Supporting Characters in the Game are Obsessed

Streamer ‘Rococo’.

He’s a well-known broadcaster in the fighting game scene—I’ve heard his name enough times to know.

He’s also famous for having numerous controversies on Net Wiki.

I wondered if that fame was a lie or not.

Scrolling down, the end was nowhere in sight.

Wow, how has this guy managed to keep going?

He doesn’t seem to have any intention of stepping back from the drama.

In a way, this is impressive.

“…Excuse me.”

While I was busy browsing Net Wiki and learning about the brat in front of me,

“Isn’t it a bit rude to do a visual interface when there’s a person in front of you?”

“…….”

I didn’t want to hear that from someone who calmly barged in without our permission while streaming.

I figured it was fine since we were in a copyright-free cyberpunk world.

I shut down the visual interface and crossed my arms, giving Rococo (the brat) a look that said, “Go ahead and speak up.”

He cleared his throat a couple of times and explained his purpose for being here.

“I didn’t come here for any particular reason. I just checked, and it turns out I’m matched up with you for the next game?”

He offered me a handshake again, the one I had declined earlier.

“So I was curious and came to see you.”

Though Rococo said that,

With his smirk and the presence of a drone camera, it was clear he was here to create some sort of ‘buzz.’

“I admit I made a small mistake on the net, but fundamentally, the fighting game should be about fair play, right?”

Is this even a sensible statement?

“Let’s compete in the spirit of sportsmanship without any emotions involved.”

“…….”

Just a moment ago,

I was relieved that Julia didn’t have a folding katana in her hands,

But now, before Julia’s anger could explode, I felt like I would lose my cool first.

Who does this jerk think he is, acting so confident?

It was a crisis worthy of an appearance on NCB24 news.

“If you want, I could even apologize—.”

“An apology won’t be necessary.”

Ha, I let out a hollow laugh and replied.

I conveyed a few choice words on behalf of Julia that I wanted to say.

“Anyway, you’re probably going to be pretty embarrassed in the match.”

I raised my finger and poked him right in the center of his chest.

“Get ready to be consoled by viewers.”

“…I hope to see that impressive side of you in the match.”

I expected some fierce reaction, but it seemed like Rococo was feeling the pressure of public opinion.

Or maybe the drone camera was still rolling, because he forced an awkward smile and tried to leave the booth.

“Looks like you brought a girlfriend, so let’s see what skills you have.”

Thinking I’m RabbitGangDude,

He said while glancing at Julia before exiting the booth.

“……!”

But strangely,

Julia, who had been silent, suddenly looked flustered and wriggled as if she couldn’t move.

“?”

Feeling something was off, I turned to look at Julia.

She muttered while watching Rococo’s retreating figure.

“…If he has a girlfriend, he might not be such a bad guy.”

What on earth does that mean, Julia?

Well, either way,

It’s a relief that a bloodshed didn’t occur.

—

“This participant is someone you all know!!”

The ‘caster’, who unintentionally took on the role of commentator, shouted into the microphone.

Julia and I stood at the back of the stage, waiting for the caster’s announcement for our match.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t our turn yet.

“A famous streamer! An influencer boasting hundreds of thousands of followers! The fighting game’s battle tank who silences controversies with skill!”

He really is famous, it seems.

His introduction is much longer than others.

“The strong contender! Team ‘Rococo and Editor’ steps onto the stage!”

Looks like the famous name isn’t just for show.

The noisy cheers from the audience echoed inside the arena.

As the caster continued, a man with red hair, Rococo, appeared from the opposite side of the stage.

Behind him followed an awkward-looking presence, who seemed to be the ‘Editor’ of ‘Rococo and Editor’.

The caster quickly explained when he spotted the editor’s expression, just like I did.

“The revealed rank tier of the editor is ‘Gold’, which puts him at the bottom compared to the participants of the main event! In other words, Rococo is practically a one-man team!”

Oh, Gold.

A skill level comparable to my ‘Silver’.

“And yet, the fact that Rococo made it to the finals is quite something! But!!”

The stage lights change colors.

“The opponent isn’t a pushover either! I was shocked just looking at the main event bracket!”

Is it our turn now?

The staff signaling us, I checked to see if my mask was properly on and nodded at Julia.

“Shall we go?”

“…Yes.”

We step onto the stage.

As Rococo had appeared, the inflated commentary from the caster continued.

“The expert who has sparked many controversies online! Skill or manipulation? The time for truth is finally here!”

Hmm.

Are we supposed to be the villains?

“The protagonist of controversy, ‘RabbitGangDude’ enters with his team! ‘Warriors are the Best!!”

Seeing the caster shout about warriors being the best was quite funny.

Sure enough, the audience’s response was similar to online reactions.

The boos were louder than the cheers.

While it might feel pressuring, Julia didn’t seem to care at all.

Neither did I.

After all, it would soon be revealed that Julia hadn’t used any hacks.

Since it wasn’t broadcasted during the qualifiers.

But now that we were in the finals, the outcome would be different.

Turning my head, I checked the opposite booth.

Rococo was looking at us with a smirk.

“Players, please log in to your devices!”

He still had confidence, huh.

Julia and I.

Rococo and the editor.

We all strap on our virtual reality devices.

The program executes automatically through the equipment made for the tournament.

If anyone claims hacking in this situation, they might as well be a crazy Chrome Psycho.

An endless horizon of 0s and 1s spread out before us.

I moved my arms and legs to check the controls.

Seems like everything’s normal.

Of course, I wouldn’t actually be partaking in the match.

But it was a check just out of instinct.

The match started in the predetermined order.

I couldn’t show off my embarrassing (Silver) skills to everyone. If I did, I’d be putting my face in a plate and dying.

So naturally, Julia was the first to go.

Outside of the stage, the audience was waiting to watch.

I could spectate ghost-like through the screen.

Looking opposite the stage, just like me, Rococo was waiting in a translucent form.

Still sporting a grin on his face.

Let’s see how long that confidence lasts.

Of course,

I wasn’t going to be the one to shatter it.

“The first match is between the ‘Editor’ player and… Oh, right from the start, it’s ‘RabbitGangDude’s challenge!”

Amidst a flurry of light, characters of varying shapes appeared from thin air.

The editor chose a classic ‘tank’ character.

With more health and defense than other characters, I remembered that he was a Chrome Psycho made of machines.

Wasn’t his name ‘J12’?

Not the best pick for a frontliner.

Looking just at the selected character, it felt like Rococo’s shallow thoughts were being conveyed—like he was planning to use the editor as a throwaway to gauge the patterns.

On the flip side,

Julia chose a speed-centric character.

She picked a character famous for being the only one wielding a ‘sword’ in the game, boasting high attack power but the lowest health.

What was her setting again… A Chrome Psycho obsessed with blood? This game had way too many characters with crazy backgrounds.

Being a female character, she was also quite popular.

Julia’s chosen character, ‘Y’, flaunted an enticing figure as she appeared.

『Get Ready For─』

With a brief announcement, the match was about to begin.

[Oh, oh.]

Huh?

[So you’re not RabbitGangDude?]

Chills ran down my spine at the suddenly heard male voice.

I thought I had gotten used to unexpected voices since I usually heard Eve’s voice at all times.

But it turned out it was just fine to hear ‘Eve’s’ voice.

Looking to the opposite side of the stage,

Rococo’s translucent face was staring back at me.

[It’s obvious you’ll just hack, so what kind of confidence do you have to come out here? This is genuinely funny.]

His attitude during the drone broadcast was entirely different.

Here it seemed like his voice didn’t carry over to the feed.

He conveyed his true feelings directly to me.

[You should forfeit now if you—]

[Shut up and just watch the match.]

So I interrupted his words with some coarse language.

Anyway, he wouldn’t be confident for long.

No need to listen to him.

Rococo looked shocked, staring at me with a blank expression.

I turned my gaze away from him and looked up at the stage.

Soon, the match was starting.

As soon as it began, the editor hardened his guard.

His futile attempt to read the patterns looked silly.

But what does it matter?

The opponent is Julia.

I had faced her before; defense wouldn’t help.

In just a few seconds,

Julia smashed through that solid guard and rendered his health gauge to zero.

Combos flowed naturally, like breathing.

After all, fighting games are based on virtual reality.

If someone excels in physical abilities, impossible combos could become possible.

[…Huh?]

Looks like he’s finally starting to gain some clarity.

I sincerely advised Rococo.

[You should really think about how to lose with less embarrassment right now.]

Leaving behind the dazed Rococo,

I watched as Julia naturally performed the winner’s celebratory stance.

The fallen body soared through the air.

‘Body dismemberment’? How cruel—.

…Anyway.

Julia did well when I fought her too.

But now, it felt like a different dimension of skill.

To be honest, had I met her unknowingly in an online match, I would have shouted ‘garbage game’ and suspected hacking.

Moments later, the editor’s character, J, appeared again in the air.

Did this game support facial expressions too?

He wore a face filled with fear.

He looked like he wanted to forfeit right there, but

The match quickly resumed.

Each person had to reach 3 wins to move to the next round, so the editor had to endure two more rounds of pain here.

Still, hmm.

I doubt it will take long.

[You should prepare an apology video or something.]

At my words, Rococo’s expression darkened.

—

Rococo’s waist bent in half like a folding knife.

He hadn’t even put up a fight before getting hit, just like the editor.

[…This is an apology video. I apologize for my reckless targeting of ‘RabbitGangDude’—.]

I enjoyed his apology in real-time through the visual interface and typed in the chat immediately.

—— Hahaha (chat I sent)

Wow, this is digestible.

As expected of a famous streamer.

His ability to shift gears was flawless.

He must have instinctively felt it too.

How the public reaction would change after this tournament was over.

He probably thought he was certain to win.

So, he dropped down to shoot an apology video.

“…Heh.”

Julia, who I glanced at, looked even happier than usual.

Her expression remained unchanged,

But a slight flush appeared on her face.

Well, I’m sure she had gone through a lot of stress.

That’s probably why she came to ask me.

…….

I don’t know why she’s stuck right next to me,

But one thing is for sure, she seems to be in a good mood now that the stress has eased.

“…Phew.”

Yet my mind remained filled with worry.

Honestly, I didn’t care about Rococo at all.

Not just him.

The other competitors were the same.

The reason was clear.

“This team is incredible! Once again, the result is the same! Team ‘The Strongest Machine and The Strongest Human’ makes it to the finals without taking a hit!!”

What are they going to do about Eve and Catherine?

I pondered.

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