Chapter 64: The most Important thing now is the courage to not hesitate.

[Virtual OnTuber Minor Gallery]

[Title: Mei-chan’s Wordplay Today]

[Author: 00]

Wow, this is really funny, hahaha.

https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX

[Upvotes: 39 / Downvotes: 11]

Mei-chanLove: I love you, Mei-chan, down down down down down down down down down down down down down

down down down.

Maker: When you look at this, you realize how fair God is.

└Maker: He gave her cuteness, but took away communication skills, friendships, and a sense of humor…

Loo: No matter how you look at it, she got a pretty bad deal, haha.

LMaker: More like a jackpot.

└Maker: As long as you’re cute, you can get by just fine.

-[Deleted by author]

Loo: Cuteness is justice.

NOA: Bahahahahahahaha!

Loo: Baki-yat-hoo! Baki-yat-hoo! Baki-yat-hoo!

StarSky: This looks hilarious from Tsuba-chan’s perspective.

└StarSky: When Tsubaki, watching from behind, heard that, she got so mad she reflexively threw a headbutt, haha.

Loo: There’s already a separate clip of that in the thread.

User: When you see stuff like this, it’s honestly a disaster.

User: She really shouldn’t be trying wordplay like that.

Loo: It’s seriously frustrating, haha.

[Title: Declaration of War on Izumi Tsubaki]

[Author: User]

Do you think she even knows what “hypocrisy” means?

https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX

[Upvotes: 52 / Downvotes: 3]

Mei-chanLove: As long as she’s cute, who cares, you $ jerk.

User: Trying to explain the joke afterward just makes it even more infuriating, haha.

User: Shouldn’t it be Izumi who needs to apologize to Tsubaki and Izutomo?

User: Wow, she really shouldn’t be doing wordplay like that.

Loo: Just hearing it makes me angry, haha.

Loo: If I’d done that in school, someone would’ve made me hit my head in apology.

Luwu: Ah, ahh…

StarSky: But seriously, how mad must she have been to fire off a headbutt without hesitation, haha.

Loo: I’d have done the same.

StarSky: The fact that she explains it later, worried people won’t get it, makes me wonder if she’s like this in real life

too, haha.

└Mei-chanLove: Stop slandering Mei-chan, you $ jerks.

└StarSky: Really? Even as her biggest fan, that joke wouldn’t make you mad?

Loo: Don’t worry; she’ll live just fine without your concern…

“Th-this is war.”

[Huh?]

The bewildered voice of Namikawa-senpai lasted only for a brief moment.

[…Alright. I understand.]

The healing stops, and the sniper rifle aims at me once more.

Her intent is clear.

“Uh, um, could you please, uh, spare me just this once…?”

-You can’t just beg for mercy right after declaring war.

-If that’s the case, then don’t declare war in the first place.

But if I die, I’ll lose all the resources I’ve gathered again. This time, I have no choice but to beg for forgiveness and try

to get through this.

[Why should I spare an opponent who just vowed to kill me? If you’ll eventually become my enemy, it’s best to crush you before you can grow. Give me a logical reason, and I’ll heal you, Izumi.]

“Uh, wouldn’t it be… more entertaining?”

After careful thought, this was my answer—a response with no logic whatsoever.

[Hmm… entertainment? In what way?]

Yet, Namikawa-senpai, seemingly finding my answer worth hearing, urged me to continue, letting out a soft, amused sigh.

Alright, let’s think.

If she spares me, what kind of enjoyment could she possibly get?

This is Namikawa-senpai, known as the scariest when angered among the first-years. I have to come up with the

perfect answer without upsetting her.

“Uh, uhm. Well, you know, a one-sided fight would be, um, boring for the viewers… wouldn’t it?”

Yes, this time, I should argue that it’s not for my own sake, but for the audience.

Yeah. My survival is purely for the viewers’ entertainment!

…Probably!

“If I die now, it’ll just be a one-sided chase, and they’ll get bored really fast….”

[Hmm… Tsubaki fans, what do you think? If I relentlessly hunt down Izumi, who can’t even fight back, would that really not be entertaining?]

“E-Everyone’s probably going to find this boring, right? I’ll lose interest quickly, for sure….”

– It actually sounds super fun, haha

– I can’t wait to see it!

– Make Mei-chan cry, Tsuba-chan! >W<

Why is it that…

Why does no one in my stream ever take my side?

My stream is supposed to showcase my gaming skills, and I’m an easygoing, cool girl with a tomboy vibe. So why are

the Izutomos always trying to make me cry?

…Well, I get that a boyish girl crying is kind of cute, but still, isn’t this a bit much? I’ve got way too many viewers

rooting for my breakdown!

[Tsubaki’s fans all think it’ll be fun… but what do the Izutomos think, Izumi-san?]

“I-I think most people will find it boring…”

– Don’t lie!

– Are you trying to fool Senpai?

The chat flared up at my words, but I decided to play it cool.

Honestly, how is it a survival game if I’m just running for my life, afraid I’ll be killed by Senpai without a chance to

fight back?

…Or maybe that’s the truest form of survival?

I don’t know. What’s important is that I need the courage to stay calm.

“I mean, in a battle, it’s only fun if you’re on equal footing, right…?”

[Oh? …Sure, it wouldn’t be as fun if it’s too one-sided.]

“R-Right?”

[But Izumi-san,]

“Yes?”

[I don’t like lies.]

Bang!

Without hesitation, Senpai pulled the trigger, and once again my screen faded to gray with a [You Died] message.

“…Aaahhhhh!”

I slammed my desk in frustration.

[Namikawa Tsubaki: Run all you want, Izumi-san.]

[[Gray City] Survival! #NamikawaTsubaki #StarsFlow #GrayCity]

[Namikawa Tsubaki: Run all you want, Izumi-san.]

“Heh.”

After typing the taunt towards Izumi in chat, Tsubaki chuckled to herself.

Of course, Tsubaki wasn’t planning to drop everything just to chase down Izumi. Like Izumi had mentioned,

constantly hunting the same person might be fun at first, but it’d get boring quickly.

So she planned to play normally and take Izumi down if she happened to cross paths with her. That was satisfying enough.

[Um, the answer is ‘Izumi is me,’ right? H-Haha…]

[You see, if you translate ‘○○ is me’ into English, it sounds like I-Izumi, doesn’t it? Hehe…]

“Haha…”

Back at her base, Tsubaki recalled Izumi’s little wordplay.

Honestly, it was a pretty lame joke, something only an old man would make. But somehow, coming from a cute high

school girl, it had its charm.

“Ah, come to think of it, didn’t Neko-chan say she was preparing for war with Izumi-san too?”

– Neko was the first to kill Izumi, after all

– A junior who avenged her senpai

“…Maybe I should try bringing Neko-chan over to our side too?”

The alliance system in Gray City wasn’t very impactful, but it was still better than nothing.

Currently, the only person Tsubaki had an alliance with was her fellow classmate, Rinze.

But neither Tsubaki nor Rinze was particularly good at Gray City. They’d only managed to kill Izumi twice because

Neko had already taken her out first, leaving her weaponless.

If they’d faced Izumi in a fair situation, Tsubaki had a feeling she wouldn’t have stood a chance against her even once.

So if she could form an alliance with someone skilled at games, like Neko, it would be a massive advantage.

“Hmm. If I use the chat, Izumi-san will know, so I’ll have to find Neko-chan myself.”

After stashing all the materials she’d gotten from killing Izumi in her storage, Tsubaki mounted her horse and left her base.

And that scene…

[Muhahaha…]

A young girl was watching.

• “Confident?”

“…Honestly, the chances of winning right now are zero.”

I’d already been killed once by Aki and twice by Namikawa-senpai. And on top of that, I lost all the materials I’d gathered.

Aki seemed to have already established a solid foundation, and Namikawa-senpai was likely in an alliance with

Yuzuki-senpai. So, my death probably didn’t impact them much.

In other words, no matter how hard I try from here, it won’t be easy to close the gap between us.

But…

“There is… a way…”

Of course, it comes with an enormous risk, but if it succeeds, I might be able to turn things around in one go.

Aki might be prepared, but I doubt the seniors would have anticipated going this far.

• Haha, if you get caught, you’re in big trouble! E(o__ )o
• Really understanding the essence of a ruined city in gameplay.

“Q-Quiet down…”

Of course, Izutomo’s chat couldn’t actually be heard nearby. But knowing how precarious my situation was, I

couldn’t help but mutter that.

“…Looks like they haven’t set up any security yet.”

I was in the seniors’ base. Naturally, a door had been installed to prevent unauthorized access.

But a wooden door was easy to destroy, even with the basic weapons given at the start.

Luckily, neither of the seniors was here. It seemed they both went out to gather materials, leaving the base empty.

After a quick survey, it didn’t seem like there were any traps, so I quietly began searching through the base’s storage.

“Oh, here are the materials I’d collected earlier.”

Of course, I took everything, even the materials that weren’t mine.

• Can you really do this? Haha
• This is a dead-end with nowhere to escape, haha.

“Well, in war, you can’t be picky about the methods…”

After all, the seniors had taken everything I’d collected when they killed me.

I’m not even killing them now, so you could say my response is pretty mild. I deserve a pat on the back, actually.

“Where could the iron be…”

To wage war, iron was essential for crafting weapons. The guns I’d initially made were taken by Aki, and afterward, I

hadn’t mined any iron, focusing instead on building a shelter. I’d have to stock up here.

“Could it be in here…?”

Just as I reached for the fifth storage door…

[Ohohoho! I knew you’d come here, Izumi!]

A high-pitched voice sounded from behind me.