Chapter 33: Go with ‘sincerity’

“Yeah. Since both of us enjoyed this game with you back then, and it’s basically a cooperative game, I thought it would be fine.”

Bloody Night, commonly known as BN.

The genre is battle royale hero shooter.

Unlike my previous life, where the name hero shooter was even unfamiliar, it’s now a genre that can definitely be

said to be popular.

Anyway, the advantage that the developer of ‘BN’ has put forward in a hero shooter genre that now has quite a few

competitors is simple: it uses cartoon rendering, giving it a strong casual feel.

…Well, it sounds good, but to put it simply, it means it’s a game tailored to otaku tastes.

Usually, in this genre, the feel leans more towards realism rather than casual.

Even if it has a casual vibe, it’s more of an American cartoon style than the Japanese moe-style art.

Anyway, the developers of BN openly showed their intention to target gamers from the subculture, and that attempt

was relatively successful, securing a solid fanbase.

In fact, the reason I played before was because I liked the character ‘Lina’ in the game.

[It seems like it’ll definitely be fine. But is the sniping issue okay?]

“That, that’s something to just consider, like you mentioned, senpai.”

Unless it’s a game that can be played with just the two of us, sniping from viewers is unavoidable.

So at first, we were going to play ’77 Worlds’ since it could be played by just the two of us, but after discussing it, we

concluded that playing BN was better even considering the sniping.

[Well, sometimes the sniping can even add to the fun.]

“Yeah. You mentioned that too, senpai…….”

In fact, when watching various game broadcasts, there are often unexpected situations due to sniping that lead to fun moments.

I don’t intend to force that, but if it happens, isn’t that good?

With that conclusion, we decided to confirm that the game for the collaboration with senpai would be BN.

[Then let’s do our best tomorrow. Please don’t cause any trouble. Got it?]

“Don’t worry. With Ko, Ko helping me this much, there’s no way I’d cause any trouble…”

Right?

I feel uneasy for no reason……… [So we’ve decided that the game for the collaboration will be ‘BN’?]

[Kurokami Hikari @KurokamiHikari. 8 minutes ago]

I’ll be collaborating with that cocky junior who pointed out my flaws!

Date and time: September 16th, 18:00!

I’ll make sure to put that arrogant nose in its place!
https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX

#Star’sFlow1stGen #KurokamiHikari #Star’sFlow2ndGen #KainoIzumi #BloodyNight #BN

[Kaino Izumi☆Star’s Flow @KainoIzumi · 11 minutes ago]

I’ll be collaborating with Kurokami-senpai on Bloody Night at 18:00 on September 16th.

Please take care of me.
https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX

#Star’sFlow1stGen #KurokamiHikari #Star’sFlow2ndGen #KainoIzumi #BloodyNight #BN

The collaboration broadcast will be held on Kurokami-senpai’s channel.

And before I knew it, the time was 5:56 PM.

The number of live viewers had already exceeded 4,000.

My heart was pounding.

“Huuh, huuh….”

[I, Izumi-chan, am so nervous that I’m starting to tremble too……]

“I, I’m sorry.”

Hearing senpai’s words, I tried to calm down, but my already white-hot mind couldn’t easily become rational.

Is it really okay for someone like me to be here?

What plays in my mind is the image of me causing trouble and the burning community.

Numerous viewers cursing, disparaging, and belittling me.

This can’t be happening. I promised Ko to reduce these negative thoughts.

After taking a deep breath, I looked at the framed photo on my monitor.

[Natsune Nanase: Are you okay? If you’re having a hard time, let me know. I’m your senpai, so I’ll do my best to help you!]

The photo filled with Natsune’s encouragement always calmed me during tense moments.

“Haah…”

Looking at that photo had become one of my routines to settle my nerves.

Indeed, Natsune is recognized by the country as a legal drug….

Of course, the effect has weakened since I always relied on this help, but it’s still enough to be okay.

I should be able to handle the broadcast.

[Izumi-chan, it’s time.]

“Y-Yes. Alright, I’ll do my best…”

[[Bloody Night] Today, I’ll teach that cocky junior a lesson! #KurokamiHikari #KainoIzumi]

The thumbnail for senpai’s collaboration broadcast featured an illustration of us facing each other, growling.

As the illustration faded away, it transitioned to the usual waiting screen indicating senpai’s broadcast preparation.

It was a magnificent illustration of her sitting on a large throne, elegantly fanning herself.

-For the lady!

-For the lady!

[Um, um.]

After about a minute passed, senpai’s cough signaled the transition of the waiting illustration to BN’s UI.

And at the bottom of the screen, as if it were obvious, was senpai’s avatar.

[Oh ho ho! How is everyone? I’m Kurokami Hikari, the noble villainess!]

-Welcome, lady!

-Welcome, lady!

[Now! I’ve made the announcement in advance, so everyone knows, but there may be some foolish butlers, so let me explain personally. There was that cocky junior who judged me last time, right? Today’s broadcast is prepared to let that cocky junior know the gap in our skills!]

Once again, the sound of her laugh echoed, and my avatar appeared on the broadcast screen.

[Now, let’s say hello to everyone, cocky junior?]

“Ko, Kono Izumi…. I’m the atmosphere maker who dreams of a world where everyone can smile… Ka, Kaino Izumi……..”

-Haizumi!

-Finally, the collaboration between these two is happening.

“I’m honored to be collaborating with Kurokami-senpai today, and I look forward to it….”

My head was already spinning. Is it really okay for me to be here?

The pressure I felt collaborating with Ko was on a different level.

[The content we’ve prepared for today is, as you can see, Bloody Night! I’ll definitely teach Izumi-chan the difference in our levels!]

-But if it’s BN, aren’t you two going to be playing as a duo?

-After all, it’s a cooperative game, right?

[Haa…. Are you my butlers and still don’t know that? It seems my judgment has dulled. When Izumi-chan can’t do anything, I will win with my incredible skill. That alone will clearly show that cocky junior the difference in our levels. To trample the opponent’s pride head-on, what a cruel thought!]

-Doesn’t that just mean you’re going to carry her?

-You’re putting a negative spin on saying you’re going to carry her, lol.

[Ugh……! Such foolish butlers with no understanding at all!]

After a brief back-and-forth with the chat, Kurokami-senpai sighed and turned to me.

[Izumi-chan! What do you think?]

“Um, um, uh….”

What should I respond with? Honestly, I was still dizzy, making it hard to grasp the current situation.

“Th-Thank you for the bus?”

[Aaah?!]

hahaha

-You even acknowledged the bus, do you have anything to say?

-You really don’t disappoint, lol.

[Heh…! Everyone’s laughter will be short-lived. In the end, when the game starts, you’ll all realize my judgment was correct!]

With that, Kurokami-senpai pressed the party invite button and selected my ID, which she had added as a friend yesterday.

[Hikaring has invited you to the party. Do you accept?]

[Yes/No]

Of course, I pressed the accept button, and my monitor transitioned to BN’s waiting room.

Senpai’s main character was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and gray hair, Arsène Agner.

He was a tank character optimized for neutralizing enemy attacks.

And my main character was a girl with striking gray eyes and mechanical legs, Lina. She was a dealer character

capable of flashy plays due to her excellent mobility.

“Sh-Should we go with these positions?”

[Yes. Since our positions don’t overlap, it’s perfect for a duo with a tank and a dealer.]

“Then I look forward to working with you.”

[Alright, let’s go!]

We were playing a normal game, not a ranked one.

It wouldn’t matter if we did a ranked game, but both Natsune and Kurokami-senpai hadn’t played this game for quite

some time, so we concluded to go for a normal game.

Of course, there were other reasons for that as well….

Anyway, after waiting about 10 seconds, the screen transitioned to the character selection screen.

Naturally, I chose Lina, and Kurokami-senpai chose Arsène, and as the selection time ended, the sound of a fighter jet signaled the start of the game.

“F-First, um, where should we go?”

In a battle royale genre, the starting position is crucial.

Securing a good starting position can give you a significant advantage in items over your opponents, which directly

correlates to your win rate.

Well, if you have confidence in your skills, you could go to a popular starting position and wipe everyone out, but BN

was designed in a way that makes it hard to gain significant benefits from such early rush strategies.

In the first place, there’s no way Kurokami-senpai, who has just returned after a long time, could successfully pull off

an early rush, especially with the viewers’ sniping mixed in.

[Shall we go to Downtown first?]

“…Understood.”

Downtown is a region where items are all scattered far away, making it a place where farming takes a long time.

However, since it’s not very popular, it was quite a reasonable starting location choice for us, having returned after so long.

Of course, that would be true if we were in a typical situation.

[Aaah?! What’s going on?! So many people are dropping in Downtown! I’ve never heard of this before?!]

-Just counting with my eyes, it looks like about six teams have dropped in, lol.

-I’ve never seen so many people drop in Downtown before, lol.

Right. We’re not in a typical situation.

The live viewer count for the broadcast was already approaching 6,000, a peculiar situation.

Among them, there surely were people watching with the intent to snipe us.

Thus, Downtown, which relies on spreading out to farm, was naturally the worst choice.

In the first place, their goal isn’t to win the game; it’s to torment us.

The moment we spread out to farm, they would converge to kill us, and if we stuck together, we wouldn’t gain any

advantages in farming due to the vast area of Downtown.

“First, um, what should we do? I think it might be okay to quickly move to the next area.”

So I tried to suggest a reasonably logical option.

[Hah?! There’s no way I, Kurokami Hikari, would choose to run away in this situation! It’s a frontal battle! Izumi-chan, let’s finish farming and meet up!]

Senpai, with her strong pride, wouldn’t accept that suggestion.

“Ah, understood….”

As we landed, I saw senpai heading west into Downtown while I moved north.

About two minutes passed.

[That’s cowardly! Two teams are attacking at the same time! Aaaah?!]

Senpai’s scream echoed in my ears.

And then.

[…I’m dead. Izumi-chan.]

・In BN, no matter how large the skill gap, it’s hard to gain an advantage with an early rush strategy.

Basically, the specs of the characters’ unique skills are set well.

As long as you play defensively, it means you can at least escape when a few people attack in the beginning.

Especially for a tank position like Arsène, which Kurokami-senpai chose, it’s much easier.

“Did you, by any chance, fight back, senpai…?”

[Of course! The word ‘run away’ doesn’t exist in my vocabulary!]

-What’s with this confidence? lol

-This is the charm of our lady.

“Haha….”

…Well, I had expected that.

There were two main reasons we chose to play a normal game instead of a ranked one.

The first reason was that since it had been a while since we returned, we wanted to keep it light.

And the second reason is that we couldn’t even play a ranked duo in the first place.

My past rank was in the top 1% of BN, the ‘Night Raid’ rank.

However, Kurokami-senpai was in the bottom 5%, the ‘Bronze’ rank.

Right. The rank difference was so severe that matchmaking for ranked games was impossible from the start…

-I’ll show you the overwhelming difference in skill! (Actual words spoken)

-You were a terrorist, not a bus driver, lol.

-Mei-chan’s laughter is too pitiful, lol.

[Shut up! I’m still awkward because it’s been a while since I played!]

“Let’s go with that then…”