Volume 1 - CH 8

“…It doesn’t seem like anyone will come today either, so maybe it’s time to end the broadcast.”

“No way. If it ends, I’ll cry a lot.”

“Stop crying, it affects me too much.”

Several days had passed since I met Itsuki Shinta.

Since then, I played Starbound with her a few times, and we deepened our interaction to some extent. However, she hadn’t shown up for the past few days.

Well, it’s not like we promised anything, and more importantly, playing with Itsuki Shinta usually turns my days and nights upside down, which interferes with my work.

Therefore, I wanted to finish the zero-person broadcast quickly, but for some reason, I was stopped by Mizusaki.

Reluctantly, I mute my microphone.

“Mizusaki, it doesn’t make sense to do this for two and a half months with zero viewers.”

“But, didn’t Itsuki-san come?”

“Chance and necessity are different things. If you could become popular just by playing games, everyone would be doing it by now.”

I’ve become more aware of this since I started watching other streamers’ broadcasts and videos, but there are hardly any people who become popular just by playing games.

In other words, the listeners come to watch not the game, but who is playing the game. The only ones who get watched just for their gaming skills are professional gamers.

And even those professionals don’t necessarily have a lot of listeners.

At most, there are 30,000 people on Space, and even three-digit viewers are common.

Of course, I’m not saying that’s a small number – but to become a top streamer with over 5,000 simultaneous connections, you need a high level of talk skill, more than just being good at games.

However, the sight of someone entertaining the audience while showing off their gaming skills was something I couldn’t imitate.

“Either a natural talent or relentless effort, I don’t have either, so it’s impossible for me.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Mizusaki, you need to face reality–”

“I think you’re good at games and can entertain people. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here now.”

“—……”

Everything could be dismissed with the fact that we’re family, but I, who don’t want to argue with Mizusaki, am lost for a response.

But then again, I can see where this is going if it drags on, so I think.

The words “itsuki0222 has logged in” appear on the right side of the screen.

“Ah.”

“Hmm… huh?”

As soon as I noticed that, Mizusaki suddenly invited her to the party.

“Let’s ask Itsuki-san as well, whether my brother is suited to be a streamer or not.”

“!? Hey, stop it! It’s a nuisance–”

“What, what’s wrong?”

I know that once Mizusaki decides on something, she loses sight of things, so I wanted to avoid involving Itsuki Shinta…

Well, there’s nothing I can do about it now… I’ll give her a serious lecture later.

“Um, actually, I wanted to ask Itsuki-san about my brother–”

“Eh? That’s good timing. I had something to talk to Gissy-san about too.”

“Hmm…? Weren’t you going to play Starbound?”

“Well, there is that, but–”

Itsuki Shinta clears her throat and takes a beat before starting to speak.

“Actually, I’ve decided to return from next Monday.”

“Eh! Is that true!?”

“Yes. Well, it’s not like I’m going to start streaming games right away.”

“Eh– um,”

“Right, it’s indeed a serious tournament. That’s why it’s fun, it attracts a lot of viewers, it has many good points, but――”

“But it’s also nerve-racking, right?”

“Exactly. And I haven’t been playing much recently, so I’m quite worried.”

“But isn’t it also a good opportunity? I mean, you’ll be able to show everyone that you’re back.”

“Sure, that’s true. But you know, when you’re at the center of attention, you tend to feel the pressure.”

“I see… But I still think it’s a great opportunity.”

“Thanks, Misaku-san. But, it’s not only that. I also have another concern.”

“What is it?”

“I’m… a little worried about my teammates.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, I mean… It’s not that I don’t trust them, but… It’s just that, it’s been a while since we last played together. And I’m not sure if we can work well together as a team.”

“I see… That’s a difficult problem.”

“But I believe in them. I’m sure we’ll be able to overcome this.”

“I’m sure you will. And we’ll be cheering for you.”

“Thank you. I’ll do my best.”

“We’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Yes, we’ll be cheering for you. And we’ll be waiting for your triumphant return.”

“Thanks, Gissy-san, Misaku-san. I’ll do my best.”

With that, the conversation ended. It was a conversation filled with many thoughts and feelings. However, it left me with a sense of anticipation and excitement for what was to come.

“It’s certainly not a hostile atmosphere, but everyone is seriously aiming for the championship, so it’s completely different from just playing around.”

“It’s like a serious All-Star game. There are even streamers who aim to appear in the DM Cup, as the main stream surpasses 100,000 concurrent viewers.”

“That’s impressive.”

My sister, for one, seems quite infatuated with streaming, even to the point of skipping her exam studies.

But if it’s such a significant event, it seems like it would be a good comeback match.

“If you can show your effort there, the direction of your public perception, Itsuki-san, might change significantly. I’ll cheer for you from behind the screen.”

“Yes, I’d really appreciate that… though there’s something I have to say.”

“Hmm?”

In the end, I successfully managed to divert Misaku’s initial purpose.

Furthermore, I thought the conversation would end nicely by wishing for her promotion.

However, Itsuki Shiba, lowering her voice a bit, as if this was the main point, utterly shattered my expectations.

“Gissy-san, would you join me in the 5th DM Cup, in the StylishPeria category?”