As one gets older, they say it’s wise to open one’s ears and wallet, be cautious with one’s eyes and hands, and keep one’s mouth shut as much as possible.
It’s an exemplary proverb to live by. I’m not sure if it holds true if you age backwards… Anyway, I always tried to keep my ears open and listen carefully to others’ opinions.
Really.
“So, please stop… I’ll turn it on later when you two leave.”
“Don’t suddenly start a live broadcast with your phone. Let’s keep the phone here, alright?”
“…You really have little trust in humans.”
“It seems like the trust in a particular human has decreased.”
In that sense, it felt somewhat unfair to be doubted this much by Ark. The fact that I had no position to rebut Revan’s added comment… made it even sadder.
Playing games alternately while giving hints isn’t that extreme of a content, is it?
Back in the day, it was a nostalgic culture where many people had to share just one gaming console or computer. Yells of ‘that’s not how you do it’ were part of the experience.
The number of spectators now might differ, but still.
Yeah, there’s nothing wrong with hint content. In retrospect… being treated like a potential troublemaker must be because of my suggestion for the ‘Ark-Revan Impromptu Fake Couple’ content.
I proposed it really gently, though. Ark’s expression was something I’d never seen before.
If I had known she would hate it that much, I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place… It was utterly unforeseen. Besides, it hadn’t been long since Ark mentioned she might consider the fake couple idea.
Was she expecting to be introduced to a new person?
Well, suddenly saying ‘let’s be a fake couple starting now!’ with Revan, whom she already knew, could be… a bit awkward. Still, I’ve seen broadcasters who were already friends become a fake couple.
To think she’d reject it that sternly. Even Revan’s face hardened considerably, likely hurt by Ark’s reaction.
I completely understood Revan’s feelings. It was like being rejected without even confessing. Naturally, it would upset him. To be fair, I hadn’t gotten his permission either.
But… since I was planning to use my wish from winning the bet to make Ark and Revan a fake couple, it was tricky to get his approval beforehand…
Ah, I felt worse for Ark now.
The more I pondered, the more confused I got about to whom I owed a greater apology. Saying something like, ‘I thought you two would make a great pair’ in front of them would only double their displeasure. Since they’d already turned it down.
“… How about we order some food… and have a bit more to drink?”
I’ll make a genuine apology privately later. For now, offering some delicious treats seemed like the best apology.
After showing the favorites list on the delivery app to the two, they discussed and decided to order chicken, sashimi, and bossam.
It was a combination that could be described as a feast with a variety of land, sea, and air dishes. Though it was a bit expensive, when else would I use the Rogue Revival Movement fund if not at a time like this?
Such funds were originally intended to be used as expenses for meals with stakeholders. It was somewhat regrettable that I couldn’t immediately use the newly installed VR equipment, but an intimate indoor drinking party was always welcome.
However… if I wasn’t going to use VR and were going to eat… I preferred to change out of this suffocating underwear.
The last time I wore a sports bra, thinking I might use VR later, food didn’t settle well, resulting in a painful experience.
Liquor went down smoothly since it was liquid.
Anyway, I had been enduring the tight pressure to prevent injuries, under the assumption that I would jump into VR right after installation. Now that no exercise was certain, changing into something comfortable as soon as possible seemed right.
It was definitely not because they needed an excuse to escape the stifling atmosphere and the odd looks aimed at them at every opportunity.
“I, I’ll go change into something more comfortable.”
Starting to eat delicious food might bring back a good atmosphere. With that small hope, they stood up and headed to the restroom.
* * * *
About 30 minutes had passed since the bombshell couples proposal. Lee Yena, now looking much more comfortable, opened the chicken box.
“Please, have some. Here. Revan, I’ll give you the only drumstick.”
“… I wish you wouldn’t be so considerate.”
“Don’t hesitate.”
The nervously tense moments from a while ago were already becoming nostalgic.
Seeing her handing out drumsticks to both Ark and Revan, it seemed she didn’t have any ill will – but that was precisely the problem with her.
As Ark recalled countless episodes flashing through her mind and shook her head, she nearly let her gaze drift downward.
‘Seriously, what kind of pressure bandage… Ah, a sports bra. Quite effective. That much, huh.’
The very flow of thought itself that was starting was the problem. Eyes tend to follow thoughts. If caught looking, who knows what Lee Yena would say. Even between the same gender, staring openly at body parts was an issue of manners beyond gender.
Moreover, Lee Yena, with such a body, would be highly sensitive to gazes targeting her physique… Ark, having never been noted for her chest, could still understand that much.
She needed to be cautious.
Even so, wasn’t this against the rules?
‘If only from the start, from the very first time I saw… I mean… anyway, she shouldn’t have hidden it. It makes you curious enough to keep watching.’
Ark naturally recalled the slightly exposed appearance from Lee Yena’s first broadcast. Of course, she was definitely receiving the help of some incredibly padded undergarments…
‘Enough, enough!’
The problem was the silence was dragging on too long. Ark turned her head, intending to ask Revan a lighthearted question about the broadcast, but upon seeing him intently dismantling the meat from a chicken neck, she quietly closed her mouth.
She had a hunch as to the reason why Revan was focusing excessively on the food.
* * * *
“It’s already 10 o’clock. Should we get going? Yena is supposed to be broadcasting soon.”
“Let’s do that. Today… the meal was great. I wonder if I need to test if VR works properly. If there are any issues, let me know.”
“I’m sure it’ll work fine. Oh, next time we meet, let’s drop the formalities.”
“…I’ve suggested dropping them several times, but you keep refusing.”
“If we drop the formalities, I might end up calling you ‘hey’, ‘you’, ‘dude’, or even worse. Are you okay with that?”
“Why are you so extreme- nevermind. Let’s just mutually respect each other.”
“Why are you so upset? Just treat me with some old man respect… isn’t that fine?”
“This old man talk is seriously- anyway. Let’s just go naturally. If you feel like dropping the formality, do it. I’ll follow.”
“You’re so passive. Men need to be confident- Ah, leave that. I’ll clean up.”
“Huh? No, no! It’s easier to just throw it out on our way out.”
“…Then, I’ll see you off and clean up together. Just a moment.”
No matter how much I tried to stop her, Ark insisted on helping with the cleanup, and eventually gave up, starting to clean up the delivery containers piled on the table.
As I organized, I realized there was more leftover food than expected.
Although I eat sparingly now… those two, who play VR games for hours on end like it’s exercise, should be eating much more. Maybe it didn’t suit their taste?
Despite my recently picky palate, the food was quite good, and considering how the attacks aimed at me noticeably decreased once the food arrived, it seemed both felt better after eating.
They chose the menu themselves, so there’s no need to overthink it. Given they are broadcasters who show themselves live, they might be controlling their food intake to manage their weight.
For now, let’s just leave it at that. I’ve decided not to worry over problems without clear solutions. As I returned home after seeing off the guests, a faint smell of food lingered in the air.
It was a smell that matched the silence and stillness of a room after a party. The scent of loneliness and chores to do.
However, at the moment, neither really affected me much. Thanks to Ark’s initiative, the three of us had cleaned the dining table immaculately and even finished the dishes, so there wasn’t much left to tidy up.
For some reason, I didn’t feel particularly lonely either. With a slightly lighter heart, I turned on my computer. If I was going to start a broadcast, it seemed like it was time for another VR session.
Recently, the most frequent request I was getting was to play as the Greatsword Knight, but more recently, viewers had been clamoring just as loudly to do any VR game.
Well, it’s a world where VR had become the trend in almost every game unless it was classified as ‘classic’ or ‘indie.’ Thanks to the power of development tools, even many indie games supported VR, so that said a lot.
In that context, it was only natural to receive demands to reduce the number of ‘weird’ games and do more VR content.
Though she couldn’t possibly fulfill all the viewers’ desires, there was no strong reason to avoid something she could actually deliver.
It was too late now to set up a stone stele denouncing VR as if it were some hellish artifact to be rejected.
『CravingWarmAmericano is live!』
『Rogue Revival Movement – Setting up VR』
After setting the broadcast title and clicking the start button, she briefly announced on WeTogether that she had just started streaming.
How did they always know and come rushing in? It always amazed her to see the viewers quickly flood in. Familiar greetings and exclamations, friendly curses, and then…
-ㅇㅇ has donated 1,000 won!-
【Why do you keep writing the broadcast notice after you start streaming… what’s the point of the notice then】
“Hmm… While weather forecasts are good, live weather updates might be necessary for someone.”
Judging by the reaction in the chat window, the VR equipment’s microphone seemed to be working well. Who the heck needs that? Well, let’s go with that. A person who never watches World Series broadcasts does her own… Oh, the World Series broadcast.
Come to think of it, the World Series was underway. Seeing quite a significant portion of posts related to it on various communities suggested it was garnering a lot of attention.
Maybe I I check the results once the broadcast ended.
That… was it Orthodox? I was curious how well he was handling his role as a Rogue.
That was for later. For now, I suppressed my curiosity about the increasingly heated chat window and picked up the VR equipment from the floor.
“Today we’ll be doing VR. I need to set up first, but with so many helping viewers, I feel confident. Shall we get started?”
It was a monumental first VR broadcast. It would be nice to share the experience of setting up from scratch as it might make viewers feel directly involved.
If only I could have turned on the cam, I would have broadcasted the setup too. Alas, it was a minor regret.