NOVEL NEXT Chapter 96
[【Bloody Night】It’s been a while since solo ranked! #IzumiKainoh#StarsFlow#BloodyNight#BN]
Aki Nekoto.
As a VTuber belonging to Stars Flow’s second generation, she’s my fellow trainee.
When I was asked for my impression of her… I had to say, ‘Honestly, I don’t really know.’
Of course, there’s a bond that comes from being fellow trainees, and I definitely want to get closer if I can.
But putting that aside, it’s a fact that I don’t know much about Aki.
To be honest, among my fellow trainees, I could say she’s the most awkward one.
With Suzuha Koga, at least we talk every couple of days.
We’re at the point of DMing daily, so by the time there were 150,000 Dotsumachi, we had run out of things to talk about.
Yukari Akabane shares similar tastes in games, so we end up chatting quite a bit.
Just recently, we discussed the new hero released in the fateful showdown.
As for Ayaka Utsumi… well, it’s easy to tell she really likes me.
No matter how trivial it is, she wants to tell me about it and asks me to share my tiny stories too.
But Aki… how should I put it? It’s hard to express in words.
It’s not that we don’t talk at all. Aki’s DMs come to me pretty consistently.
We both like games, and it seems like we’re alike in how we feel comfortable being alone while watching broadcasts.
But still, I couldn’t understand Aki.
Or rather, is it fair to say that I couldn’t understand her at all?
For example, a few days ago in the day, I received a DM from her, and it was a clear sunny day.
[Aki Nekoto: The weather is nice today, Izumi.]
[Izumi Kainoh: Right?]
[Aki Nekoto: When the weather is clear, it’s nice to sleep. Well, sleep well.]
[Izumi Kainoh: …Huh?]
After that, whether Aki really went to sleep or not, I got a reply from her that evening.
Anyway, Aki always gave off this kind of vibe.
When I met her before our debut, I thought she was a cute girl with a blank look.
Yeah.
To put it simply, if I was the outsider who couldn’t mingle with everyone around, Aki was like a natural (天然) who showed why her name has ‘cat (猫)’ in it, acting freely and at her own pace.
It was so free that others might feel there’s no bond between trainees or members of the same organization, but that’s not true at all.
She has collaborated far more than I have and chats much more on the Mistcode server too.
However, it seemed that others also saw Aki as quite natural, as when I asked Koga the other day.
[Nekoto? She’s definitely pretty free-spirited… I think that’s Nekoto’s charm.]
That was the reply I got.
For various reasons, Aki was a slightly challenging opponent for me, despite my desire to be close.
Other members found that aspect endearing and charming, but for someone like me, who was terrible at communication, it was hard to keep up…
[Please take care of me, Izumi…]
I never thought that I would suddenly meet Aki this way in Bloody Night.
I hadn’t even imagined it.
At first, I just thought of her as a female Iztomo.
But after seeing the nickname [Aki Nekoto] and hearing her voice again, I realized it was really Aki.
“Uh, um, is it really you, Aki?”
Just to be safe, I checked again.
[Hmm? Yeah, Nekoto is indeed Nekoto….]
That sounded just like Aki.
-Neko-chan has arrived!
-Sudden appearance of the master!
-I love these surprise collaborations ⊂◉‿◉つ
The chatroom greeted Aki’s appearance as if it were only natural.
[I just woke up from a nap and came in when I saw Izumi playing Bloody Night.]
“So, is that so…?”
[Yeah. When I saw you and Hikarin playing together last time, I thought I wanted to play with you.]
Aki, who said that, had selected Mikael in the support position on her selection screen.
[I’ll assist you, so please take down all the enemies, Izumi.]
In other words, that meant she trusted me and wanted me to carry the game.
And I said.
“I-I’ll do my best….”
Answering that, I chose Rina again this time.
“But Aki, what, uh, rank are you…?”
If she was matched with me at solo rank, it meant she was at least in the diamond rank.
Moreover, considering she picked Mikael without hesitation to assist Rina, it’d be safe to say her skills were pretty good.
[I’ve reached Night Raid before, but then I quickly fell back down to Bloody.]
As expected, it came out just as I thought.
Bloody rank is one level below Night Raid rank.
But that’s not low at all.
Night Raid is the rank that occupies the top 1% in Bloody Night, and Bloody rank also covers an impressive 1.1% to 3%.
[So, when I heard that Izumi finished the last season at Night Raid, I thought that was really amazing….]
“Is… is that so?”
[Yeah, Izumi is amazing.]
“Whoa…”
Getting such direct praise feels good.
Especially when it’s from someone I know.
Aki being difficult to deal with? Well, who cares.
If she compliments me like this, she’s definitely a good person, so I should try to get a little closer!
★
Mikael has the nickname of ‘True Supporter’ among the supporters in Bloody Night.
However, this isn’t just a nickname; it also has a derogatory meaning, and the reason is simple.
The character’s skills are literally only specialized for ‘support.’
Bloody Night is primarily an FPS genre game focused on shooting enemies.
And using skills properly creates various plays.
But Mikael has skills that entirely prevent her from creating any varied plays herself.
Her passive increases the shields of allies by 10%.
The Q skill heals allies’ HP.
The E skill increases allies’ movement speed.
Knight Arc increases the damage dealt by allies by 10% while decreasing damage taken by 20% for 10 seconds, granting a blessing from the gods.
And the characteristic of all these skills is that they do NOT apply to herself.
While other supporters have at least a little way to do something themselves, Mikael is entirely focused on assisting allies.
In a game where the victory condition is to defeat the enemy, there is absolutely nothing she can do herself.
Of course, if she wields a good gun and accurately aims at the opponent, she may pose a threat to them.
But that’s all.
Even if it’s a threat, the fact that she cannot land a decisive blow becomes an undeniable weakness in Bloody Night.
Thus, being called ‘True Supporter’ is a sarcastic slur for not being able to do anything other than support.
Furthermore, her base HP and defense are very low, and her range required to use skills is short, making her vulnerable to dying with a single mistake, which is more than enough to become a laughingstock among users.
But.
If a player using Mikael has a high understanding of the game and a capable ally, then Mikael can be a truly high-potential support character.
Her passive keeps her allies’ shields slightly longer than the enemies’, and the high healing amount allows allies to survive when they should be dead, while the speed increase makes it much easier for allies to attack.
Finally, Knight Arc showcases the peak of unfairness to enemies, making her an utterly broken character to the opponents.
That’s Mikael for you.
Now, let’s look at Aki and me here.
First of all, the condition that we should have capable teammates is not a problem since I once reached Night Raid rank.
Also, Aki has reached Night Raid before, so she clearly understands the game, and picking Mikael without hesitation indicates her understanding of the character is solid.
Furthermore, the average rank of the opponents we are matched against is diamond.
In that situation, I picked my main character, Rina.
Rina has the best mobility and high growth potential in the game, but she’s squishier than other characters.
And Mikael, whose passive, Q skill, and Knight Arc can perfectly cover those weaknesses.
In other words, under these circumstances, it meant we absolutely couldn’t lose… or so I thought.
[Hang in there, Izumi….]
Why do I feel like I’m playing the game all by myself right now?
“Aki, didn’t you say you were, uh, Bloody rank earlier…?!”
[Yeah, that’s right.]
“Then why did you suddenly back away earlier…?!”
I was faced with a situation where enemies were closing in from both sides, and we had to break through one side.
I naturally intended to break through the front, yet for some reason, Aki suddenly turned around and started fighting the enemies behind us.
Naturally, Mikael could do nothing alone, leading to Aki getting killed and leaving me alone.
[I thought we needed someone to watch our back….]
“M-Mikael cannot do that…?!”
[Sorry. I didn’t know it was Nekoto’s first game with Mikael.]
“…Huh?”
[She’s actually a tank in main position.]
-Now that I think about it, Nekoto never mentioned playing Mikael before.
But it’s only natural to think she’d perform well if she picks right away?!
[Fighting….]
“Wahhhh?!”
Eventually, with bullets raining from both sides, I had no choice but to die too.
Aki went to sleep right after that match ended….
★
[Virtual Ontuber Minor Gallery]
[Title: Summary of Today’s Surprise Duo with Izumi Nekoto.jpg]
[Writer: ㅇㅇ]
(A picture of a meerkat standing and turning its head)
Mei got fooled again.
[Likes: 21 / Dislikes: 3]
ㅇㅇ: I didn’t know it was my first game with Mikael (picks without hesitation)
└uwu: Moreover, she’s a tank in main position lol
ㅇㅇ: Is this really what a duo looks like with users who once had Night Raid rank?
└ㅇㅇ: My heart truly feels pitiful…
Don’t lie: Saying “I just woke up” and then going to sleep again after one game is so funny lol
└ㅇㅇ: The master is a baby… gotta sleep a lot…
└Maker: Who’s going to take responsibility for Mei-chan’s dropped score…