NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33
[So, the game we decided to play for the collaboration is ‘BN’?]
“Yeah. Uhh, I thought it would be a good choice since both Senpai and I used to enjoy it back in the day, and it’s fundamentally a cooperative game.”
Bloody Night, commonly known as BN.
It’s a battle royale hero shooter.
Unlike my previous life where the term “hero shooter” was unfamiliar, now it’s a genre that can definitely be said to be popular.
Anyway, in the now competitive hero shooter genre, the advantage that the BN developers showcased was simple.
It’s strong on the casual feel by using cartoon rendering.
…Well, it sounds good, but if I’m being blunt, it just means it’s a game geared towards otaku tastes.
Usually, this genre leans more towards realism rather than a casual vibe. Even if it claims to be casual, it’s more of an American cartoon style than a Japanese moe style.
Nonetheless, the BN developers openly showcased their intention to target subculture gamers, and that attempt was successful enough to secure a solid fanbase.
In fact, the reason I played it back then was because I liked a character named ‘Rina’ in the game.
[It should definitely be fun. But is the sniping issue okay?]
“Uh, well, Senpai said we should just consider it.”
Unless it’s a game that can be played just the two of us, there’s no escaping from audience sniping.
So, at first, we aimed to play ‘77 Worlds,’ a game we could play together, but after discussing it, we concluded that playing BN would be better despite the sniping.
[That’s true. Sometimes, the sniping adds to the enjoyment factor.]
“Yeah, Senpai mentioned that too…”
Watching various game broadcasts, there are quite a few moments where sniping led to unexpected situations resulting in funny scenes.
Not that we intend to force it, but if it happens, it’s a win, right?
With that conclusion, Senpai and I officially decided to play BN during the collaboration.
[Then let’s do our best tomorrow. Please, just don’t cause any accidents. Got it?]
“Don’t worry. How could there be an accident with Ko, Suzuha Koga helping me this much…”
There wouldn’t be, right?
Why do I feel uneasy…?
★
[Kurokami Hikari
@KurokamiHikari · 8 minutes ago]
I’ll be collaborating with that cocky junior who criticized me!
The time is September 16th, 6 PM!
I’ll make sure to put that arrogant nose in its place!
https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX
#Star’sFlowFirstGeneration #KurokamiHikari #Star’sFlowSecondGeneration #KainoIzumi #BloodyNight #BN
[Izumi Kainoh☆Star’s Flow @KainoIzumi · 11 minutes ago]
I’ll be collaborating with Senpai Kurokami in Bloody Night on September 16th at 6 PM.
I look forward to it.
https://ontu.be/XXXXXXX
#Star’sFlowFirstGeneration #KurokamiHikari #Star’sFlowSecondGeneration #KainoIzumi #BloodyNight #BN
★
The collaboration broadcast was set to be held on Senpai Kurokami’s channel.
And soon it will be 5:56 PM.
The live waiting number already exceeded 4,000.
My heart is racing.
“Whew, whew…”
[Uh, Izumi, you seem too nervous. It’s making me shake, too…]
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
I tried to calm down after hearing Senpai’s words, but my mind, already whitened with anxiety, couldn’t easily regain composure.
Is it really okay for someone like me to be here?
What plays out in my mind is my own embarrassing self and a burning community.
Countless viewers cursing, slandering, and belittling me.
I can’t let that happen. I promised Suzuha to reduce these negative thoughts.
After taking a deep breath, I looked at the picture frame on my monitor.
[Natsune Nanase: Are you okay? If you’re going through something tough, just tell me. Since I’m your Senpai, I’ll do my best to help you!]
The frame filled with Natsune’s encouraging words settled my nerves each time.
“Haah…”
For me, looking at that frame became one of the routines to calm my nerves.
Of course, Natsune is like an officially recognized legal drug…
Though I’ve grown a bit immune since I’ve been relying on it so much, I think I’ll manage fine this time.
I can definitely handle broadcasting.
[Izumi, it’s time.]
“Y-yes, yes. I’ll do my best…”
[【Bloody Night】Today, I’ll teach that cocky junior a lesson! #KurokamiHikari #KainoIzumi]
Senpai’s collaboration broadcast thumbnail featured an illustration of us glaring at each other.
And as that illustration faded, it transitioned to a waiting screen indicating the usual preparation for Senpai’s broadcast.
It was a grand illustration of a majestic throne, with Senpai nodding her head, elegantly covering her mouth with an ornate fan.
-For the Young Lady!
-For the Young Lady!
[Hrum, hrum.]
About a minute later, with Senpai’s cleared throat, the waiting illustration of the broadcast transitioned to BN’s UI.
And at the bottom of the screen, Senpai’s avatar appeared as if it were a given.
[Oh ho ho! How is everyone doing? I am the worthy villainess, Kurokami Hikari!]
-Welcome, Young Lady!
-Welcome, Young Lady!
[Now! As I’ve already announced, there will be some ignorant butlers who don’t know, so let me explain personally. Last time, there was a cocky junior who rudely judged me, right? This broadcast is prepared to show that cocky junior the gap in our abilities!]
As another round of laughter echoed, my avatar appeared on the broadcast screen.
[Come on, say hello to everyone, cocky junior!]
“Co, Kon, Zumi… I’m the mood maker who dreams of a world where everyone can smile… Kaino Izumi…”
-Hi, Izumi!
-We finally got this collaboration to happen!
“I’m honored to be able to collaborate with Senpai Kurokami today, and I look forward to it…”
My head is dizzy already. Is it really okay for me to be here?
The pressure I feel during collaborations with Suzuha is on a whole different level.
[Today’s content is, as you can see, Bloody Night! I’ll make sure to teach Izumi the difference in level!]
-But isn’t BN a duo game?
-Don’t you end up cooperating in the game anyway?
[Hah…! Do you not know even this as my butlers? My judgment must have diminished greatly! When Izumi is unable to do anything, I will seize victory with my incredible skills. Just that alone will let cocky junior know the gap in our levels. To trample an opponent’s pride head-on, what a cruel idea!]
-Aren’t you just saying you’ll let her ride on the bus?
-You’re phrasing ‘riding the bus’ in a bad way, lol.
[Ugh…! You ignorant butlers who have no eyes!]
After briefly engaging in a banter with the chatroom, Senpai let out a sigh and spoke to me.
[Izumi! What do you think?]
“Uh, um, uhh…”
What should I even say? To be honest, I was still spinning in circles, struggling to understand the current situation.
“Th-Thank you for the bus?”
[AAAAHH?!]
-Lol.
-You acknowledged that you’re on the bus, do you have anything to say about it?
-Expectations never betray, lol.
[Hmph! Everyone will only be laughing for now! In the end, when the game starts, you’ll all think my judgment was correct!]
As she said that, Senpai Kurokami pressed the party invitation button and selected my ID which she had added as a friend yesterday.
[You have been invited to the party by Hikaring. Would you accept?]
[Yes / No]
Of course, I pressed the accept button, and my monitor’s screen transitioned to BN’s game waiting room.
Senpai’s main character was a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and gray hair, Arsène Agner.
He was a tank character optimized for neutralizing opponent attacks.
And my main character was a girl with gray eyes and mechanical legs, Rina.
She was a dealer character capable of flashy plays due to her outstanding mobility.
“Should we, uh, go with the same positions?”
[That sounds good. With our positions not overlapping, it’s perfect for a duo with a tank and a dealer.]
“Then I’ll do my best.”
[Great, let’s get started!]
What we were doing wasn’t a ranked game, but a casual one.
Even if we chose to go ranked, it wouldn’t matter much, as both Natsune and Senpai Kurokami hadn’t played the game in a while, so we decided on casual games.
Of course, there were other reasons, but…
Anyway, after about 10 seconds of waiting, the screen transitioned to the character selection window.
As expected, I chose Rina, and Senpai Kurokami chose Arsène, and as the selection time ended, the sound of a fighter jet indicating the game start rang out.
“Um, so where should we go?”
In the battle royale genre, the starting position is very important.
Choosing a solid starting position can give you a significant advantage in loot over your opponent, directly translating to a higher win rate.
Well, if you’re confident in your skills, you might rush into a popular starting location and wipe everyone out, but BN was designed to make it difficult to gain significant advantages with that early rush strategy.
In the end, neither Natsune or Senpai Kurokami would have the skills to successfully pull off an early rush since it’s been a while, and there are definitely viewers mixed in with the sniping.
[How about we go to Downtown first?]
“…Understood.”
Downtown is an area where items are scattered far apart, making farming take a long time.
However, it’s relatively unpopular, making it a pretty reasonable starting area choice for us given our absence from the game.
Of course, that’s only if we’re in normal circumstances.
[AAAAHH?! What’s going on?! There’s so many people dropping in Downtown! I’ve never heard of this before?!]
-Just eyeballing, it looks like about 6 teams dropped in, lol.
-I’ve never seen so many people drop in Downtown before, lol.
Yeah, we’re in anything but normal circumstances.
The live viewer count is almost reaching 6,000, an unusual situation indeed.
And it’s impossible that there aren’t people watching to snipe.
Therefore, Downtown, which requires spreading out for farming, was obviously the worst choice.
They aren’t there for the win; they’re there to torment us.
Once we spread out for farming, they’ll come rushing to kill us, and if we stick together, we won’t be able to gain any advantage in farming due to the area’s vast nature.
“So, uh, what should we do? It might be better for me to head to the next area fast.”
I proposed what I thought was a reasonable option.
[Hah?! There’s no way Kurokami Hikari would choose to run away in this situation! We’ll face them head-on! Izumi, finish farming and meet up!]
There was no chance that my prideful Senpai would accept that suggestion.
“Uh, okay…”
As we landed, I saw Senpai heading west in Downtown while I moved north.
About 2 minutes later, I heard Senpai’s scream echo in my ears.
[That’s unfair! Two teams are attacking me at once! AAAHH?!]
And then.
[…I’m dead, Izumi.]
…In BN, no matter how large the skill gap is, it’s tough to gain benefits through an early rush strategy.
Basically, character specifications and skills are well set, so if you play defensively, you can escape even if several opponents come at you early on.
Especially for a tank position like the one Senpai Kurokami picked, it’s much easier.
“Did you… fight back at all, Senpai?”
[Of course! The word ‘running away’ doesn’t exist in my dictionary!]
-What’s with that confidence? Lol.
-That’s the charm of our Young Lady!
“Haha…”
…Well, I expected this.
The reason we chose to play a casual game instead of a ranked was twofold.
Firstly, we wanted to take it easy since we hadn’t played in a while.
And secondly, we essentially couldn’t play ranked games in duos anyway.
My past rank was in the top 1% of BN, the “Knight Raid” rank.
But Senpai Kurokami belongs to the bottom 5%, in the “Bronze” rank.
Yeah. The rank difference was so severe that matching in a ranked game was impossible from the start….
-I’ll show you the overwhelming skill difference! (Actual words.)
-Wasn’t that a bus driver but a terrorist? （^ヮ^）
-Mei’s laugh is making me feel pitiful, lol.
[Q-Quiet! It’s because it’s been a while since I played, so I’m feeling awkward!]
“Let’s go with that…”