V2Ch10: Blue tournament part 1

Posted on May 2, 2022by Soafp

Translator: Soafp

“If you’re not feeling well, don’t push yourself.”

　The day of the competition arrived.

　Aoyama was in the worst shape.

Yesterday, she had made a series of trivial mistakes in practice the day before the event. Her aim was shaky, and she seemed lost in action. It is not like Aoyama to carelessly step out in front of the enemy and get caught in a hornet’s nest. It is normally my role to lose after rash actions.

　On the contrary, I was in great shape.

　My instincts were spot on and my aim was sharp. Aoyama, the ace of the tournament, was not doing well, but I, who was in great form, led the way, and my performance yesterday was not bad either.

　On the day of the competition, we had a little practice right before the competition, but even there, Aoyama’s condition did not return. Aoyama’s condition did not return to normal.

[“I’m fine. I was just a little sick. I’ve eaten a meal, so I’m full of energy. I think I can beat a pro right now.”]

“…… I see.”

　Even through the voice chat, I could tell she was in a blank state of energy.

　I didn’t pursue it any further.

　The reason for Aoyama’s sluggishness was probably the incident at the family restaurant the other day.

　Clearly, the tension had dropped since that night. Aoyama had been talking to me half-heartedly since yesterday’s practice, and she had just logged in later than the time we were supposed to meet. It is typical for her to always be highly motivated and always gathers earlier than the meeting time.

[“You don’t have to strain yourself.”]

[“Thanks, Nazuka. But I’m totally fine, so don’t worry. Okay, then, I’ll start the stream, so please get ready.]

　Aoyama started the delivery.

That’s where she’s supposed to introduce us to the viewers. Although she had told the viewers in advance, this was the first time we were introduced as members. The plan was to practice the day before the event, but Aoyama wasn’t feeling well, so it was decided to do it on the day of the event.

Aoyama put on the mask of streamer [Aomi].

When she entered the streaming state, her voice became a little higher. I was thinking that she sounded like my mother when she answers the phone, and after the opening greetings, it was her turn to introduce us.

[So, let me introduce the members of this year’s tournament. I chose these members with an emphasis on cooperation, so their skill level may not be that great. Therefore, don’t expect too much from them.]

She prefaced her speech with this. As one would expect from someone who has been distributing for so long, she was calm and collected. The somewhat anxious look she had earlier was gone.

[“First of all, N-kun, who looks like a girl,” ]

[Nice to meet you.]

[“And then there’s S-kun, who has a reputation for going in on his own and smashing things.”]

“Noisy …… Hello and nice to meet you”

N-kun is N for Nazuka and S-kun is S for Shota. My last name, Nijitani, would also be a N, so here we are.

　Aoyama is called Aomi. All of this is to prevent identity theft. It is possible that some of the viewers are students at Tenkain, but not all of them are, so this is a natural countermeasure.

　–Oh, hello, good to meet you.

　–Good luck, N-kun.

–Here’s hoping for a crushing defeat for S-kun.

　The comment section is not so wild because I announced it earlier. I was relieved to see the welcoming mood.

[I’d like to say that my goal is to win, but I think it’s a little tough. What is your goal?]

[I’d like to be better than the other half.]

[You are too passive, you know. What about you, S-kun?]

“Realistically, I’d like to finish higher than fifth.”

[That’s the part where you say, ‘We’re going to win. Both goals set way too low.]

Then I waited while I told the viewers about the strategy I had thought of. I was chatting and peeking at the organizer’s feed. There, the participating teams were being introduced.

　I saw a few well-known people here and there, and my excitement rose even higher.

　As announced, the two professionals would be participating as separate teams.

　The Vtubers were an all-female team, which I sometimes watch, and they are very good at what they do.

[Now, the last team to be highlighted is this one. This team was led by Aomi, a first-time participant in the competition. She has been famous for not participating in competitions or collaborating with others, although she has participated in viewer participation.]

　Our team seems to be getting a lot of attention there. Well, not so much us, but Aomi.

　And then it was time to start.

　The first match began.

　There are five matches in total. I had decided to take my time and get used to it, as I was sure I would be nervous in the beginning. The plan was to focus on survival while avoiding the enemy as much as possible.

　I was still nervous at my first tournament. I felt strange even though I was used to the map. Picking up weapons was awkward.

[There are no enemies.]

“I don’t see anyone over here, either.”

　We proceeded while searching for the enemy. It is a tournament, so it seems that all the participants are moving cautiously. The number of remaining teams is not decreasing at all.

　After spending a peaceful time for a while, we encountered an enemy team on the way to the area.

[T-There are enemies!]

“Okay, let’s fight.”

We were able to take the lead because we noticed this one first. This was the first battle with an overwhelming advantage. We launched a preemptive attack.

　Although the battle was in our favor, Aoyama’s movement was poor. It was a great opportunity, but since she started moving late, she had to fight in a position where only one person was vulnerable. Normally, Aoyama would have had the strength to fight back from that position, but she did not.

Aoyama was easily defeated.

[…… Sorry please take care of the rest.]

We annihilated the opposing team, but Aoyama fell.

　Then me and Mahiro started our journey together. We were not strong enough to enter the center, so we stood around passively.

　However, a battle was inevitable.

　We fought in a situation where we were at a disadvantage in terms of numbers. We were able to defeat one of them.

“Sorry, please survive.”

　I fell, too, in a vain struggle.

　After that, Mahiro was the last man standing, but he struggled to survive. He was on the run and did not look good, but he remained in fifth place. He also killed a few enemies, so he had some kill points. After the first round, we were in fourth place, which was a fair start.

　–a good start.

　–Nice job, N-kun.

　–Good luck next time, Aomi.

　The commentators, who were five minutes behind due to the delay in the broadcast, also praised the team’s good performance.

　There were no highlights in the second round. As I was moping around in a hard to move area at the end of the game, I ran into a group of Vtubers and lost. Again, Aoyama’s moves were far from what they should have been. This was the reason why it took so long to move to the area in the first place.

After regaining momentum, the third round began.

Right from the start, we clashed with the enemy team. The opponent was not very strong, but Mahiro fell here.

　After that, it was just me and Aoyama.

[……]

“……”

We exhibited miraculous luck.

The circle loved us and we were able to stay near the center of the area until the end of the game without having to move much. At the last minute, we were out of the area.

　There were three teams left, including us.

[What are we going to do?]

“…… of course I’m going to rush in.”

[I knew you would say that!]

As usual, I jump out of my skin. I charge towards the party that was camped in the strongest position in the area. Just in time, another team also made a suicide attack from the other side.

　However, the other team was led by a professional.

　After lightly repulsing my assault, Aoyama, who had been closing in from the opposite side, also returned fire. Another team that made a suicide attack was also handled with frightening reaction speed.

　Thus ended the third round.

　At the end of the first half, we were in eighth place.