Volume 1 - CH 4

“Viewer participation, huh…”

I quickly check the concurrent viewers, but the only number there is “1”.

In other words, the only person who can participate is me.

“No matter how I think about it, this has to be an invitation…”

Could they have recognized me by my username and planned to play together to promote themselves?

No, but the current Itsuki Hatada doesn’t have that kind of value.

“What should I do… should I play?”

If I come back, the first thing I’ll do is probably Starpe, so playing with these siblings might not be a bad decision to get my senses back.

“But if I accept this invitation and something happens again…”

I should ignore this and go back to the browser–

“No, no! It doesn’t have to be Starpe! We’re planning to let the viewers decide what game to play!”

“Eh?”

“We just want to play games with our viewers. Nothing more, nothing less, and if there are any requests, we’ll comply with all of them.”

“…Is this…”

They know I’m Itsuki Hatada and they’re saying they won’t cause trouble.

That doesn’t guarantee they don’t have bad intentions though– but.

“…”

“So… would anyone like to play with us?”

“Ah… this is… almost unfair, isn’t it?”

I’ve always thought Gissy was too soft on his sister… but it’s definitely hard to refuse when they ask like this.

“Ugh! Fine! You’re cute, so I’ll let it slide! Whatever happens, happens!”

So, I let out a yell in my soundproof room and launch Starpe for the first time in two months.

“Was that… too much to ask?”

“Don’t worry, the concurrent viewers are still at ‘1’.”

That said, if I’m rejected here, it’s definitely over.

Even though I acted on my sister’s feelings, it’s not my intention to let Mizusaki down if I fail– but as I’m thinking this, a notification sound comes in on the Starpe waiting screen.

“…Alright, it looks like they’ve joined us.”

“Really!?”

“Mizusaki, I think you understand this, but…”

“Yes, of course.”

I open the friend section and confirm the friend request from “Itsuki0222”, then approve it and momentarily end the stream.

Of course, I didn’t leave an archive.

Then, I invite her to the party, and after a few seconds, Itsuki Hatada appears.

“…! Wow, a viewer joined us, brother!”

“It’s a blessing, isn’t it? They’re our regular viewer.”

“Uh, I’m happy–”

“…No, um.”

Perhaps they’re put off by our overly obvious act, a voice saying something to the effect of “What’s with these guys?” comes over.

But even so, we continued the conversation.

“Thank you, Itsuki-san, for joining us.”

“Well, I mean… I was the only one here.”

“Um, is Starpe okay as the game?”

“Unrated matches only… okay?”

“Well, that’s to be expected. Seems like her rank is at the lowest level – mob. So, she won’t be able to match with my platinum-ranked sister.”

“––Thank you.”

“Alright, let’s get started.”

After cutting off the chitchat rather quickly, we start an unrated Star Pendulum game. By the way, unrated means matches that don’t affect your rank. Unlike ranked matches, there are no point increases or decreases, so it’s a relatively safe environment. It’s ideal for beginners to practice or for friends to play while having casual conversations.

“Now, as for the character…”

“Wait a second.”

“Huh?”

“Gissy, you always use Sazanka, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Star Pendulum allows you to choose one out of ten characters, each with different skills. I always liked using Sazanka simply because I thought it looked cool. But Itsuki lets out a small sigh and says,

“Using Sazanka, a Maestro type, while acting as a Striker is frankly a huge troll move.”

“…? Maestro?”

“I thought you wouldn’t know. Star Pendulum is mainly divided into three types: Striker for offense, Closer for defense, and Maestro for direction.”

“I had no idea.”

Well, I’m sure it’s basic knowledge that could easily be found with a little research, but I’m the type who doesn’t read the manual and assumes I’ll learn as I play.

“I can’t believe you made it to silver like that…”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.”

“Anyway, depending on the type, the skills you use and your role will differ. But your sister is an intuitive player, I bet she knew that already.”

“Well, um, it’s most important that my brother enjoys himself…”

“You two are too naive.”

Hit by a harsh critique, Misaku and I had no reply. If my gameplay is that bad, it can’t be helped if she intervenes.

“If you’re a striker, you should use Iris, Geranium, or Violet. For Gissy, Iris might be a good fit as she has a high-speed movement skill and a deadly ult.”

“Are you saying that based on my physical condition?”

“Yes. In a pure shootout, you’re better than most streamers out there.”

“That’s a high praise, but in reality, I lose a lot, you know?”

“That’s the difference between a battle royale and a demolition game. But it’s a rare talent that you can’t obtain with effort alone.”

I can’t believe I have such a talent, but her words carry a weight that makes it hard to believe she’s an Emperor who carried her team.

“……”

As Misaku and I were overwhelmed and silent, Itsuki, realizing the situation, exclaimed “Ah!” and said in a deeply apologetic voice.

“Sorry, we’re just here to have fun in Star Pendulum. I didn’t mean to…”

“No, it’s not like that. I learned a lot from you.”

“Indeed. After all, those who understand it, understand it. That’s why your legendary 52-kill game was not a coincidence, but inevitable.”

“52 kills?”

“My brother once had 52 kills in a single Attack on Bullet match.”

“Hey Misaku, stop it, it’s embarrassing.”

Misaku proudly starts telling the story of my past glory, but I try to stop her as it’s an embarrassing brag no matter how you look at it.

“Sorry Itsuki, please forget what you just heard.”

“52 kills in AOB… I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere…”

“Huh? You’ve heard of it?”

“No, it’s probably just my imagination. Anyway, shall we get started?”

“Yeah, let’s do this. Misaku, don’t share unnecessary details.”

“I refuse. Your amazing skills should be known to the world.”

“Stop with the weird rebellious phase.”

“Hehe… you two are too close.”

Itsuki’s sarcastic remark made us a bit embarrassed, but it did lighten up the mood. Initially, I was unsure of how this would go––but it seems like everything will be alright.

“Alright, let’s not worry about winning or losing, let’s just have fun.”