's matter, this explanation still leaves us baffled."
"It's normal not to understand. This is some kind of miracle."
"If I say there's a companion with an administrator ID that can use GM permissions, you might understand."
"I guess I can get it now!"
"Yeah, I can barely understand that way."
"One more thing to confirm. You saw Asuna when flying high, right? That information is reliable, yes?"
"Yes, brother."
"So, the area Asuna is in should be connected to the normal area on the map?"
Yukino thought for a moment, then nodded affirmatively. "That's right. No area switching triggered during flight, so it should be like that."
"Then, the area Asuna is in and the normal area are probably just separated by a wall inside the World Tree?"
"Highly likely."
"If that's the case, as long as we can get close to that wall, even the current Yui should be able to break through once she has an ID. The problem is how to get close..."
"So we're back to the Grand Quest topic."
"Can the current team reach the top of the battle area?"
Yukino fell into thought again, then shook her head this time. "Impossible. They'll likely run out of stamina halfway through."
"..."
Hachiman looked disappointed, but Yukino wasn't done speaking. "But it's not completely hopeless."
"Really? Any countermeasures?"
"We either borrow the power of the Salamander or rely on the alliance between the Sylph and Cait Sith."
"Borrow troops from one side?"
"We've actually been tasked with guarding the alliance of the Sylph and Cait Sith."
"If you can use this alliance's power, the success rate will greatly increase."
"I see."
"Although we can only act as go-betweens, the rest depends on you."
"What about the Salamander side?"
"No connections there, so the more feasible option is the Sylph and Cait Sith alliance."
Hachiman responded without hesitation. "Then let's go with that. Kirito, no objections?"
"Ah, we really have no other choice."
"Are you confident you can get allies?"
"Not sure, but Kirito and I have a lot of money."
"Huh?"
"Actually, among SAO's assets, only the cash data was inherited into ALO."
"In ALO it's called Yuld, right? We have a lot of that."
"How much exactly?"
"About several hundred million Yuld combined?"
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!"
"Newly rich, huh?"
"Senpai, you're amazing! This should definitely work, right?"
"Indeed, this money is enough as negotiation leverage. Looks like there's hope."
"But we have to wait for news from Zaimokuza. Honestly, that's the biggest hurdle."
"I have a way for that."
Suddenly, Haruno, who had been observing quietly, spoke up. "Haruno-san has a way?"
"Not me, Kikuoka-san is asking an influential person in the related field for help."
"Oh."
"But it seems the negotiations with that person aren't going smoothly."
"I see... Then we'll leave that to Kikuoka-san."
"Yeah, that person looks good at these negotiations."
"Then after we meet the day after tomorrow, we'll go to the Sylph and Cait Sith alliance site."
"Alright, let's do that. Also, Haruno-san, there's one more thing I want to ask."
Hachiman decided to gamble on the possibility of increasing their strength. "Hm? What is it?"
"I want to contact a few companions through Kikuoka-san."
"Even giving me your phone number directly is fine, but it's better if you give them your contact info in my name. If they respond, please explain it for me. We want to avoid communication during our stealth. Sorry about that."
"The names are Klein, Agil, Silica, and Argo."
"We originally planned to meet at the 'Glutton King Café,' but the current situation makes it hard to get away."
'Actually, I also wanted to invite Nezha, but considering eyesight issues and the uncertainty of throwing weapons in ALO, I'll skip this time.'
"Since it's Hachiman-kun's request, no problem at all. Leave it to me!"
"Thank you very much. Please explain the situation and confirm if they can log into ALO."
"If they agree, they can just log in with AmuSphere, right?"
"Yes. If their devices are destroyed, then forget it. Wearing AmuSphere might be traumatic, so don't force them."
"Understood. Are their login coordinates near you two?"
"Klein and Agil are in the air; Silica and Argo are on the nearby ground."
"But even if we tell Klein and Agil the coordinates, it won't help. They'll have to manage on their own."
"I'll coordinate that part. I have a good guide candidate."
"As expected of Haruno-san, you're a huge help."
"Let's contact Kikuoka-san right now."
Haruno dialed Kikuoka's phone. "Hello, this is Kikuoka."
"Ah, Kikuoka-san? I have a favor. Hachiman-kun wants to urgently contact several players."
"The names are Klein, Agil, Silica, and Argo."
"Ah... That's no problem. Please hold on a moment, switching to speaker... Thanks for waiting."
Haruno explained the situation and requested assistance. "Got it. Leave this small matter to me. I'll arrange it immediately."
"Thanks, Kikuoka-san. By the way, how's the negotiation with the person you asked for help?"
"Ah, we're still negotiating. Actually, the call coincided with the negotiation, and we just reached an agreement."
"Eh, still negotiating?"
"Yes. Ah, okay, thanks a lot. You should hear this."
After talking with someone, Kikuoka said: "The negotiation succeeded. They said they will start acting immediately."
"Great! Hachiman-kun, the person I mentioned just agreed. I'm on speaker now, you can thank them directly."
"Ah, really? Thank you very much. I'll repay this favor someday."
Hachiman thanked over the phone. After Haruno hung up, today's meeting ended. Everyone returned home to prepare for nighttime login, and Hachiman and Kirito started preparations as well.
Right before logging in, Hachiman suddenly asked Kirito: "By the way, Kirito, have you contacted Liz yet?"
"Ah, I asked Kikuoka-san to leave a note with my name and phone number by Liz's pillow."
"I see. Hopefully, you'll hear from her soon."
Hearing that, Kirito nodded shyly. "Then let's begin the fight to reclaim someone important."
"Yeah, today is the real start. Let's fight with our lives, Kirito."
"Oh!"
[Link Start!]