About a half an hour later.
“That was great, Fumiya-kun,” said Kikuchi-san.
“Yeah, thanks.”
“And, Nanami-san…you were amazing…!!”
“Thanks…!”
“She gets more appreciation than me?”
Kikuchi-san welcomed us after the match and commentating were over.
“Oh, thanks for that, you two,” said Ashigaru-san. “Sorry, Mimimi-san, for making you chat with me a while longer afterward.”
“Oh, no! Once I got started, I was on a roll!”
“You guys were really letting me have it, though?” I said.
Well, nanashi’s image was already changing to begin with, so it was fine.
By the way, Mimimi’s commentary was apparently not only well received by the in-house audience, but she was popular over the livestream, too. Some people even mourned when she left the commentator’s seat. What a place to show off your talent.
“Well, it wasn’t that big a tournament, but management was happy that they got quite a lot more subs to the channel,” said Ashigaru-san.
“Heh-heh-heh, it seems the world has noticed my charms,” Mimimi said with a smug expression as she stroked an invisible beard. But Ashigaru-san was right; she was a fast-talker with a voice that carried. She might actually be pretty good at streaming. Huh? Did that mean she beat me in that regard?
“Now then—how was your first tournament, nanashi-kun?”
“Well…” With complicated feelings, I replied, “Frankly, I kind of have lots of regrets…”
People in the scene had been talking about this tournament a fair amount: nanashi, the number one online player, is attending a tournament for the first time?!
In the next match after the one where I’d won with Mimimi’s commentary, my time in the tournament had ended—in other words, I’d reached the top four.
Considering that it was a small- to medium-scale tournament, I had wanted to rank a little higher. But getting fourth place in my first IRL meetup wasn’t a bad number.
“You know, since I’m serious about trying to be a pro gamer.”
Ashigaru-san nodded silently.
“But…even given that I’m not used to playing IRL, I think I didn’t manage certain characters well, and I wasn’t focused enough. I should have done better. I should’ve won or at least gotten runner-up.”
I knew that was arrogant of me, but I was a top player who consistently maintained the first-place ranking online. I’d said “at least runner-up,” but if I had actually gotten runner-up, I think I still would’ve said I was frustrated I hadn’t won.
“You’re worried about the results, huh,” Ashigaru-san repeated what I’d said, folding his arms as he mulled over the issue for a little a while. “You might be thinking too inflexibly, nanashi-kun,” he said, then added, “Oh yeah,” as if something had just struck him. “Can you wait a little bit for me?”
He walked up to one of the participants who had been glancing over at us from a little bit away. “Shimaaji-kun, look, you can talk to him now.”
“Oh, y-yes! Can I?!”
Ashigaru-san brought over a boy who was a few years younger than me, probably in middle school. He stood before us nervously, giving us—well, actually me, if it wasn’t my imagination—little glances.
“Um…who’s this?” I asked.
The boy who’d been addressed as Shimaaji-kun said timidly, “Um…you’re nanashi-san, right…?”
“Y-yes! Uh…?”
When I looked to Ashigaru-san for an explanation, he said, “He comes often to tournaments to talk to me, but he says he’s been watching you online for a long time.”
“Oh…?”
“U-um! At first, I only played online, the way you did, but…lately, I’ve started to go to tournaments and stuff…”
“O-oh, really…?” I wasn’t sure how friendly to be in this sort of situation, and I just replied vaguely. So…would this make him my fan?
“Even at small tournaments, I still totally lose in the first or second match…but one day, I’d like to fight you at a tournament…!”
“Th-thank you.”
“Um…I really love the way you play Found and Jack…um.” He was flustered, but that was what made me know he was sincere. His words echoed gently in my head.
It wasn’t really sinking in—it didn’t feel real.
“That’s why I invited him today. I told him nanashi-kun was coming,” Ashigaru-san said.
Shimaaji-kun nodded. “Ashigaru-san said that you weren’t on the list of participants, but you would probably join in.”
“Huh?” Startled, I looked at Ashigaru-san.
“Cat’s out of the bag. But might as well show you off in a match, right?”
“That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?!”
What a schemer. Ashigaru-san cracked a crooked smile.
“But…I’m sorry, I only got into the top four.”
“That’s nothing to apologize for! I mean, please don’t apologize!” Shimaaji-kun said.
“Huh?” I was startled.
Shimaaji-kun said honestly, like he believed it from the heart, “I mean, you always kept your cool, watching as closely as you could to read the other player. I could tell you were nanashi-san!”
His eyes were sparkling, gazing at me like I was a hero or something.
I’d never experienced something like this.
It felt like a gust of wind whooshing into my heart.
But whether it was due to my contrary nature or my competitive spirit, part of me still couldn’t be okay with it.
“R-really…? But I mean…the Atafami scene can be a little tough… I feel like people will say that I couldn’t hack it offline…” I didn’t want to mention it, but the negativity popped out of me before I could stop it.
Was it shyness, modesty, or just putting myself down?
But Shimaaji-kun didn’t seem to be bothered by that side of me. “That’s not true at all! Look!” He tapped on his phone, then showed the screen to me.
There were rows of comments about my playing.