NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60
“I’m off, Seona onee-chan.”
“Right. See you next time. Did you say you’re going back to Korea in three days?”
“Yeah. In the meantime, I need to meet Jia and gather some data while I’m out and about. I probably won’t be able to come back again.”
“It can’t be helped. You’re a proper working adult now.”
“…I’ve been a working adult for a while now, you know? Anyway, see you next time, Mina.”
“Yes, S-Sia auntie….”
“Make sure to respond whenever I DM you!”
“Okay….”
If it’s not a DM that looks overly clingy, I’ll respond without a hitch….
Of course, I hid my thoughts afterward and waved goodbye to Sia.
★
“Whew… that feels good.”
“Right….”
In a fairly spacious single room, two women were drinking beer.
One woman, with a blunt expression, chugged her beer without hesitation. Her long, black hair, reminiscent of obsidian, was striking.
Conversely, the woman with the short black bob, who was drinking her beer slowly with a relaxed expression, exuded a lively atmosphere that contrasted with her counterpart.
“It’s been such a long time since I drank with Sia onee-chan….”
“Yeah. We’ve kept in touch frequently, but we rarely had time to meet.”
Sia and Jia. With names that resemble sisters in Korea, the two had already known each other for 15 years.
However, as Jia said, it had been a really long time since they had shared a drink together.
On one side was a top illustrator in the industry.
And on the other side, there was a fairly well-known scriptwriter known for never having a break, working in the animation and gaming industry, along with a model for a famous magazine.
Just the mere fact that both of them had overlapping free time was a remarkable miracle.
“I heard you met Mina after a long time?”
“Yeah. I’ve met you occasionally since you come to Korea for work, but I had no way to meet Mina unless I went to Japan. Although I did see her at brother-in-law’s funeral, she was sleeping.”
“True….”
Because Jia prioritizes field research as a scriptwriter, she often travels to different countries, especially to her mother’s hometown, Korea.
Every time she went, she could meet Sia, so the situation was clearly different from that of Mina.
“…How was she?”
“Mina? …She was super cute, you know.”
“Right? Hehe….”
As an older sister who loves her younger sibling, Jia let out a silly laugh at Sia’s compliment that Mina was cute.
“How can she be so cute? She’s my treasure, but I can’t understand it…. ”
Despite having an expressionless face, Jia’s bright red cheeks were proof that she was tipsy.
Yet, this was a familiar sight for Sia.
In the past, Jia had tried to act like a cool older sister in front of Mina but always talked about Mina’s cuteness to others.
As evidence, the most common topic between Sia and Jia in their DMs was indeed about Jia bragging about Mina.
“Well, she really is incredibly cute….”
And Sia, after meeting Mina after a long time, had already fallen deeply for her charm.
Of course, it could be natural for Sia, who had taken care of Mina since childhood, to find her cute.
But Sia could say it.
Objectively speaking, Mina was cute.
Her shiny, soft brown hair that made you want to touch it without a second thought.
According to Seona, her mystical blue eyes that were influenced by her great-grandfather.
A petite nose and lips.
Along with a slightly shriveled demeanor and stuttering, her silly laugh reminded Sia of a little animal, yet her chest and hips clearly confirmed that she was indeed a woman, which left her in awe.
Could Mina not be the very embodiment of the phrase “adorable woman”?
Before long, Sia found herself seriously contemplating this.
“So, Sia onee-chan, I’m worried about something lately….”
“Yes? What’s worrying you?”
“Since Mina is so cute, I’m worried that strange people might come after her….”
Pfft!
At Jia’s words, Sia nearly spat out the beer she had been holding in her mouth.
“W-What do you mean by that? Huh? What are you saying?”
“Huh? It’s just as I said! Look at this.”
Saying this, Jia pulled up the DM screen with Mina on her phone.
[Kayanoh Yuki: How have you been today? I’m working right now (-ω-、)]
[Kayanoh Mina: It’s a break day from broadcasts, so I was talking to Suzuha.]
[Kayanoh Mina: Speaking of which, Suzuha said she recently watched all of ‘Uncle’.]
[Kayanoh Mina: She said it was super fun and asked for recommendations for other works.]
[Kayanoh Yuki: How about ‘Hero’s Journey’? You liked it a lot before o(〃’▽’〃)o]
[Kayanoh Mina: That sounds good. I’ll tell Suzuha.]
“…So what? It’s good for her to get along with her peers.”
“That’s true, but I just feel worried about something….”
“I think that kind of obsession isn’t good.”
“But Mina doesn’t even have awareness about strange things….”
“…Ah, is that the vibe you’re getting?”
Mina always mentions on broadcasts that she’s a super cute girl.
And neither Jia nor Sia would deny that statement.
It was an undeniable fact.
But her self-esteem was unbelievably low, so she hardly paid attention to the consequences that her appearance could attract.
Just like how Sia felt at that moment.
“U-Um, I like you, Toka mama. I’ll work hard in the future too, Sia auntie!”
Didn’t that make her face heat up?
With that appearance, saying things like that was genuinely unfair, Sia had thought seriously at that time.
Anyway, because of that unbelievably low self-esteem, Mina easily opened her heart to anyone who treated her well.
The one bit of good news was that she showed pretty high vigilance against men.
Of course, to men, such a demeanor might be attractive.
“Sometimes she also says things that might be embarrassing without hesitation.”
“…Now that I think about it, she really is an unaware charm magnet, huh?”
“I bet she has nine tails. She doesn’t realize it, but….”
What Sia and Jia didn’t bother mentioning was that they were both among those who were smitten by Mina.
“I miss Mina….”
“Drink some more.”
★
[Manager: Do you know about ‘Gray City’, Izumi-chan?]
[Kainoh Izumi: Yes.]
[Manager: I see.]
[Manager: It seems that the Star’s Flow server for Gray City will open in two days.]
[Manager: Participation is free, so what will you do, Izumi-chan?]
Gray City was a sandbox survival game released three years ago.
Players must build homes, search for food, and strive for survival in a world that has perished, which is a very straightforward concept.
There is only one way to clear this game: to kill the corrupted scientist and go to space… but that’s only a method possible in single-player mode.
Since the manager said they were opening the Star Flow server, it means that the method to go to space won’t be available.
Simply put, they were planning content to gather VTubers and show how each survives in Gray City.
“Hmm….”
For the viewers, it would certainly be an entertaining plan.
One of the main characteristics of Gray City’s multiplayer mode is that “there are no alliances.”
To be precise, the alliance system does exist, but it’s weaker than a verbal agreement that can be revoked with a single click.
If you let your guard down even for a moment, you can be betrayed in an instant, losing all the food and materials you’ve gathered, ending up with nothing.
How cruel is a game that can so easily destroy trust between players?
But those aspects would likely be seen as entertainment for the viewers.
In fact, I had often watched Grey City multiplayer videos, so I was aware of what it’s like.
Of course, I’ve never played multiplayer before.
I didn’t have any friends to play with…
“I might….”
I had already cleared Gray City in single-player mode before, so I had some useful knowledge about it.
Since Gray City isn’t a blockbuster hit, I thought few Star Flow members had played it themselves.
Then, this could be quite a considerable merit, right?
“I’ll do it.”
If they see me humiliating others with overwhelming skill, everyone would surely be thrilled.
In this type of game, you don’t need to worry about order.
In fact, intentionally ignoring that would create more entertaining moments.
Of course, there is the concern about communication being necessary for Gray City’s multiplayer mode, meaning that with my Communication Impairment, it might result in a multiplayer experience that some viewers would find utterly boring.
But.
[Kainoh Izumi: I’ll do it.]
I didn’t change this decision.
I would compensate for the possible lack of fun due to poor communication with overwhelming skill.
Everyone, wait.
In the misty gray, a reaper will come to claim your lives….
★
[【Gray City】I, the reaper, descend #KainohIzumi#Star’sFlow#GrayCity]
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
-─(≧▽≦)>ZumiZumi!
The monitor reflected the empty gray game UI.
Of course, the broadcast hadn’t started yet, so the screen was still showing the waiting illustration I used.
“Ah….”
To be honest, if I were to easily express my feelings right now, it would be regret.
In this Gray City project, there were a total of 8 participants, including me.
There was Natsune from the first generation, and from the second generation, there were Kurokami-senpai, Namikawa-senpai, and Yuzuki-senpai.
And from the second-gen, there was me, Akabane, Utsumi, and Aki.
…That’s right. Suzuha was absent.
To be precise, she was said to be absent for personal reasons this time.
Since members of the Star’s Flow can all enter the Gray City server anytime, she’ll surely join us next time when we gather again.
But the problem is that right now, Suzuha is not here.
Among the 7 remaining members, I’ve only spoken to 2: Akabane and Kurokami.
Considering that 2 among the remaining 5 are my classmates, it feels a bit more comfortable, but I’m also playing with Namikawa-senpai and Yuzuki-senpai, with whom I’ve never interacted before.
I can’t even say I’ve chatted with Natsune.
Of course, the senpai isn’t a bad person.
But just the situation of playing the game with senpai I’ve never even talked to makes my stomach turn.
In times like this, the person who usually calms me down is Suzuha….
Help me, Toka mama….
I want to run away….