My Favorite Has Started A Live Broadcast!

“…Did I mishear…?”

“Hey, you heard me clearly! The Lesik Tournament!!”

Am I really good at this game…?

I had never thought about it that way. I just started playing because I didn’t want to feel left out when my friends played together, so I joined them. It wasn’t like I played a lot, and I didn’t consider myself especially skilled. My only point of reference was my friends, and even then, I didn’t feel a need to compare. I just played casually whenever I had the time.

“Me…? I’m not that good… Besides, I have work… I can’t play that much…”

“…Huh?”

“Huh?”

“Huh…?”

Aroalo: …Huh?

After a brief silence, Yoon Gae cleared his throat and spoke.

“Well… yeah, you don’t have to join if you don’t really want to…”

When I kept coming up with excuses, Yoon Gae seemed to think I just didn’t want to participate, so he reassured me that it was fine. And I finally clarified my intention.

“It’s not that… I do think playing games together is fun…”

Last time, when I teamed up briefly with Chocoa and others, it was incredibly fun, and it was such a great experience that I would want to try it again if given the chance.

“But… I think I’m not particularly skilled, so I’m worried I’d just be a burden to others…”

—Honestly, even if Baraa just breathes, it’s already a buff lmao

—For real, Baraa herself is a high-tier totem, and if she’s good at the game too? Insane lmao

The viewers in the chat, unaware of my worries, only reassured me in strange ways, saying it was fine even if I just stood still.

“Um… Do you know you’re actually pretty good at Lesik? Right now, you have the highest skill level and tier in this room, probably…”

“Really? Me?”

“Yeah, probably… Only serious gamers or pros would be better, but… you’re not playing that much, right, Baraa?”

“Well… that’s true, I suppose.”

“Then you don’t need to worry about messing up! Also, it’s just a casual gathering for streamers, so there’s no pressure to be really good. Some beginners join too, and sometimes skilled players like ‘Gunkoo’ pop in. Oh, by the way, Gunkoo is on our team.”

“…Then isn’t that a bit overpowered? Don’t you play a lot too, Yoon Gae? And if you have someone like Gunkoo on your team, doesn’t that make it a little unfair…?”

“There’s a solution for that. Anyone above Platinum on each team is only allowed to use handguns… Hey! No! I’m only Gold because of team issues, okay?? Just yesterday, I got stuck in a nine-rounder because of that bizarre Amarung!!”

Quietly turning down the volume, I typed my question in the chat, watching Yoon Gae bicker with his viewers.

Baraa: Everyone, please don’t pick on him…

—Okayyy

Realizing his mic was on, Yoon Gae muted it for a few moments. When he turned it back on, I spoke up.

“Um… How are the teams formed? Is it random?”

If the team selection was random, the chances of me getting the situation I wanted would be pretty low. Lesik is a well-known game, and with so many large Twitch streamers involved, even if it’s just for fun, it’s bound to be a big event. This means there will be a lot of streamers participating.

My only hope is simple. I just want to be on the same team as Chocoa. If I could team up with her, I’d have an excuse to contact her, using the tournament as a pretext. Plus, I’d get the chance to hear her voice in a real conversation, not just through the stream sound.

As much as possible.

But my expectations were quickly dashed by Yoon Gae’s words.

“You can just team up with anyone you want and sign up together. I just called Gunkoo to catch a ride.”

“Oh…”

Thinking back, Yoon Gae had been suggesting from the start that I join the Lesik tournament with him.

“So…”

Then maybe my chances of teaming up with Chocoa would be a bit higher.

“I… should… maybe… contact her… No, wait… she might be busy or resting… Alright, maybe I’ll check her stream later… But then again, it might be weird if I just jump into her stream… I do want to watch her stream though… Then… well, maybe toward the end… Right… yes, yes…”

***
Choi Gayoung POV

“Hmm… Hmm…”

While rolling around on my bed, savoring my weekend freedom, a familiar notification sound rang from my phone. I checked it, knowing exactly what it was. As expected, it was from Baraa.

“Sis…?”

Baraa had talked about her younger sister often on stream before. Most of the stories I’d heard hinted at something warmly heartfelt, something different from other siblings I knew.

With a growing sense of excitement, I joined the stream. There was Baraa, wearing the warmest-looking pajamas, along with her younger sister, who I hadn’t seen before.

I watched Baraa’s stream for a while. She was smoothly running her stream now, and her sister, Minyoung, who shared similar looks but had a much calmer, subdued vibe, joined her. They seemed like a perfect pair of sisters. Then, the conversation turned to the Lesik tournament.

“Hmm… Come to think of it, I agreed to join as well…”

Although I’d announced my participation in the Lesik tournament on stream a while back, no one had asked to team up with me, perhaps because of my personality.

Watching Baraa mutter odd things under her breath with her cat ears twitching, I switched accounts, hoping she’d notice my message, and sent a chat.

Chocoa: If you still have space, would it be alright if I join?

***
Lee Suyeon POV

“So… should I say something to Chocoa…?”

In my blurry vision, I saw a name I recognized all too well, a name I missed.

Chocoa: If you still have space, would it be alright if I join?

—Oh?

CoffeeIsBeer: Hiya

Chocoa: ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

CoffeeIsBeer: ∠( ᐛ 」∠)＿

“Cho… Chocoa…?”

My eyes were probably trembling like crazy, and when my vision cleared, I saw the name “Chocoa” with certainty. I hurriedly turned off the camera, climbed down from my chair, pressed my face into a pillow on the floor, and pounded the bed as I felt my heart race wildly.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

“AhhhhHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

The only reason I was pounding the bed was to release the excitement surging through me, and the scream was entirely justified, as I couldn’t contain the joy of Chocoa finally coming to my stream.

“Sis! What’s going on!!”

“Meow!”

“Oh… I… I’m fine… I’m calm… uh… Chocoa… oh…”

Trying to compose myself, I lay down on the bed, letting my little sister know that I was perfectly normal.

“Unnie… Calm down first… Please calm down and explain what’s going on.”

“I… I… was just streaming… and… Ch-Ch-Ch-Chocoa… came…!”

“……”

“What should I do!! I wasn’t doing anything! I only washed up this morning! Is it okay to continue like this???”

“Unnie… step outside for a moment… the stream is still on, so let’s go over to my place first…!”

“Huh…? But Chocoa is waiting… I… I want to…”

“Unnie, I’m serious here. Pull yourself together and get up.”

“…Oh… sorry…”

Overwhelmed by my sister’s serious tone, I picked up the little furball, Strawberry, who had been baking herself into my lap, and stood up from the bed.

Trying my best to calm myself by rubbing Strawberry’s tiny cheeks.

“…What should I do…”

I wondered how I should greet Chocoa, who was visiting my stream for the first time. But despite my flustered state, time kept ticking away.

“Unnie, let’s do some makeup.”

“…What?”

“Makeup. I don’t have much, but I have the basics, so let’s just use those.”

“M-Makeup?”

The most I had ever done in the name of makeup was sunscreen and a dab of lotion; I had no idea where to begin with anything as high-level as makeup. While I was still dazed, my sister, who apparently knew that time was ticking away, led me to her room.

“Huh… You had this stuff?”

“…I got interested in it recently…”

“Oh, could it be…”

I hinted at my suspicion, but my sister ignored me, focusing on gathering an assortment of tools.

All kinds of cosmetics and strange-looking tools started appearing.

“This is…?”

“Straightener… mascara… and some skincare stuff.”

“……”

It seemed my sister had indeed taken an interest in this recently. With slightly clumsy hands, she applied various creams to my face, lifted my blinking lashes, and worked on my brows.

“Oops?”

“Hush… hold still.”

By the time she even painted my lips bright red, I thought I was done, but she pressed my shoulders, stopping me from getting up.

“It’s not over yet…?”

“Your hair.”

With a brief remark, she began concentrating on fixing my hair with a straightener.

Aroalo: Are we being abandoned again?

—No idea