Chapter 15: Second month of broadcasting-6

• What if they pull some troll move?

“I’ll just die once neatly and switch to offline mode!”

Hehe, try to interfere if you can.

I should have done this from the beginning.

How many times have I been bullied!

Getting out of being bullied and adapting. These were two of the few things I was confident in.

“Hehe.”

– That’s creepy.

Creepy…!

“Ugh…?”

Should I say something like this?

Would I be hated for no reason?

Being hated was something I was used to, but saying it out loud was more embarrassing than I expected.

I calmed my nervously beating heart, muttered, and glanced at the chat as I threw out the words.

“Please cherish me…!”

– I feel like we’ve become the bad guys.
– We are bad guys LOL
– Liera is a baby, we must cherish her.

As I uttered embarrassing words and wriggled my scrunched-up hands, Blue Oni stopped circling around my character.

What was it doing?

“What…?”

I thought I could kill it now that it was standing still, but I held back.

That monster would avoid whatever I did.

Then was this a new way to humiliate me?

I glared at it with anxious eyes, and it rummage, rummage.

Something was dropped on the floor with a thud.

“What’s that?”

Some kind of dark red jewel.

I approached, but it wasn’t a jewel.

Was it an item?

Was it planning to kill me the moment I picked it up?

With endless suspicion, I pouted.

I didn’t know what it was trying to do, but I wished it would just finish it quickly.

I approached and picked up the item, and my eyes widened.

[Cursed Claws +9]

– LOL
– It wasn’t a troll, it was a ghost that came to pet LOL

“Are you watching my stream…?”

As soon as I asked to be cherished, it dropped a seemingly amazing item.

This action, this timing, there was no way to deny it.

At my question, Blue Oni made a gesture.

It stretched out its hand and waved, a gesture meaning ‘hello’!

Then why did you pretend not to hear me earlier?!

More importantly!

“Ah, no, then why…?!”

Why did you bully me?!

Why so mercilessly…!

It wasn’t Blue Oni who answered my cry, but the viewers.

– It’s cute when you bully them.
– If you get hit with a light tap and cry, you want to hit them one more time.

“Perverts…”

I lowered my voice, unlike myself, and expressed my contempt.

They were my viewers, but something was a little, or maybe a lot, disgusting.

They were a different kind of pervert than the ones in NemoMi’s room, though they were milder!

Ugh…

A reward?

• Hehe…

• Bmbmbm…

Look at these strange reactions!

Just get angry or something, what kind of reaction is that!

They’re really perverts…

“Why…?”

I pursued becoming a variety streamer, so why were my viewers all perverts?

A phrase I saw in a novel in the past came to mind.

‘Everything has a cause and effect,’ was it?

If there was a result of these viewers gathering, there must be a cause, but I couldn’t even guess.

But even these viewers were viewers who liked me and came to see me.

I scratched my cheek with a sullen face and said.

“Everyone… I still love you…”

– Guwaaaah!
– Gueeeek!
– Bleeeh.

Why do they hate it!

They’re my viewers, but I can’t figure them out.

I shifted my gaze and looked at Blue Oni.

Why did Blue Oni seem relatively normal?

“Let’s… Go!”

It was clear that they were my viewers.

Come to think of it, it never attacked me once.

Plus, it gave me an item, so it must have come to help me!

Its customization was bizarre, but now that it was on my side, even that appearance felt reassuring.

I puffed out my chest and pointed forward.

An SSS-rank ally gave me courage just by existing.

“Blue Oni-nim! Charge!”

Enemies appeared in a group, and I ordered Blue Oni to charge.

Originally, I would have had to go around and bypass them!

But I had Blue Oni!

At my command, Blue Oni rushed in and started slaughtering the enemies.

Just like Pokémon!

A pet stronger than its owner!

Could this be it?

Could I do a one-life clear today?

If I let Blue Oni handle the strategy, it seemed like a free pass.

“Hehehe…”

– Wow, that’s creepy.

“That’s rude…”

Even so, I started to manage my expression.

Even I thought the laugh just now was creepy.

I slapped my cheeks to regain my senses and took a sip of water.

Then I tried to frown and let out a small groan.

“Ugh…”

I pulled the chair back slightly and looked at my legs.

My legs were so numb.

The purring cat was cute, but I was starting to lose sensation in my legs.

Whoosh! I picked up the cat.

The cat stretched like cheese.

It was light.

Too light.

Was I not feeding it enough?

I moved the cat to the bed and returned to my seat. All the enemies were gone, and only Blue Oni was left, circling my character.

Was it wanting praise?

“Good job!”

I praised it as if praising a baby, as gently and softly as possible. Blue Oni made a Y-shaped gesture.

The chat went wild, but I didn’t really want to read it.

Anyway, the game was being cleared even though I wasn’t doing anything…

It was like an idle mobile game.

“But!”

I couldn’t just watch.

It was my stream, and I had to be the main character of my stream.

I equipped the item Blue Oni gave me without any suspicion.

The visible stats tripled.

A real cheat item.

My lost confidence surged.

“…?”

I thought I saw something strange just now?

I rubbed my eyes with both hands.

“Huh…?”

[Cursed Claws +9]

All stats tripled.

– It’s a cursed item!
– A curse befalls you!

Huh…?

– The equipment is bound to you!
– You cannot unequip the equipment!

Huh…?!

– The blessing of resurrection has disappeared!
– You cannot resurrect!

“Wh-what!!”

What did it give me!

What a way to backstab me?!

It didn’t seem like it was my fan after all.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have given me such a malicious item!

“Ugh…”

The blessing of resurrection disappearing meant that the character couldn’t resurrect again.

To remove this, I had to delete the game and download it again.

How would the viewers react to this unfair situation?

Honestly, I could already guess.

They’d love it!

– LOL
– Play like this hehe

Have I lost my初心?

Far from being endearing, the viewers are just plain detestable.

‘Remember when you had 0 viewers, Liera!’ I reminded myself, suppressing the urge to say what I wanted to. I swung my claws at Blue Oni.

The specter dodged smoothly, as if it expected it.

At that sight, I grabbed the back of my neck for a moment.

“Why…

Why?

Why?

I had a lot to say, but perhaps because dozens of words came to mind at once.

I could only open my mouth without saying a proper word and sigh deeply.

Fine, let’s do it!

“It’s over once I die anyway, right?”

I gritted my teeth and pressed W.

The character moved forward.

Enemies were stationed ahead.

I would die if I went this way.

I knew the viewers would hate it if I died like this on purpose, but I had something to believe in.

As if startled by my advance, Blue Oni, which had been constantly moving, stopped, overtook my character, and started to beat up the enemies.

Perhaps it was trying to finish them off before the aggro was drawn to me. Uncharacteristically, Blue Oni allowed itself to be hit twice.

About 1/4 of Blue Oni’s HP was depleted.

-????
-LOL

“It’s no fun for either of us if I die meaninglessly, right?”

You take care of it!

I didn’t have to say the last part out loud. I had no doubt that everyone understood.

I then changed the direction my character was walking in, glared at the monitor, and started looking for another path.

You may have wanted me to suffer, but now that it’s come to this, I won’t just take it lying down!

-Getting outplayed LOL
-Serves you right LOL
-LOL

I was relieved at the viewers’ reaction.

If I had just died lamely on purpose, I would have definitely gotten an earful for it being no fun.

But I thought Blue Oni wouldn’t want me to die meaninglessly either.

And just now, Blue Oni gave me that conviction by stopping me from committing suicide.

You don’t want it to be no fun, do you?

Neither do I.

“Let’s do our best, Blue Oni-nim!”

I even added a cutesy tone out of good spirits.

The viewers probably don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve taken the initiative!

Exhilaration, and a strange sense of pleasure.

My body heated up, and my breathing became heavy.

My chest itched.

Not the outside, but the inside.

A subtle itch that I couldn’t scratch.

“Haa…”

-Lewd
-T

“Perverts, go stand in the corner and reflect…”

I regained my breath and entered the path I found.

A place where many zombies were gathered.

And beyond this, the first boss.

Since it was the first boss, the path to reach it was short.

“I could have tormented it more…”

Too bad.

At some point, Blue Oni stopped circling me.

I could feel it watching my movements.

Serves it right.

“Okay, let’s go again!”

I charged in without hesitation, and as expected, Blue Oni freaked out and overtook me to move forward.

But perhaps it was too much to deal with dozens of zombies with its bare hands. Blue Oni equipped a two-handed shield that looked like a castle gate.

Then it charged, pushed the zombies off a cliff, and jumped off itself.

“Huh?!”

“Um… Hello…?”

What am I supposed to do if you leave so meaninglessly?

It wasn’t like I was confident in dealing with them all, but it was more like it would rather die than be played around by me.

Without a voice, chat, or gesture, Blue Oni left my side.

-You killed it
-Are you Satan

Blue Oni disappeared.

Leaving behind the cursed item.

“Ah… I’m sorry, come back, I didn’t mean it, I love you…!”

How am I supposed to beat the boss without you!

I had deliberately left everything to Blue Oni.

In other words, I didn’t adapt to the game.

I should have gotten used to it by fighting enemies before reaching the boss.

I had come straight to the first boss room as soon as I finished the tutorial.

The confidence I gained from fighting the knight?

What good was that!

People are more accustomed to easy things than difficult ones, and I had already become accustomed to the ease that Blue Oni gave me.

“I’ve become a body that can’t live without you…!”

Come back!

My cry didn’t reach it.

Even after waiting endlessly, the Dark Spirit didn’t appear.

But I couldn’t just wait in this place forever.

“Ugh…”

I looked at the viewers.

Viewers preferred fun things.

They hated the pointless and boring.

But if I entered the boss room now, I saw a future where I would be crushed meaninglessly in less than two minutes.

You might say it’s a pointless worry, but if the probability is over 50%, wouldn’t it be a valid concern?

I trembled like a dried squid in fear, then swallowed dryly.

“Sh-should I… Go in?”

-I predict a 5-second death.
-Blue Oni bus disappeared lol

“Hey, no matter what… Still… It won’t be that bad, right…?”

I tried to say it wouldn’t be that bad, but my conviction gradually faded.

The stats amplified by three times in exchange for the curse were just numbers.

They didn’t give me any energy.

Rumble.

– Hehe
– Let’s go!!

If I dragged it out any longer, I wouldn’t get a good reaction.

Even a broadcast beginner like me knew that much.

Fine, it’s better to get hit by the bat sooner…

Creak-

I opened the door.

A giant tree appeared in a place covered in fog.

“Ugh…”

It wasn’t a tree.

A mass of corpses of people and such, tangled together.

I looked at the mass of corpses.

The official name was Twisted Screaming Tree.

“Sigh…”

Let’s look at the pattern first.

The werewolf’s speed had increased with the higher stats!

An additional 0.1 seconds of invincibility thanks to the ‘Quick’ trait!

Increased damage!

When I thought about it calmly, there was nothing I couldn’t beat.

Inhale, exhale. Inhale, exhale.

Deep breaths.

Again, think of the tutorial knight!

You dodged well!

You did well!

You can do it!

(Screeeeeech!)

The Twisted Screaming Tree screamed.

It was a creepy sound. I heard the cat rustling as if it had woken up, but I didn’t have time to worry about it.

The Screaming Tree disappeared into the fog.

What pattern was this?!

While I was panicking and looking around, the Screaming Tree suddenly fell from above.

Boom-!!

Instant death.

I was silent, unable to grasp what had happened.

“?”

– LOL
– How many seconds was that?
– About 9 seconds?
– LOL

“No…! Why…! It’s a pattern that tells you to get hit if you don’t know it! It’s unfair!!”

Despite my protests, the screen turned black.

Instead of (You Died), it just showed my character, who had died miserably.

I couldn’t resurrect.

“…Thank you for your hard work…”

It had become a super boring stream.

– Bye!

“Sigh…”

I thought things were going a little better…

I ended the stream.

– ? What’s this?
– Why is the cam suddenly on?

Liera’s broadcast didn’t end.

Instead, for some reason, the cam turned on.

Did I press something wrong?

It showed a small girl wriggling on the bed.

– Isn’t this a broadcast accident?
– Someone report this;;;
– How do we report it?
– What do we do about this?
– Turn off the broadcast turn off the broadcast turn off the broadcast turn off the broadcast turn off the broadcast turn off the broadcast!

“Waaaah… I wanted to show you a good performance…!”

The girl, no. Liera, was sobbing while hugging a cat.

– Maybe we don’t need to turn it off?

Someone said.

The viewers tacitly agreed.

Honestly, it was cute.

If there was a sign of a broadcast accident, they could just forcibly turn off the broadcast with a report bomb.

The viewers thought so and started watching Liera.