Volume 1 - CH 2

“Idiot big bro, mind the walls when defusing the bomb, you’re a troll.”

“Hey, you’re trolling too in your studies, aren’t you?”

“Thanks to you, brother, I managed to get an A in the national exam. Is there a problem?”

“Are you provoking or praising me? Which is it?”

“Hehe, by the way, brother, what’s your current rank?”

“…I’m Silver 2.”

“Please consider by tomorrow whether I, who am Platinum 1, am really trolling.”

“Having a sister who surpasses her brother, huh.”

The streaming that started with Mizusaki’s proposal had been going on for two months before we knew it.

I, in my room, and Mizusaki in hers, would come home from work, finish dinner and a bath, and then start gaming streams for about an hour from around 11 pm.

There were days when we would play more than usual on holidays, but there were also times when we wouldn’t stream if work was prolonged or Mizusaki was focusing on her studies. It had become more of a hobby than being streamers.

“Phew, that was close… I managed to win with a physical advantage.”

“That’s what’s amazing about you, brother.”

“You fool, hearing that from someone in Platinum just sounds sarcastic.”

“But it’s the truth– Oh, is it that time already? It’s a shame, but…”

“Alright, don’t stay up late practising sneakily.”

“Yes. Good night, brother.”

With that, Mizusaki’s avatar on the chat app “Wave” disappeared.

“…Well, I’m not worried about Mizusaki. She’s a master of both academics and gaming.”

Even during her shut-in days, she could study without going to school, and her gaming improvement speed was overwhelmingly faster than mine, no matter what she did.

“On the other hand, I’m a regular employee at a local SME, smeared with overtime work. It’s tough being ordinary.”

Even so, Mizusaki still worships the 52 kills I made in an FPS game, but– I’ll say it again, I’m ashamed to brag about something I got by chance.

Strength comes from accumulating coincidences, and a one-time glory is just a thing of the past.

Mizusaki can do the former, and I can’t.

“Well, as long as my sister is satisfied, I’m okay with it– Oh.”

Just as I was thinking that, I realized that I had forgotten to stop the stream and hurriedly got up.

But even though I’ve been streaming for about two months, I have almost no concurrent viewers, so there’s no rush… I was about to end the stream with a bit of self-deprecation.

Then my hand stopped.

“Huh? One concurrent viewer?”

I didn’t know when it started, but it seemed that I had one viewer.

But that’s not unusual.

Because there were occasional times when I had one more viewer.

But that was short-lived, and usually returned to zero within a few seconds. In other words, people would watch out of curiosity, but find it boring and leave.

However, it was the first time I had been watched until the end.

“…There are some really idle people out there. Go to bed early.”

That being said, I wasn’t particularly serious about streaming, so without any excitement, I just said that and closed the stream.

About two weeks later.

We were still streaming while talking on voice chat as usual.

We mainly played “Stape”, with the occasional different game being the main content.

But the number of viewers was still zero, or at most one.

Honestly, at this point, streaming is nothing but pointless, but Mizusaki strongly refuses to stop, so it has gone beyond being a hobby and has become an obligation.

“Brother, I have a mock test tomorrow, so I’m sorry but…”

“Understood. Don’t worry about it, and do your best as usual.”

On one particularly hot day when summer was starting to get intense, I received such a message on the chat app, and I was considering playing Stape alone.

“I have the day off tomorrow, so maybe I’ll skip the stream and just do some solo ranking.”

Actually, I never streamed when I played alone.

The reason was simple: there was no one to talk to in a situation where no one was watching.

“But if I don’t stream enough, Mizusaki might complain…”

So, being somewhat fearful of Mizusaki’s shadow, I started my first solo stream.

“Alright, let’s start with the practice field and–”

Then, even though it hadn’t been a minute since the start, the concurrent viewers became one.

“…This person has been coming for a week.”

I think it’s the same person every time, but of course, I don’t know their name.

I had a bit of anxiety wondering if Mizusaki had gained a fan, but since there was no sign of any comments, I just went ahead with Stape.

“……….”

However, as expected, I had nothing to talk about.

It’s not a broadcast for anyone in particular, so I could just do it in silence, but the fact that there was just one person there made me feel like I should say something, and I started to get anxious.

As I was thinking about what to do, my thoughts started to be consumed by it, and before I knew it, the word “DEFEAT” appeared on the screen.

“…This is the worst.”

Without thinking, I covered my face with both hands and hung my head dejectedly.

On top of that, my rank had dropped to Silver 3… If I knew this was going to happen, I regretted starting the stream. As I was regretting, there was a reaction in the comment section of the Space, which had been silent until then.

▼Itsuki_hata: GG

GG stands for good game, a phrase to honor the opponent regardless of winning or losing.

Perhaps they felt some sympathy for me because I was so disgraceful.

I couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty, thinking that this wouldn’t have happened if Mizusaki was here.

“I’m sorry. Even if I was going to lose, I wish I could have made it more interesting.”

▼Itsuki_hata: No. Is Mizusaki taking a day off today?

Mizusaki is Mizusaki’s player name.

Hmm… judging from that comment, it seems that they were indeed interested in my sister.

Well, it’s only natural since Mizusaki is much more stream-worthy than me.

“My sister is a student, she has a test tomorrow so she’s not here.”

▼Itsuki_hata: Are you a student too, Gissy?

“No, I’m a humble salaried worker, just celebrated my third anniversary.”

▼Itsuki_hata: Is that so? You two are close even though there’s an age gap.

“Maybe it’s because we’re distant. If we were closer, we’d probably argue.”

I thought they would exit as soon as I said my sister wasn’t here, but this person named Itsuki_hata started chatting normally.

Well, it’s not annoying… but why?

▼Itsuki_hata: You always seem to enjoy playing the game.

“We’re just taunting and shouting at each other, anyone can do that.”

▼Itsuki_hata: No, you can’t do that without a solid trust relationship.

“…Really?”

I felt a bit weird thinking that it wasn’t necessary to use such words.

Sure, you need to get along well to avoid fighting, but… and as I was thinking, Itsuki_hata suddenly typed this comment.

▼Itsuki_hata: Behind the box at the end of the corridor, probably there.

“Eh? Whoa! That was close… How did you know?”

▼Itsuki_hata: That’s a strong position where you can peek with just one head, it’s a classic. But if you’re aware of pre-aiming, you can also shoot the head with one shot from an AR assault rifle.

“I see… You know a lot.”

▼Itsuki_hata: You’re a beginner, Gissy. You’ll understand as you get used to it.

Even though I’ve been playing for about an hour a day for about two and a half months, it seems that I’m still a chick from the perspective of those who know.

It seems I really need to study more.

▼Itsuki_hata: Oh, I’m sorry… I was annoying, wasn’t I?

A very apologetic message came from Itsuki_hata.

“No? I’m grateful that you took the time to teach me. My sister is intuitive, so I don’t understand when I ask her.”

▼Itsuki_hata: But Gissy, your physical skills are amazing. At this level, you hardly ever lose in a shooting match, and if you gain knowledge, you could aim for the Emperor.

The Emperor is a title given only to the top 50 ranked players in the season.

In Stape, where the active users exceed one million a day, everyone once aspires to it, but due to its extreme difficulty, many people throw their mouse in frustration. There was even a person who aimed for the Emperor by streaming 15 hours a day with the highest-ranked players during the season, but failed to reach it and had to be rushed to the hospital.

In short, this is flattery, including an apology.

“—Well, games aren’t fun when they get too serious, I’m aiming for Diamond.”

▼Itsuki_hata: Yes, I think enjoying it is the most important thing.

(…Hmm)

But who would’ve thought that someone would enjoy this remote broadcast where just a brother and sister are just doing basically nothing?

There’s a strange taste to it. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pleased.

“… thanks. Please just enjoy it casually.”

▼Itsuki_hata: Thank you as well.

And with that, the chat ended.

Just as the match also ended with a [VICTORY], I thought it was about time to wrap up.

But Itsuki_hata started saying something strange again.

▼Itsuki_hata: Excuse me, I can’t send a gift tip.