A lance. And not a single piece of armor.
“No... No way... It can’t be... It can’t be true...” Kai was so rattled that he couldn’t think straight.
“Calm down, Kai! It’s one of Broyalty’s mind games!”
If Jun hadn’t tried her hardest to snap Kai out of it, he might have lost before the battle even began. The sight shook his composure just that much.
Of all loadouts to use, he picked armorless lance? Against the absolute monstrosity known as the Hellblade, he used armorless lance? Does this man fear not even the wrath of God?
“Teacher, are you insane?!”
“Oh, I’m quite sane. But I am the adult here, so I’m offering my student a handicap.”
“Teacher... you’re a fearsome man!”
Kai looked like the dictionary definition of shock and awe. Jun tried to snap back at her brother that trying to show off with an armorless loadout wasn’t very mature at all, but Kai was too overheated to hear a word of it.
“All right, Nakamura, let’s begin!”
“R-Right!”
With his spirit completely enervated, Kai started the quest like he was a yes-man following orders. His mind and body were in tatters, but he still downed a Cool Drink and Mega Dash Juice before heading off to face the Deviant Glavenus on Ingle Isle.
Sadly, that was as much as he could accomplish. He could barely keep playing.
I gotta know what’s up with the armorless lance stuff!
Could someone really beat the Hellblade wearing that, or was it just an ignorant adult’s bluff? Kai found himself forgetting about his own hunt as he grew engrossed in Royalteach’s play.
To make a long story short, Royalteach was far more monstrous than the Hellblade. He Insta-blocked every hit of the Deviant’s ferocious attacks! And after every flawlessly timed parry, he counterattacked with a brutal cross slash! He might have been in his character’s birthday suit, but he was floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. One mistake would have been all it took to send Royalteach right back to the base camp, but it didn’t seem like he’d make it any time soon. Kai was spellbound by his expert technique!
This guy’s playing like he’s JJ, thought Kai. His first thought was that he didn’t stand a chance of winning, but he soon reached his second thought. With trepidation—great trepidation, at that—he looked over at the name hovering above the avatar Royalteach was controlling.
“jyunjyun1203”
The same name as the video uploader that Kai had been admiring for the past five years.
You’re kidding! There’s no waaaaaay!
Kai whipped his face away from the screen and pleaded to Jun with his eyes.
“Yes way,” said Jun, wiping away Kai’s disbelief as a sheepish smile crept on her face. That would explain why she warned him not to blame her for whatever happened. She continued by explaining where Royalteach’s handle came from.
“My name can be pronounced as ‘Junjun,’ and my birthday is December 3.”
“Oh man, he really is terminal!”
It was the real deal. JJ showed up in the last place Kai expected to find him. Kai’s eyes were glued to the live performance of skill from his long-admired Let’s Player. He was practically on his hands and knees in worship.
The godlike hunter displayed on screen known as “jyunjyun1203” sent every interloping Glavenus to their grave.
“Well, that’ll do,” said Royalteach as he heaved a long sigh after completing his hunt. Indeed, for a player on his level, the armorless lance was probably a tactical choice to sharpen his focus to the extreme. That was why he didn’t seem to notice a thing Kai did as he was playing.
“So, Nakamura, how goes your hunt?” he eventually asked. Royalteach didn’t need to pay attention to look completely assured of his victory.
Kai grinned, gave a thumbs up, and exclaimed, “I triple carted ages ago!”
Royalteach was taken aback for a moment, but responded, “...So, it’s safe to say that I’m the victor, correct?”
“Sure is! I could never hope to beat you, JJ!”
Kai confirmed it without hesitation, his grin never fading for a moment. He might have lost, but he just couldn’t help it. Not after he put the pieces together. The man named Prince Miyakawa, the teacher who saved him from Matsuda’s gang, the Monster Hunter legend he had nothing but respect for, was a good guy deep down. He was everything Kai could have hoped for.
The conditions of their duel said it all. Royalteach told Kai only to “prove” himself. He never said anything about barring the two from meeting again if Kai lost. When you’re as good as JJ, you know full well you’re going to win. Not adding that condition was a subtle sign of Royalteach’s kindness, his manliness. That’s why Kai smiled so broadly in spite of his loss.
“Now that our duel’s over with, please play with me, JJ! Let’s do Special Permit Glav! C’mon, it’s Glav!”
“Okay, look... You’re supposed to be a bit more persistent, maybe asking for a rematch...”
“I’ll totally prove myself if you join a party with me! I’ve had a lot of experience covering for Jun’s dodging mistakes as a top-notch wide-area support, so trust me!”
“...”
Royalteach was left speechless at Kai’s incessant demands to play.
“Hold on,” Jun interjected. “Lemme join too!”
“Yeah, Jun, go get your Switch!”
Jun cheerfully hopped out of the living room and dashed up the stairs to prep for their three-player hunt. Meanwhile, Royalteach’s jaw was still on the floor.
“H-Huh? You’re not gonna join up?”
“...Our duel is over, is it not? So go home.”
“JJ, I’ve always admired your mad skills! I wanna play together at least once!”
“Mgh...”
“Please! It’s my one wish!”
“...Just know that I can’t control a monster’s behavior if I’m not playing solo.”
“So, gonna put some armor on this time?”
“...Don’t be ridiculous. If I did, I’d clear the hunt far too quickly for it to be any fun.”
Royalteach was getting a little brash, but at least he was committing to play with them.
“You’re a real handful...” he griped, but the fact that he was still joining along was a sign that he was a gamer before all else. In a real war, yesterday’s enemies could never be today’s friends. That’s why video games own!
“Ahhh, it’s an honor to go on a hunt with the legendary JJ. Also, we’re cool if I accidentally trip you, right?”
“Don’t you dare.”
As they chatted, Jun returned in a hurry with her Switch. Kai accepted the Special Permit quest, and before long, the three were on the hunt. Royalteach’s moves were as smooth as always, but the other two were letting their rust show. They made massive mistakes and had massive laughs over them. Royalteach raged whenever they hit him in-game—he was less mature than he let on. But it was all part of the experience, one they’d look back on with smiles.
They paid no attention to the time as they played for who knows how long. Until eventually, the hands of the clock pointed out that it was six at night. Figuring it was a good stopping point, Royalteach stood up.
“Teacher?”
“I remembered I have plans with my wife.”
“Huh? I don’t remember you saying anything about that...?”
“I just remembered!”
With his exclamation made, Royalteach walked toward the exit. Leaving Kai and Jun alone. Wait, for real?!
“You can have my share of dinner, Nakamura. Just heat it up in the microwave.”
Royalteach turned back with his hand on the doorknob, as though he just remembered to mention this. Jun, unsure of what in the world had gotten into her brother, was just as confused as Kai. Royalteach didn’t seem to pay their concerns any mind.
“Your curfew is at 9 p.m., got it? My brothers won’t be coming home tonight... but don’t take my trust for granted, Nakamura.”
“R-Right!” agreed Kai on reflex after Royalteach sternly drove the point home. That’s why it took him a moment to process the meaning of the words he said.
Huh? Wait, what? Can I really stay that late, eat a meal, and just go home? ‘Take his trust for granted,’ meaning... he trusts me?!
Kai wasn’t able to show Royalteach anything close to the skill expected of him, so he didn’t have a clue what was going on...