Chapter 60: When many people gather, isn’t the presence of one close bestfriend important?

“I’ll get going, Suna unni.”

“Alright. See you next time. You said you’re heading back to Korea in three days, right?”

“Yeah. In the meantime, I’ll meet Jia, explore a bit, and do some research. It might be difficult to see you again before I leave.”

“That’s understandable. After all, you’re an adult now.”

“…I’ve been an adult for a long time, you know? Anyway, see you next time, Mina.”

“Yes, see you, Sia auntie….”

“And make sure to reply when I DM you from now on!”

“Yes…”

Unless it seems like she’s obsessively messaging me, I’ll respond willingly. Of course, I kept that thought to myself

and waved to Sia auntie.


“Ahhh… this is nice.”

“Totally…….”

In a fairly spacious studio room, two women were drinking beer.

One woman, with a serious expression, gulped down her beer without hesitation. Her striking black obsidian-like

hair, tied back in a ponytail, was particularly eye-catching.

On the other hand, the other woman, with a more relaxed expression, sipped her beer slowly. Her short black hair

and lively demeanor created a stark contrast with her drinking partner.

“Drinking with you, Sia unni, feels like it’s been forever…….”

“Right. Even though we stayed in touch often, we rarely had time to meet up.”

Sia and Jia.

Their Korean names were similar, almost like sisters, and they shared a bond that had lasted over 15 years. However,

as Jia mentioned, it had indeed been a long time since the two of them shared a drink together.

One was a top illustrator in the industry.

The other was a well-known scenario writer in the animation and gaming industry, famous for never taking a break,

and also a popular magazine model.

Just having their free time overlap was a significant miracle in itself.

“So, I heard you met Mina recently?”

“Yeah. Unlike you, who sometimes comes to Korea for business trips, the only way I could see Mina was if I went to

Japan. Actually, the last time we saw each other was at her husband’s funeral, but Mina was asleep at the time.”

“True…”

As a scenario writer, Jia often prioritized field research, frequently traveling to different countries, especially Korea,

her mother’s homeland.

Whenever she was in Korea, she would meet up with Sia, if only briefly, so her situation with Mina was notably different.

“…So, how was she?”

“Mina? …She was unbelievably cute.”

“Right? Haha…”

As a doting older sister, Jia let out a sheepish smile at Sia’s compliment about Mina’s cuteness, admiring her younger sister.

“How can she be this adorable? I can’t understand it, even though she’s my treasure….”

Though Jia’s face remained expressionless, her flushed cheeks revealed her drunken state.

For Sia, it was a familiar sight.

Jia had once tried her best to be a cool older sister in front of Mina, but she had always openly praised Mina’s cuteness to others.

As proof, the topic that dominated Sia and Jia’s DM conversations was Jia’s endless boasting about Mina.

“Well, she is definitely incredibly cute…”

Having met Mina after a long time, Sia, too, was already captivated by her charm.

Of course, since Sia had cared for Mina since she was young, it was natural for her to find Mina adorable.

But Sia could confidently say that, objectively speaking, Mina was indeed cute.

Her silky, soft brown hair invited one’s touch without any thought.

According to Suna, Mina had inherited her great-grandfather’s mysterious blue eyes.

With a dainty nose and lips, her slightly shy demeanor, her continued stuttering, and her innocent laughter were

reminiscent of a small animal, though her figure—a clear reminder of her femininity—was enough to inspire

admiration.

Was there any living being more suited to the term “adorable woman” than Mina?

Sia found herself seriously pondering that thought.

“So, Sia unni, there’s something that’s been worrying me lately…….”

“Hmm? What’s been bothering you?”

“Mina’s just so cute; I worry that some strange person might come after her….”

“Phf!”

At Jia’s words, Sia nearly spit out the beer she was sipping.

“Wha–what are you saying?”

“Huh? I mean it literally. Here, look.”

With that, Jia displayed her phone, showing her DM conversation with Mina.

[Kaya Yuki: How was your day? I’m at work right now (-w)]

[Kaya Mina: I was chatting with Koya-yang today since it’s my day off from streaming.]

[Kaya Mina: Come to think of it, Koya-yang recently watched all of ‘Old Boy.’]

[Kaya Mina: Koya-yang said it was incredibly fun and asked for more recommendations.]

[Kaya Yuki: How about ‘Hero’s Journey’? You really loved that one back in the day (“‘”)]

[Kaya Mina: Seems good. I’ll tell Koya-yang.]

“…So why are you worried? It’s good for her to get along with her peers.”

“True, but I just can’t help feeling a bit anxious….”

“That kind of attachment isn’t healthy, you know.”

“But Mina doesn’t always notice certain things….”

“…Ah, I get it now?”

On her stream, Mina always proclaimed herself to be a “super pretty girl.” Neither Jia nor Sia ever disagreed; it was simply a fact.

However, her self-esteem was incredibly low to the point of insignificance, so she barely acknowledged the reactions

her looks might draw.

Even just recently, Sia had experienced this firsthand.

“I-I like you too, Toka Mama. I’ll keep doing my best, Sia auntie!”

Wasn’t her face flushing at those words? Sia had seriously thought at the time that with her looks, saying things like

that should be against the rules.

Because of her ridiculously low self-esteem, Mina would easily open up to anyone who showed her even a bit of kindness.

Thankfully, she still kept her guard up around men.

Though, to men, even that cautious side of her probably came off as appealing.

“Sometimes she says things without realizing how embarrassing they are.”

“…Come to think of it, she really does charm people without even noticing—like a little fox.”

“She probably has nine tails hidden somewhere. She just doesn’t know it….”

Of course, both Sia and Jia refrained from pointing out that they themselves were also among those charmed by Mina.

“I miss Mina…”

“Just drink more.”

[Manager: Izumi, are you familiar with ‘Ashen City’?]

[Kaya Izumi: Yes]

[Manager: Got it.]

[Manager: It looks like Ashen City’s StarzFlow server will open in about two days.]

[Manager: Participation is optional, but what do you think?]

Ashen City was a sandbox survival game released three years ago.

In the game, players had to build shelters, find food, and survive in a post-apocalyptic world—a simple enough premise.

The game’s only end goal was to defeat a corrupt scientist and escape into space… but that was only achievable in

single-player mode.

Since the manager had mentioned the StarzFlow server, there’d be no way to escape into space. In other words, they

were just gathering virtual streamers to show how each would survive in Ashen City.

“Hmm….”

It would certainly be entertaining content for viewers.

Ashen City’s multiplayer mode was notorious for having no alliances.

To be precise, an alliance system did exist, but it was more of a verbal agreement that could be broken with a single

click. If you let your guard down even for a moment, you could be betrayed and lose all your collected food and

resources, ending up penniless.

A game that crushes trust between people in an instant—how brutal.

But that very element would be entertaining to viewers.

In fact, I’d watched plenty of Ashen City multiplayer videos myself, though I’d never actually played multiplayer.

…Because I didn’t have anyone to play with.

“Should I… try it?”

Since I’d already cleared Ashen City in single-player mode before, I had some useful knowledge about the game.

Ashen City wasn’t a super popular game, so I figured there probably weren’t many StarzFlow members who had

actually played it themselves.

That should give me quite the edge, right?

“…I’ll do it.”

Imagining myself outplaying everyone with overwhelming skill, I was sure it’d get the audience hyped.

In a game like this, considering others’ positions isn’t necessary.

In fact, deliberately ignoring others’ positions tends to make for even more entertaining scenes.

Of course, there were some worries.

Since Ashen City’s multiplayer required some level of communication, if an awkward introvert like me tried it,

viewers might find the whole thing boring.

But.

[Kaya Izumi: I’ll join.]

I wasn’t about to change my decision.

If my lack of communication skills threatened to make things dull, I’d make up for it with sheer skill.

Just wait and see, everyone.

“In the ashen fog, the reaper that will claim your lives shall come for you…”

[[Ashen City] Descending as the Reaper #KayaIzumi #StarzFlow #AshenCity]

-(≦)> Zumizumi! -(≥▽≦)> Zumizumi!

The monitor displayed the empty, gray UI of the game. The stream hadn’t started yet, so it still showed my standby illustration.

“Hah…”

To be honest, if I had to describe my feelings right now, it would be regret.

A total of eight people, including me, had signed up for this Ashen City project.

There was Natchan from Gen 0; from Gen 1, there was Kurokami-senpai, Namikawa-senpai, and Yuzuki-senpai. And

from Gen 2, there was me, Akabane, Utsumi, and Aki.

…That’s right. Koya-yang wasn’t here.

Apparently, she’s sitting this one out due to personal reasons. Since StarzFlow’s Ashen City server is always open to

members, I’m sure Koya-yang will join the next time we gather to play.

But the problem is that she’s not here right now.

Out of the seven others, the only two I’ve ever chatted with are Akabane and Kurokami-senpai.

Out of the remaining five, two are still Gen 2, so at least I’m somewhat comfortable with them. But there were also

Namikawa-senpai and Yuzuki-senpai, who I had never spoken to before.

And with Natchan, it’s a stretch to say we’ve ever really chatted.

Of course, none of the senpais are bad people.

But the thought of playing a game with senpais I’ve never even spoken to made my stomach turn.

Koya-yang is usually the one who calms me down in moments like these…

Help me, Koya Mama…

I want to run away…


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