Volume 1 - CH 7

“Huh, are you alone today?”

That day was a public holiday, but Misaku was out at a study session with her friends.

Therefore, I was ranking solo in Starape from the afternoon without streaming when I got a party invitation from Itsuki Fureta and connected to the voice chat.

“Well, we’re not always together, you know.”

“I see, but where is your sister?”

“She’s at a study session. Despite appearances, Misaku is a university entrance exam student.”

“Oh, I remember she said she was a student, a high school student?”

“That’s right. She’s excellent so I think she could pass the exams even if she plays around.”

“Hmm… Entrance exams, that brings back memories.”

I thought it was typical for a Vtuber to forget their settings, but it seemed boorish to press the point so I pretended not to hear.

“Yawn… I’m sleepy.”

“What, were you taking a nap?”

“No… I just woke up.”

“Just woke up – it’s already past 2pm.”

“Hmm… I used to wake up around 12pm, but recently I’ve been watching competition videos for my desk studies, so…”

Even though 12pm is still rather unhealthy.

But thinking back, when we were playing Starape late at night, while we were struggling with sleepiness, she was lively throughout.

I remember Kanbo saying that a streamer’s life rhythm is messed up, and being nocturnal might be the default…

“You’ll ruin your health if you’re not careful. Try going to bed a bit earlier.”

“Don’t talk like a motherly listener, please.”

“Is that a harsh thing to say?”

I mean, she’s young, she should be fine… but that sure hits home.

“Do you say such things to your sister as well?”

“I don’t. My sister is serious, she basically doesn’t stay up late.”

“Well, she does seem quite responsible.”

“I’m proud of her, she’s nothing like her brother.”

“…But you two really get along. No matter how many years apart, I don’t think siblings usually respect each other so much, let alone play games together.”

“Is that so? Well, I can’t say anything as I don’t know about other siblings.”

“Even if they get along, they don’t call each other ‘big brother’.”

“……..I have no response to that.”

I gave a resigned sigh at the comment that was bound to come up sooner or later, or rather, that was rather late in coming.

In reality, who calls their brother ‘big brother’? It’s something from medieval nobility.

“Or is it that, Gissy, you’re the one making her say it?”

“If that were the case, being a creep wouldn’t be the end of it for me, doing streams with my sister.”

I immediately denied the slightly withdrawn comment from Itsuki Fureta.

However, it’s not unreasonable for her to have suspicions.

But… it might not be right to talk about this without Misaku around…

“……..”

“…Um, if you don’t want to talk about it, we can change the subject.”

“No… well, it would be problematic if there were any misunderstandings, so I’ll briefly explain. My sister used to be a hikikomori. I often played with her during that time – that’s why she’s so fond of me.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“That’s a pretty normal reaction.”

“Well, if it was before she became a Vtuber, I might have been a bit surprised, but there are quite a few streamers with similar backgrounds to Misaku.”

“Really? Is that so?”

“Yeah, there are people who talk about being hikikomori and just playing games all the time, or having a slightly hard past, quite often during streams.”

“Huh, that’s surprising. They all seem so eloquent.”

“Actually, those kids often have the most talent and are the most interesting.”

“Now that you mention it, there are occasionally some kids with monster-like senses.”

“That’s right. Compared to them, I’ve had a pretty normal life, so there are too many of them that I can’t beat.”

“But… no, never mind.”

I almost said that she’s pretty popular herself, but I thought that might touch a nerve for Itsuki Fureta, so I held my tongue.

However, it seemed she had noticed, and she chuckled before saying this.

“It’s okay. The fact that I’m not really popular is true.”

“No, that’s not true, Itsuki-san is properly recognized.”

“Well, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I’m not popular at all, but I do admit that it doesn’t match up with the number of subscribers…”

“It’s true that the trigger for your popularity might have been that participatory Emperor stream, but I think you would have reached the current number of subscribers even without it.”

“…Why do you think so?”

“Because what’s great about Itsuki Fureta is not how good she is at Starape, but how close she can get to people.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Actually, I’ve watched several of your videos and streams… Your explanatory videos are so clear, even for beginners. Compared to other streamers, they’re overwhelmingly careful.”

“Thank you… I guess.”

“In other words, I think you’re able to think from the other person’s perspective… In fact, you’re very good at dealing with fans and other streamers. Even when you’re just talking casually, there’s a sense of kindness and consideration.”

“……”

“Even as streamers who are human beings, there are inevitably times when irritation towards the game or listeners unintentionally manifests itself in words or attitude.

Of course, this can sometimes lead to good outcomes – but naturally, it can also lead to bad ones, and I imagine it’s quite a tough situation for those who stream live –

But as far as I can see, she had none of that.

To put it bluntly, this is not something that can be easily achieved.

‘At least I think that’s the secret to popularity. So, there’s no need to even think about those who judge and bash just by looking at the surface.’

I added in the end that it’s okay to just look at the people who truly care about you.

‘…I see, you’re a wonderful person, aren’t you?’

‘Huh?’

‘No, nothing. I appreciate your kind words.’

‘Well, I was just saying my honest thoughts.’

‘By the way, changing the subject suddenly, have you been playing FPS for a long time, Gissy-san?’

‘Huh? No… I think I’ve only touched hardware, I think I started playing seriously from AOB.’

‘…So it’s similar to me.’

‘At that time, Battle Royale was extremely popular, so there are many people who started from AOB.’

‘That’s true, by the way, have you been using the username Gissy since then?’

‘I think so… but I can check now if you want?’

‘Ah, no, you don’t have to go that far…’

‘No, I want to see my account after a long time. I’ve played for over 3000 hours after all.’

‘……….’

While saying that, I drop Starape for a moment, start up AOB, and check my name.

‘Let’s see… the name is the same. Oh, I used this skin, brings back memories.’

‘Is that the 416 Assault Rifle?’

‘Yeah, it’s a reward skin I got when I first reached the highest rank in Season 9, I was so happy I used it until the end.’

‘Hmm…’

‘April… that’s right when I started working and my little sister started high school… I quit then… By the way, why don’t we play AOB today since it’s been a while?’

‘No, that’s why we should play Starape today.’

‘Huh? Oh, yes…’

I was so nostalgic that I wanted to go with the flow and play AOB, but Itsuki Fureta was not as enthusiastic as I thought, and I felt a bit lonely.

Well, Starape is fun too… but maybe kids these days don’t go with that kind of flow…

‘What are you doing? Let’s practice to get to Gold quickly.’

‘Ah, yes…’