Chapter 21: Congratulations to this guy

“Ugh.”

Yuki woke up with a slight headache from the

hangover.

As her consciousness returned, she felt an incredibly

soft sensation in her hand.

“Hmm?”

Unable to resist the addictive softness, Yuki lightly

grasped it.

“Eek?”

A cute squeal quietly echoed.

“Hmm?”

Opening her eyes to the sound, Yuki saw Mina sleeping

in her arms with a terrified expression.

“…Ah, right.”

Only then did Yuki remember everything that had

happened yesterday. She had been so happy that Mina

had said she liked her on the broadcast, that she drank

more than usual. Because of that, she had drunkenly

stumbled into Mina’s room in the early morning and

made a scene.

She recalled it all.

“Haah.”

Regret began to wash over Yuki.

No matter how awkward it felt now, Yuki had always

been a symbol of a cool woman in Mina’s eyes since

they were very young. Knowing this, Yuki had been

more reserved around Mina, and that silence had

gradually created distance between them.

However, the fact that Yuki was still seen as a cool

woman in Mina’s heart hadn’t changed, and Yuki knew

that as well. In other words, it was her own mistake

that shattered Mina’s fantasy.

“…Hmm?”

But the guilt was short-lived.

The thought of “Doesn’t it not matter?” began to

blossom within Yuki.

Thinking about it, the reason they had drifted apart

was also due to Yuki’s actions taken to protect that

fantasy.

Considering that it had only made things awkward,

those actions were all self-defeating. Perhaps it was

better for that fantasy to be broken sooner rather than

later?

And now that the fantasy was broken, wasn’t it okay

for them to be a little closer like before?

It didn’t take long for Yuki’s doubts to transform into

certainty.

“Then for now, just a little more…”

With a quiet smile, Yuki hugged Mina a bit tighter and closed her eyes.

“Ugh?”

Relaxing her grip, she closed her eyes again.

When she opened them, she was alone in the bed; her

sister was already awake.

“Umm.”

Stretching and shaking off the drowsiness, she looked

at the calendar.

August 21st. Only ten days left until school starts.

Why is summer break only a month long? It would be

nice to have a little more time.

Isn’t it supposed to be a “summer” break?

Shouldn’t it be from the end of June until September?

Or not.

“Hmm.”

Just in case, she lifted her pajamas slightly and sniffed

them.

If there was a smell of alcohol, she’d have to throw

them in the washing machine.

Fortunately, that annoying task didn’t have to happen.

Housework isn’t difficult, but it can be such a hassle…

“Yawn.”

Finally, she stretched one last time, but the drowsiness

showed no signs of leaving.

She could only enjoy this relaxed feeling for ten more days.

“Are you awake?”

“…Yes.”

As she stepped into the living room, a delicious smell

tickled her nose.

In the kitchen, her sister was standing in front of the

induction stove, wearing an apron. Quietly

approaching, she saw buttered bread, eggs, and bacon

sizzling in the frying pan.

“French toast?”

“Yeah. I thought a light breakfast would be best.”

That was reasonable; she herself preferred a very

simple breakfast, and eggs were good for hangovers.

Her sister’s choice was very rational.

“Come on, let’s eat.”

“Yes.”

At last, the cooking was finished, and her sister lightly

plated the food before placing the dish on the table.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Yeah.”

As Yuki took a bite of the bread, the sweet aroma of

butter permeated from her mouth to her nose.

The crispy bacon and sweet strawberry jam enhanced

the flavor, and the slightly greasy aftertaste was

mellowed out by the simplicity of the fried egg.

And finishing it off with a refreshing glass of milk…!

Mmm. This is bliss.

It may not be the ultimate indulgence like chicken and

cola, but this is still a wonderful treat.

“Haah.”

Setting down her cup, Yuki glanced at her sister.

She had the same stoic expression as usual.

Did she not remember the drunken antics from the

early morning?

If it were Yuki, her face would have turned beet red

from embarrassment.

Well, it’s hard to imagine her sister acting like that.

It had only been early morning when she drank a lot,

and the usual her wouldn’t do that.

“Mina.”

“Ah, yes?”

“Do you have any broadcast schedule today?”

“Um, I think I’ll be streaming at 3 PM.”

She needed to continue the game “Legends of

Ragnarok,” which she had abruptly ended yesterday.

Who would have thought there was such a secret in

that boss’s gimmick?

Now that I know this, I’m invincible.

The Izutomos will surely be surprised by my amazing skills…

“Mom said she’d be home around 7, so keep that in mind.”

Yuki nodded silently, already aware of that from the

text she received.

But what was it?

Maybe because of what happened in the early

morning, her sister’s cold demeanor seemed a bit less

than usual.

…Well, it’s probably just a misunderstanding.

Her sister didn’t seem to remember anything.

“Well, I enjoyed the meal.”

“Mina.”

“Yes?”

“Wait a moment.”

Her sister stood up and quietly approached Yuki.

“Eh?”

“Um. It’s fine.”

Then she tightly hugged Yuki, relaxing her grip and

nodding with a satisfied smile before heading back to

her room.

What was that? Am I dreaming?

Yuki stood alone in the living room for a while,

contemplating.

[This is hell, for real— #KainoiZumi #StarsFlow #TheTruthOfRagnarok]

“H? 2H? HOHOHOH?!”

• Didn’t she seem really confident at the start?
• It’s already been three hours, Mei-chan…
• She spent about two hours here yesterday, so it’s practically five hours.
• I’m really, really terrible…♥

Didn’t they say you could roll in when the pattern goes

backward and get a stun?

I’ve seen the video! So why isn’t it working?!

They said you only need to dodge three jump patterns!

But there are five jumps!!!

“Ugh!”

No matter how many times Yuki slammed her hands

on the desk, the anger boiling inside her wouldn’t

subside.

Isn’t it a cliché in TS internet broadcasting to amaze

people with incredible skills? You’re supposed to read

movements frame by frame, dodging smoothly and

defeating everything!

So why…?

• Mei-chan’s shotgun is so good, why is it like this?
• Can she even clear this?
• I hate the creator…

Honestly, I do feel like my gaming skills have improved.

If I seriously focused on one game, I could easily be in

the top 1%, right?

But I’m the type who has a shallow but broad interest.

I have to watch Nacchan’s streams, catch up on anime,

draw, read light novels, read web novels, check the

community…

Everything.

I have so much to do that it’s impossible to concentrate

solely on games.

In other words, what I need is the talent to adapt to

games in an instant and peak quickly.

“This game is a total piece of trash. I don’t want to play it.”

The reality is bleak.

The god of the TS genre has forsaken me…

• The first game abandoned by trash game fanatic Mei-chan, The Truth of Ragnarok.
• Running away, how embarrassing♥
• Wouldn’t the creator be proud to see this?

“Today’s stream will end here. Bye, everyone. See you

next time…”

Running away isn’t something to be ashamed of, right?

Even the blue-haired goddess said that running away

doesn’t mean you lose…

• Byezumi!
• Byezumi!

“Ugh.”

After finishing the broadcast and stretching her stiff

body, Yuki stepped out of her room, finding her mom

sitting on the sofa watching TV.

“Welcome back. You’re home early.”

“Yeah. The work ended sooner than I expected, so I

came straight up. I bought some Satang Dagi and put it

in the fridge, so eat it when you want.”

“Okay.”

I’ll have to eat it while watching Nacchan’s stream later.

With that thought, Yuki plopped down beside her mom

and, for the first time, smelled something sizzling that

made her mouth water.

Turning her gaze, she saw her sister in the kitchen in

front of the induction stove, wearing an apron and

cooking something.

“What are you making?”

“Ribeye steak. I wanted to make it for you and Mom today.”

Ribeye steak?

“What is it? I feel like we recently talked about ribeye steak.”

“Mom, Mina! It’s ready.”

At her sister’s call, Yuki and her mom stood up from

the sofa and moved to the dining table.

On the table waited a perfectly cooked medium-well

ribeye steak, its brown surface glistening.

“Okay, let’s eat, sister.”

“Mina.”

As Yuki tried to sit beside her mom to express her

thanks, her sister suddenly called out to her.

“Yes?”

“Not there, here.”

Her sister pointed to the seat next to her.

“Eh? Um…”

“Quickly.”

Her sister slammed her palm down on the chair as if

refusing to allow her to sit anywhere else.

Unable to withstand that pressure, Yuki had no choice

but to sit next to her sister.

It’s not like it’s a problem, but it feels a bit scary…

Did I do something wrong to her?

No, it was proven that her sister cared about her in the

early morning, right?

There’s no need to be unnecessarily anxious. That’s a bad habit.

“Thank you for the meal.”

“Enjoy, Jiya.”

“Yeah.”

After finishing their meal greeting, Yuki quietly cut into

her steak with her fork and knife…

“Mina.”

“Yes?”

“Ah.”

Turning her gaze sideways, she saw her sister aiming a

piece of steak at her with her fork, cut into a perfect

bite-sized piece.

“What, what is this…?”

“Ah.”

Again, the pressure of her sister’s gaze indicated that

there would be no arguments allowed this time.

But I couldn’t give in this time.

After all, it’s embarrassing for someone with a mental

age of 40 to act like this.

“Sister, I can eat by myself…”

“Ah~.”

If the atmosphere had been even a little softer, I might

have managed to refuse somehow, but her sister’s

expression was as cold as usual.

Yet, why did her words sound so cute?

That imbalance was even more terrifying.

“Quickly, ah~.”

“Ah, ah…”

Yuki squeezed her eyes shut and took a bite of the

steak on her sister’s fork.

The taste of the steak chewing in her mouth was

somehow resentful.

“Is that enough now?”

“Yeah.”

Her sister seemed satisfied and nodded.

Right. Maybe her sister just wanted to enjoy herself for

a change.

She must be really tired from work.

With that thought, Yuki was about to put a piece of

steak in her mouth when…

“Mina.”

Her sister called her again.

Trembling with fear, Yuki turned her gaze again, and

this time her sister had her eyes closed and mouth

open.

“Ah~.”

“Um, uh, sister?”

“Ah~.”

“Ah, ah…”

Having learned from experience that this stubbornness

couldn’t be defeated, Yuki quickly put her piece of

steak into her sister’s mouth.

Her sister opened her eyes, a bright smile on her face.

“Thank you.”

It felt strange… like I was committing a crime…

“Hehe, it feels like I’m watching you two, Jiya and

Mina, when you were little.”

“Yes?”

“What do you mean, Mom?”

“Don’t you remember? When you were little, Mina

would always say, ‘I’m going to be Jiya’s bride when I

grow up!’ You were so sad when Dad didn’t pick you.”

“Yeah. Mina is mine. I won’t give her to anyone else.”

“Eh?”

As her sister said that, she hugged Yuki tightly from above.

Her sister’s embrace was so soft and smelled so good

that Yuki almost nodded without realizing it.

Phew. My instincts as a man almost awakened…