NOVEL NEXT Chapter 42
[Hmm. So you ended up collaborating with Izumi?]
“Yeah. Well, I always wanted to, but I never thought it would happen like this.”
Yukari chuckled as she recalled that time.
It was a coincidence when Izumi and her mother visited the clothing store where she worked.
And somehow, they ended up having dinner together.
When Izumi’s mother asked Yukari to stay close to Izumi, Yukari suggested, “Now that this is happening, let’s collaborate next time.”
Izumi looked at her mother for approval and hesitantly nodded.
“I can understand now why you bring up Izumi every time we talk.”
[Huh? I never did that?!]
“…Well, let’s go with that.”
When Suzuha exclaimed loudly, Yukari gave her a wry smile and calmed her down.
Of course, it was true that Suzuha mentioned Izumi every time they talked.
Usually, it was just a casual update about “what they talked about,” but sometimes it was filled with complaints.
For example, “Her DM replies are way too slow!”
“She’s so unaware of her surroundings.”
But in Suzuha’s complaints, there was always affection for Izumi.
“Well, it seems like she doesn’t want to admit it… ”
Swallowing that thought, Yukari continued.
“Anyway, I’m thinking of doing a ‘Destiny’s Showdown’ broadcast for our content; what do you think?”
[Destiny’s Showdown?]
“Yeah, from the last broadcast, it seems like Izumi has been a player for quite a while.”
Destiny’s Showdown was a popular RPG game on a mobile platform in Japan. The story, where the protagonist fights alongside past heroes for the fate of the world, was simple yet captivating, drawing people’s attention, crafted by famous writers.
It was so story-focused that people joked, “I’m not playing a game, I’m reading a novel.”
This became a marketing strategy, creating a solid fan base even after seven years since its release.
“I think it would be fun to talk about it together.”
Yukari was also one of those players.
[But there isn’t really any content you can do together in Destiny’s Showdown. Would people even like it?]
“Of course there is. There’s content that even those who don’t know the game will enjoy.”
[No way….]
“Yep. Gacha broadcast.”
One of the famous elements of Destiny’s Showdown, besides the story, was its ridiculously low gacha rates.
“You know, Izumi already did this content once, but gacha broadcasts are fun, even if you watch them multiple times. Especially with Destiny’s Showdown.”
The probability for the top rank 5-star was a mere 1%, and the ceiling price was 70,000 yen. If the targeted hero appeared before hitting the ceiling, the ceiling was effectively erased, and it didn’t carry over.
In other words, if you got the pickup hero before reaching the ceiling, the chance of pulling it after that was still 1%.
It had a system where you could strengthen heroes by pulling multiple copies, making it an incredibly cruel gacha structure.
[Are you really planning to put Izumi through that brutal experience again?]
During the last gacha broadcast, Izumi spent all her free gems and an additional 60,000 yen just to achieve one limit break.
Translated into cash, that was a total of 160,000 yen.
Just in terms of price, she could have reached the ceiling twice, and still had to spend an extra 20,000 yen to achieve her goal.
Sure, there were arguments like “Well, she reached her goal, didn’t she?” or “Many have spent much more and still haven’t pulled,” but even if she was earning money through her VTuber activities, 60,000 yen was not something a high school student could easily spend.
[Everyone in the community felt sorry for Izumi back then….]
“Come on, surely that won’t happen again!”
Yukari chuckled, thinking that was impossible.
The ceiling for Destiny’s Showdown required a total of 350 pulls.
And the last time Izumi pulled, she did a total of 750 pulls.
So up to her 740th pull, no targeted hero had appeared, and a community had calculated the odds to be only 3.44%.
It was unthinkable for such a thing to happen twice, or so Yukari thought.
[But probabilities can be unpredictable.]
“…Then it can’t be helped.”
It was a careless remark, but it couldn’t be helped.
Gacha was inherently like that.
[Well, they’ll handle it themselves….]
At Yukari’s reply, Suzuha stopped thinking about it.
[Oh, by the way. What was Izumi’s mother like?]
“Izumi’s mother?”
Yukari recalled Izumi’s mother, whom she had seen earlier.
With a sharp impression and upward turned eyes, a stark contrast to her daughter, her expression was quite stoic.
Unlike Izumi, her hair was pitch black, but it still had a healthy sheen, indicating their relationship, despite its difficult management.
The crisp white shirt contrasted sharply with her black wrap skirt, maximizing the adult vibe.
In simple terms, she was best described as a beautiful, cold OL (office lady).
However, that was just a surface judgment based on looks alone.
Izumi’s mother had been kind to Yukari, whom she had just met, and her brown eyes reflecting warmth and affection for Izumi.
Seeing the gap between her outward appearance and her personality brought a smile to Yukari’s face.
She was a wonderful person.
Swallowing that thought, Yukari opened her mouth.
“It’s a secret.”
[Aaah!]
★
[Kaino Izumi☆Star’s Flow @KainoIzumi · 6 minutes]
I’m collaborating with Akabane on October 7th at 6 PM!
https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX
#Star’sFlow2ndGeneration #KainoIzumi #AkabaneYukari #Destiny’sShowdown
[Akabane Yukari @AkabaneYukari · 11 minutes]
Servant demons, gather! October 7th at 6 PM! The time of destiny is approaching!
The Red Witch and the Water Avatar will gather here to break through adversity!
https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX
#Star’sFlow2ndGeneration #AkabaneYukari #KainoIzumi #Destiny’sShowdown
★
[【Destiny’s Showdown】It’s showdown time! #KainoIzumi #AkabaneYukari #Star’sFlow]
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
-AkaKat!
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
It was decided that the broadcast would be held on my channel.
[If I do it on my channel, I feel like Izumi’s bad luck will transfer over to mine from last time.]
“Huh?”
…What on earth does that mean?
“Well, if we collaborate, won’t it be the same…?”
[No, no, the feeling is a little different.]
Yukari was enveloped by Akabane’s giggle.
Before they knew it, the time was 7:55 PM.
Five minutes until the collaboration started.
[Speaking of which, I always feel this way whenever I watch Izumi’s broadcasts. She always starts exactly when the time says, right?]
“Ah, yes. Well, that’s… true….”
Usually, VTuber broadcasts tend to start about 3 to 5 minutes late from the announced time.
For instance, if a VTuber announced that they’d start at 10 PM, the actual start time would feel like around 10:03.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
This 3 to 5 minutes usually serves as loading screens before the broadcast starts, ensuring consideration for viewers who can’t arrive on time.
But whenever I set a time for a broadcast, I start it exactly at that time.
The reason is….
[Is it because Senpai Natsune and Senpai Hikari do that?]
“Yeah….”
Just like Akabane said, I was following Natsune’s lead.
Natsune had shown the loading screen 5 minutes before the scheduled start time of her first broadcast and began right on the dot.
[Totally infatuated with your seniors, huh, Izumi?]
“Hehe… W-well, they’re a source of admiration, you know.”
As they chatted, the time reached 7:58 PM.
Two minutes until the broadcast starts.
[Wait a moment. Let me focus a bit, okay?]
“…Sure?”
[Since I find RP a bit challenging, I always take a moment to focus before the broadcast starts. Well, it’s tough to be perfect like Senpai Hikari.]
“Ah….”
So that incredible RP from Akabane had that secret behind it.
[Hmm, shall we start….]
When Akabane’s atmosphere changed and those words reached Yukari’s ears, it was 7:59:53.
7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1.
“C-conzumi~. I’m the atmosphere maker dreaming of a world where everyone can smile… K-Kaino Izumi is here…!”
-HiZumi!
-It’s the first collab with Yu-chan!
“Everyone here knows it’s a collab day, right…! So please introduce yourself, A-Akabane!”
Akabane’s avatar was already on the broadcast screen, smiling just as she did in live streams and clips.
[AkaKat! The world shall soon be dyed red! I am the red witch, Akabane Yukari!]
-Two troublemakers from Star’s Flow 2nd generation have gathered!
-The Red World!
W-wait, troublemaker?
I may have racked up some ‘Yeo-sang,’ but I don’t feel like that’s how it is…?
★
-Lol
-They both have some pride issues, huh? 
-Could they not both just be right?
-But you said it would be a gacha broadcast from the start…
[No, this isn’t just a matter of pride. It’s about who understands Destiny’s Showdown better. That’s a matter of fan commitment.]
That was exactly what Akabane said.
I couldn’t back down like this.
[Of course, I’m definitely right about this!]
“No, that’s not it! The best story in Destiny’s Showdown is chapter 6 of part 2! I can’t back down on this…!”
[AkaKat. Surely the story of chapter 6 is significantly interesting and offers a lot, I concede. But the final chapter of part 1, reflecting on all the past ties and reminiscing about goodbyes, is just a step above!]
-It’s definitely true that the last chapter of part 1 is incredibly touching.
“I-I agree, but the overall quality of the story, many users acknowledged that part 2 chapter 6 has a higher level of completion, right?!”
I knew that emotional moments in stories, what you call ‘pings,’ were important.
But if you only focus on that, you can’t appreciate the objective quality of the storyline.
“Wow, every plot line was neatly tied up, and the pacing was impeccable. Most importantly, there were emotional moments in part 2 chapter 6 too…!”
-If you break it down like that, if you ask which is more enjoyable, it would be part 2 chapter 6.
[Huh? Do you not understand the meaning of ‘final chapter?’ To look back on all the footnotes in the final chapter and to break them apart is just nonsense, don’t you think?]
“The completeness of the story can indeed make that statement valid….”
After all, there’s a saying that goes, “I’m not playing a game; I’m reading a novel.”
In a game like that, story quality is crucial.
[I think the standards for completeness vary depending on where you set them.]
Akabane didn’t back down at all.
I could understand her feelings.
In terms of experience with Destiny’s Showdown, she had played it since its release and was a year senior to me.
For a junior who couldn’t even keep up in real-time to make such critiques, I would have said the same thing if our positions were reversed.
But my love for Destiny’s Showdown was no less…!
“It feels like neither of us is going to back down….”
[It does seem that way.]
“Then how about we decide the winner based on who pulls the pickup hero first during today’s gacha…?”
[Is that okay? Considering the last time, it’s apparent who has the advantage.]
“That, that kind of thing couldn’t happen twice…!”
If it happened again, I would resent the operators so much….
After spending that much money and still failing, surely this time will be different. I would make sure to trick Akabane.
[Well, fine. If you say that, I have no reason to back down either.]
“And if I lose, I’ll take an extra penalty!”
It’s a battle intertwined with our pride and fan loyalty.
Naturally, we had to do something like this.
[…]
[What do you mean by penalty?]
“The winner gets to decide the punishment….”
[Alright? Then, since you quit playing ‘Dawn’ last time, I’m going to suggest that again….]
“I’m so sorry; I think I should be forgiven just this once!”
-The best Rapper in Japan, Kaino Izumi
-How traumatizing that must be.
-Mei-chan’s surrender came way too quick… (◞ ‸ ◟ㆀ)
But that’s just cheating….