Chapter 148: Meteor Rain First Class Part 2

「Say, Kei, there’s something I wanted to ask you about…… Are these two really strong?」

Says Natsume-san, butting in on Katsu’s words. Well, one of us is a world-famous model, so it was only natural to doubt her prowess as a gamer when meeting her for the very first time.

「I can guarantee you that their abilities are more than adequate, Megu. This model girl is very gifted when it comes to games, and the gas mask fellow…… Let’s just say that he’s so good that if he and I were to fight ten duels, he would win four of them easily.」

Yes, it’s true that when playing new games some flukes and happy accidents might happen in favor of newbies when they fight against professionals, but when it comes to professional gamer like Katsu, thirty to forty percent win ration is still big of a number. It would be rude of me to think I would be able to get some more.

However, it seems that those words were enough for Natsume-san to change her opinion of me drastically. She opened her eyes wide and stared at me with amazement, as if I was a small child that succeeded in pulling a really elaborate mischief.

「No way…… Eh, four wins against Kei!? Impossible!」

「But it’s the truth.」

「Well, that still makes me a sore loser if my opponents manages to grab those six or seven other victories.」

「So how about some sparring right here right now? What do you say?」

I stare at Katsu through the googles of the gas mask and Pencilgton watches both of us from the side. I mean, do you really have to flex so much on us with your superiority?

「You don’t seem to get it, so I’ll clear it out for you…… Do you have any idea just how many people in Japan alone can snatch four victories in a ten round match from Uomi Kei?」

「Isn’t that because everyone else just suck at playing things by ear when things go south?」

「Maybe, but that wouldn’t explain the fact that Katsu’s overall win ratio oscillates around eighty percent.」

「Hee……」

「What’s up with that lame reaction?」

I mean, maybe so, but…… What did you wanted me to do? Just by looking at the guy you can tell he’s actually amazing at what he does, so I don’t think it’s necessary to shower him with praise even more.

「Want me to fall off my chair? Crawl on the ground in horror? Bow down in sheer admiration?」

「You know what? That’s actually a nice thing to do, now that you mention it. Hurry up and do it, Sanraku!」

「With that kind of attitude towards people you’re going to end up dead in the eyes of society sooner rather than later. Hm?」

I knew it, this cheek is bad news. She’s pure evil. Just like a whisky bonbon, that is just whisky camouflaged in a sweet chocolate casing.

「Right, before you go on a full-blown war with one another, let’s get to the main subject, shall we? In any case, the team we are going to fight the day after tomorrow is “Star Rain”…… Simply put, they are one of the strongest teams in the United States right now.」

「Hey, does that mean we are going to make asses out of ourselves on an international level this time around?」

「Hmm, that sounds really terrible for us…… Just remembering those eight times before when you guys tried to backstab me still makes me sad. Sanraku- what about you?」

「Me? No way! I would never backstab anyone…… Aside from those six times that I tried really hard to do just that.」

For the time being we are all friends, but usually we would try to sell one another out without as much as blinking. Nevertheless, no matter what kind of opponent awaits me, I am never going to back away from the challenge.

「I didn’t call for you with having a lost cause in my mind. I called you precisely because I do believe that our four can take a shot at winning this thing.」

That being said, Katsu took out a really advanced tablet and showed us a picture in which four people could be seen.

「Those are the guys we are going to play against the day after tomorrow. The first squad of “Star Rain”.」

「Uwah, amazing, take a look at that, Sanraku-kun! This Macho guy looks as though he was taken straight out of some hardcore NTR eroge, don’t you think!?」

「Don’t ask me things that are so problematic to answer! I’m still a minor, you know!? …… But I must say, he’s rather burly. Was he a martial artist in the past?」

「Nah, she’s got a point. He can smash the whole apple with his one hand like it’s no big deal.」

What a Macho!

While trying to memorize every single face of the opposing team, I couldn’t help it but to notice the last person in the picture in particular.

「Ara, what a cute-looking girl…… Who’s she?」

「Blonde hair and blue eyes…… Somehow, she gives me a foreigner vibe.」

「Her name is Silvia Goldberg……」

The person smiling in that picture looked to be a little bit older than me…… In other words the person who was regarded as the strongest player in the United States was about Katsu’s age. Then I heard him mutter to himself.

「She’s the best America has to offer…… She’s the strongest professional gamer in every sense of the word.」