Under the unfriendly gazes of the sibling duo, the black-haired youth finally steeled himself and stopped grinding.
"Uh... hello."
The black-haired youth scratched his head, unsure of what to say.
He was actually quite frustrated. As a Beta Tester, he knew the grinding spots and didn't expect others to be here, but these two had arrived even earlier.
That alone would have been fine, as they could have just grinded separately. The awkward part was that Yusei and Shiro were just too efficient.
The monster respawn rate at this spot was already fast, but the black-haired youth found that these two were clearing them even faster.
Especially their coordination… it was seamless, incredibly smooth and fluid, almost like they were grinding with cheats.
As for cheating in SAO... he didn't think it was possible.
This was a groundbreaking game, completely different from cheats or bugs in previous PC Games.
He confidently believed that aside from the SAO's officials themselves, no individual or team could modify the game data. This was a conclusion he'd drawn during the beta.
"Hello." A faint smile played on Yusei's lips. Unlike the unfriendliness in Shiro's eyes, his held a touch of curiosity.
Because he recognized the black-haired youth before him: the [Beater] of SAO, Kirito.
Kirito noticed that after their brief exchange of greetings, the situation had become extremely awkward, especially with the way they were looking at him strangely.
"You two... are very good. Are you Beta Testers too?"
Kirito initiated conversation, though this was also something he was genuinely curious about.
If he remembered correctly, he hadn't heard of such a powerful duo during the closed beta.
Especially with that level of perfect coordination… a combo that shone so brightly in the beta couldn't possibly have gone unnoticed.
Yusei shook his head, "No, this is our first time playing."
"Uh... May I ask... your relationship...?" Kirito asked, somewhat embarrassed.
"Siblings." There was nothing to hide about that, and it was pretty easy to tell.
Although their hair colors were different, there was a noticeable age difference. Their heights made it clear they were siblings.
If you mistook them for a couple, you might be a lolicon.
Hearing this answer, Kirito secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He held a lot of respect and admiration for highly skilled players.
Especially Yusei's smooth and fluid movements. Kirito's attempt to strike up a conversation wasn't without a desire to subtly learn from them.
But if the other party was a lolicon... he really wouldn't know what to say.
But it seemed fine now. As long as Yusei wasn't a lolicon, it was fine.
However, Shiro beside him dissatisfied, tugged on Yusei's sleeve, her cute little face looking up at him unhappily.
"Nii, even if we were a couple, it would be fine. Shiro is okay with it."
"Is that so? Haha, Shiro is too cute, I wouldn't want to give you to anyone else. But let's wait until Shiro is a bit older."
"How much older?"
"Hmm... after you turn twelve?"
"Mm! Nii must wait for Shiro."
Kirito watched the sibling pair silently, discreetly retracting his earlier assessment.
'Sorry, I was wrong. He's definitely not normal. He is a lolicon... No, a little sister who wants to be her brother's girlfriend isn't normal either!'
After the brief interlude, before they could chat further, the bell in the starting town suddenly rang.
It was a mandatory summons. Only the administrator, Kayaba, could gather all players like this.
A smile appeared on Yusei's lips. He understood that the true death game was about to begin.
He didn't have some morbid fascination with death, but he also wasn't kind-hearted enough to interfere with Kayaba's plans and save everyone.
In a way, this was their fate. The only difference was that a butterfly, him, had flapped its wings within it.
And what kind of storm would he and Shiro, two 'butterflies', stir up within SAO?
Everything would be revealed in the time to come within SAO.