“I never realized there were so many rumors about us,” said Shouko.
“Incidentally, what about me?” I asked.
“Adorable crossplayer Kizzy.”
“Lalalalala! I can’t hear you!”
Adorable? Please! This is all my sisters’ fault!
“But honestly, most people call you the Fishing Master, naturally.”
“The last wave left quite an impression, I daresay.”
“Yes. Rumor has it you camped out alone by the underground lake long enough to drive a normal man crazy, so if anyone ever receives an invite to fish from you, they should decline if they value their sanity. That’s what they told me,” Kanade explained.
“A-And how did you respond?”
Shouko and Yamikage were giving me some cold stares.
“Well, of course, I told them, ‘That kid’s got some outrageous patience once he sets his mind to something. A month by the underground lake wouldn’t surprise me one bit.’”
“Actually, it was only half a month,” Shouko corrected Kanade as if to give her some sense of relief.
But that’s just going to have the opposite effect on her!
“A fifteen-day test run, I’d imagine. If I told you to go fish down there for thirty days once the wave is over, you’d do it. Right?”
“I-I wouldn’t take it that far.”
“Nonsense! There’s no way you wouldn’t—someone as persistent as you. Aren’t you the one who flooded all the coasts with crab traps?”
“She knows you too well, I daresay.”
“That’s a big sister for you.”
Yamikage! Romina! Don’t just nod in agreement!
Tsumugi grumbled, “Our brother’s so easy to read when it comes to this stuff.”
“But I’ll give it to you,” Kanade said. “Fishing here isn’t easy; you’d need patience like yours to pull it off.”
“It definitely turned out way different from what I thought when I first started playing,” I said.
“We were supposed to carry you once we got decently strong, bro, but you ended up getting stronger and richer way faster than expected,” Tsumugi said.
“I still remember how you made us burst out laughing with that Herring Lord,” Kanade added.
Urgh... They still remember that? That was ages ago.
“I heard you were the one who came up with the Empty Can business. You’re really doing well for yourself, huh?”
“And we ended up having to carry sis instead.”
“Shut up. You went to join Kizuna way too fast. Don’t you have any pride as a gamer?”
“Knowing when to bet on the winning horse is part of being a gamer, sis.”
That was the difference between Tsumugi, who didn’t care about appearances and joined just because it seemed fun, and Kanade, who clung to her pride as an older sister and kept chasing what she believed in.
“Good grief... Honestly, this game’s progression is so different that my past experiences aren’t really helping me.”
“Yeah, sis only starts to shine once the meta is established. It’s no wonder she fell behind.”
“I just value efficiency.”
I knew what my older sister was good at, and she was so good at it she even managed to impress Alto.
“But now, my theories are useless, and I’ve decided to compromise with my equipment and wait for better gear in the next update. I won’t be falling behind again. If anything, you guys need to keep up with the updates, or you’ll be the ones left in the dust.”
“Hey, I’m not sure about me, but everyone else will adapt.”
I mean...once I decided on the sort of fun I wanted, I was the sort who stuck with it. I was aware of that.
“Kizuna has been fishing this whole time, even while playing with us.”
“True, I daresay. You’re committed, undoubtedly so. I daresay, you should keep at it.”
“I agree. It’s better if Kizuna stays the same.”
Everyone accepts me as I am. It’s a good feeling. If only someone other than Shouko would fish with me.
“Truly, this game is too deep and meta-defying. With its regular updates...Second Life Project is the perfect name for it.”
“Our bro even has a fan club, you know. It’s hilarious.”
“No it ain’t!”
There was something wrong with those people, making some weird guild centered around me. I only let it slide because it was a fishing guild.
“Having fans is important, Kizuna.”
“Oh right, sis, didn’t you say there was an idol participating in this session?” Tsumugi asked.
“I heard about that,” Romina chimed in. “The competition for entry skyrocketed with all the people screaming, ‘I’m joining this game to meet her!’ I’m amazed I was lucky enough to buy a spot.”
“Maybe it’s because all those idol-otaku types got in. They’re finding their moe fix with you, bro.”
I wouldn’t like that... If that’s why they’re like that, that makes it even worse.
“What if someone actually thinks Kizuna is that idol?”
“I am not an idol IRL! I’m a guy! And I don’t mean ‘I’m an idol but a guy’—I mean, I’m just a guy! If anyone says, ‘But you’re really an idol, right?’ I’ll start spamming dirty jokes, you hear!”
I’ll scream the dirtiest things I can think of! How about that?!
“Kizzy just publicly declared he’s not a real idol, I daresay.”
“Heh heh heh, I already know, I daresay. But we’ll support him anyway.”
“A spam of dirty jokes from Kizzy? Yes please, I daresay!”
“Please do it. I daresay, the censor bleeps will arouse something within me.”
“2D is formed from the dreams of old men... That’s common sense.”
“All cute girls are 2D. Ergo, all old men are cute girls.”
“Crossplayers are the best, I daresay. Those tagalong sisters did good work.”
“Little lady, your party never fails to give us content.”
“Ah, it’s L’Arc! Don’t forget you’re only getting a pass because you’ve got a girlfriend!”
“I want Aunty Therese’s delicious rock candies!”
“Whoa! The jealousy of the fans is off the charts!”
“Who are you calling aunty?! I’m not that old, dammit!”
The creeps who’d decided to find their moe in me started blowing up the field chat! And worse, they were all far from normal, well-adjusted people. L’Arc and Therese joined in at some point too.
But this jealousy was insane. And I felt a bit sorry for Therese.
“Who are you calling a tagalong?! Who?! I’ll have you know they call us the beauty sisters in real life!”
That was what set Kanade off.
It was true, but saying that in game didn’t exactly lend her any credibility.
“That boost-bust broke Brave Pekkle is trash-talking, I daresay.”
“Ignore her. She’s no good. Just one of Kizzy’s tagalongs.”
“Agreed, I daresay.”
“Yeah, ignore me! I dare you!”
Seriously...hardcore fans have no fear. If sis starts holding a grudge...she might bully me about this to the end of time.
“I... Should I change my speech tic, I daresay?”
“Don’t worry about it too much.”
Perhaps Yamikage didn’t want to be associated with them, but she was playing a female character, so it was probably fine.
“Getting back on track,” I said, “even if there really is an idol playing this game, how would you tell? The voice changer is perfect, so if they tweak it, you’d never know.”
“I know, right? I wonder if they’re still trying to find her,” my big sister replied, her anger seeming to settle somewhat.
“We’re still searching, but no luck, I daresay. Heh heh heh... Kizzy is our only solace.”
“Anyone here who’s an idol in real life! Please raise your hand and sing that song! You know the one!”
“Whoo!”
The field chat was running with it.
“If some idol actually stepped forward in this situation, they’d have to be insane...”
For now, let’s open up party chat. No more eavesdropping.
“So, is anyone in our party a real idol? Oh, also, sis and Tsumugi are technically considered beautiful in real life. For what it’s worth.”
At least, that was what my friends in school would tell me. I was just the plain brother stuck between them. That was probably why I never developed a thing for sisters, be they older or younger.
I even heard Alto mutter, “I’m glad they’re not my sisters...” or something at some point.
“Not me,” said Shouko. “I am most definitely not an idol.”
“Nor am I, I daresay.”
“No...”
I turned to Romina’s chat window.
“Unfortunately not.”
“If it turned out to be Alto, that’d be the best punch line.”
“He’s not here to confirm it, but if that guy were an idol, I’d turn off the TV every time he showed up.”
We could only pray our Merchant of Death wasn’t the idol. That said, the idol industry was full of shady business, and maybe someone with his business acumen would fit right in.
Anyway, there didn’t seem to be some secret idol hidden among us. Not that it would matter if there were.
“There won’t be time for chitchat once the wave begins. Everyone here fights their own way, right? I’ll do what I can to make it easier for you.”
It happened just as Kanade showed her determination—
Just as it had several times before, the black dimensional rift let off a dull glow. The event had begun.