Chapter 96: Is the Izumi Nekoto Duo Level Real ?

[Bloody Night] Long time no solo rank! #KainoIzumi #StarsFlow #BloodyNight #BN

Aki Nekoto.

A member of StarsFlow’s second generation, and my junior.

If I were to describe my impression of her, I’d say, “Honestly, I don’t really know.”

Of course, there is definitely some bond formed from being juniors together, and if we could become closer, I would want that.

But aside from that, it’s a fact that I don’t know Aki-chan very well.

To be honest, I could say she’s the most awkward one among my juniors.

With Koga-chan, we talk at least once every two days.

Our DMs are so frequent that we run out of things to say even when we reach 150k Dotsumachi.

Akabane-chan and I share similar gaming tastes, so we end up talking pretty often. Recently, we even had a

conversation about the new hero in Fate’s Showdown.

Utsumi-chan… well, it’s easy to tell she really likes me.

She wants to share even the smallest things with me and asks me to share my little stories too.

But Aki-chan… How should I put it? It’s hard to express in words.

It’s not that we never talk. Aki-chan does message me regularly, after all.

We share an interest in games, and when watching streams, I think we both feel comfortable being alone.

Yet, despite that, I couldn’t understand Aki-chan.

Or maybe, is it okay to say that I didn’t understand her?

For example, a few days ago, I received a DM during the day, and the weather was clear.

[Aki Nekoto: The weather’s nice today, Izumi.]

[Kaino Izumi: Yeah, it is.]

[Aki Nekoto: When the weather’s clear, it’s easier to sleep. So, sleep well.]

[Kaino Izumi: Huh?]

After that, I wasn’t sure if Aki-chan had really gone to sleep, but the response I got back didn’t come until that

evening.

Anyway, Aki-chan always gave off this vibe.

Even when we met before our debuts, I thought she was a cute girl with a somewhat vacant expression.

Yeah.

To put it simply, if I’m the kind of outsider who doesn’t quite fit in with the others, Aki-chan is the natural type who

acts freely on her own, just like her name with the “neko” (cat) in it.

She was so free-spirited that others might think she lacked the camaraderie usually shared among juniors or

members of the same group, but that wasn’t true at all.

She’s done way more collabs than I have, and she talks much more often than me on the Miscord server.

Still, even others thought Aki-chan gave off that natural, carefree feeling. When Koga-chan was asked about her, she

said:

[Nekoto? She’s definitely super free-spirited… I think that’s part of Nekoto’s charm.]

For these reasons, even though I’d like to get closer to Aki-chan, I couldn’t help but feel she was a bit of a difficult

person to approach.

The other members found those qualities cute and charming, but for me, someone who’s not great at

communication, it’s hard to keep up with her…

[Please take care of me, Izumi….]

I never expected that I’d end up meeting Aki-chan like this, suddenly as a duo in Bloody Night.

I never imagined something like this would happen.

At first, I just thought it was a girl named Izutomo.

But when I saw the nickname [Aki Nekoto], and heard her voice again, I realized it was actually Aki.

“Uh, is… is this really you, Aki?”

I had to confirm it just in case.

[Hmm? Yep. Nekoto is Nekoto…]

That was definitely the kind of answer Aki would give.

• Nekochan’s here!
• Suddenly, Master has appeared!
• Love this kind of surprise collab, C!

The chat was, of course, welcoming Aki’s appearance.

[Just woke up, and when I saw that Izumi was playing Bloody Knight, I decided to join.]

“Oh, really?”

[Yeah. Last time when I watched you play with Hikari, I thought I’d like to play with you too.]

With that, Aki selected the support role, Michaël, on the character selection screen.

[I’ll support you, Izumi. You just take out all the enemies.]

That was basically her saying she trusted me to carry the game.

And I…

“I-I’ll do my best…”

I replied and selected Rina again.

“So, Aki, what’s your rank…?”

Since we got matched automatically in solo rank, it meant she was at least at the Diamond rank.

And the fact she picked Michaël to support shows she’s likely very skilled.

[I’ve reached Night Raid before, but I fell back to Bloody Knight pretty quickly.]

As expected.

Night Raid is one rank higher than Bloody Knight.

However, that doesn’t mean it’s low at all.

Night Raid is the top 1% of Bloody Knight, and Bloody Knight itself is in the top 1.1%-3%.

[That’s why I thought you were amazing when I heard you finished the season in Night Raid…]

“Really…?”

[Yeah, Izumi’s amazing.]

“Hehe…”

Hearing such direct compliments felt really good.

Especially when it’s from someone close to me.

Is Aki difficult to approach? Well, who cares.

When she compliments me like this, I can tell she’s a good person, and I want to get closer to her!

Michaël is a supporter character in Bloody Knight with the nickname “True Supporter.” But that nickname has a hint of mockery because of the following reason:

Her skills are purely focused on support.

Bloody Knight is a first-person shooter where you kill enemies with guns.

And various playstyles can emerge by utilizing skills properly.

However, Michaël’s skills are all about helping teammates.

Her passive increases ally shields by 10%.

Q skill heals allies’ HP.

E skill boosts ally movement speed.

Night Ark increases ally damage by 10% and reduces damage received by 20%.

But none of these skills apply to Michaël herself.

Other supporters at least have a way to contribute directly, but Michaël is strictly all about supporting others.

In a game where winning means killing the enemy, she can’t do anything herself.

Sure, if she has a good weapon and aims well, she can still be a threat to the opponent.

But that’s all.

The fact that she can’t land the final blow is a glaring disadvantage in Bloody Knight.

That’s why “True Supporter” is a bit of a sarcastic nickname.

Even her basic HP and defense are very low, and her skill range is also short, making her easy to die with a single mistake.

This is why she’s often laughed at by the community.

However…

If the player using Michaël is skilled and the allies are strong enough, Michaël can show her true potential as a top-tier supporter.

Her passive helps shields last longer, her healing can keep allies alive even in critical moments, and her movement speed boost makes it easier for teammates to attack.

Finally, Night Ark is a devastating ability that can make enemies feel helpless, effectively making Michaël a broken character for the enemies.

Now, let’s look at Aki and me in this context.

The condition that our allies need to have sufficient skill wasn’t a problem at all, considering that I had once reached

the Night Raid rank myself.

On top of that, Aki-chan had also reached Night Raid rank in the past, so her understanding of the game would be

more than enough.

And seeing her pick Mikael without hesitation, I was confident that she also had a strong understanding of the

character.

In fact, the average rank of our current matchmaking opponents was Diamond.

In this situation, I chose my main character, Rina.

Rina had the best mobility in the game and a high growth potential, but her body was weaker than that of other

characters.

However, Mikael’s passive, Q skill, and Night Arc could perfectly compensate for that weakness.

In other words, we absolutely couldn’t lose in this situation… or so I thought.

[Good luck, Izumi!]

Why am I playing this game alone right now?

“Aki-chan? Didn’t you say earlier that you were at Bloody rank?!”

[Yeah, that’s right.]

“Then why did you suddenly fall back alone just now…?”

Earlier, we found ourselves in a situation where enemies were approaching from both the front and back, and we had

to break through one side.

Naturally, I was planning to break through the front and create a path, but for some reason, Aki-chan suddenly

turned around and started fighting the enemies that were behind us.

Of course, Mikael couldn’t do anything alone, and eventually, Aki-chan died, leaving me by myself.

[I thought we needed at least one person to watch the back…]

“M-Mikael couldn’t possibly handle it…?”

[Sorry. Nekoto, it was my first time playing Mikael.]

“…Huh?”

[Her main role is actually a tank.]

• Come to think of it, Nekoto never mentioned she had played Mikael before.
  Well, it makes sense to think she would do well since she picked him without hesitation, right?!

[Good luck….]

“Uwahh?!”

In the end, I couldn’t avoid dying from the bullets pouring in from both sides.

Right after that match ended, Aki-chan went straight back to sleep…

[Virtual YouTuber Minor Gallery]

[Title: Today’s Izumi Nekoto Surprise Duo Summary.jpg]

[Posted by: ᄋᄋ]

(A meerkat standing and turning its head)

Mei-chan has been tricked again.

[Upvotes: 21 / Downvotes: 3]

ᄋᄋ: It was my first time playing Mikael, so I didn’t know (picks Mikael without hesitation)

Luwu: Her main role is a tank, lol.

ᄋᄋ: Is this really a duo from former Night Raid rank players?

Loo: This is honestly making my heart feel so small…

Don’t lie: You said you were going to sleep, but after playing a match, you just went back to sleep because you were

tired, which is so funny, lol.

Loo: Master is a baby… you need to sleep more…

LMaker: Who will take responsibility for Mei-chan’s dropped points…