Chapter 49 of 61
Chapter 49
15 min read3,650 words
Parsed with an automated reader. The content accuracy is not guranteed.
Vtuber chapter 49
Old site
49. How a Vtuber Should be 11
Ibuki
is watching.
From
a high place far from the battlefield, looked down on everyone.
Kazuto
is gradually narrowing down the battlefield. And the six of them were being
crowded together at the same time.
For
Ibuki, who knew where each one of them stood and understood the meaning of why
they were standing there, it was nothing but a strange feeling.
“It’s
not natural for them to be shooting at each other at such close range. It’s too
close for them.”
Therefore,
he notices.
Kazuto
might be aiming for something.
“…
“Comet”?”
At
that very moment, he arrived at the answer.
Five
people approached Kazuto at once.
“…tch”
At
the same time, he thinks that all people are dead.
“…No.”
H
also thought that there was no way to attack Suda.
It’s
the shortest way, 16 meters the “Comet” can’t reach.
That
is a fatal mistake he could see because he was looking down at them through the
scope.
“…
Maybe ‘Kazuto’ stops here.”
Ibuki
turned his aim toward the future one second ahead.
And
immediately after that.
She
sees Kazuto’s head in the middle of the scope.
Ibuki
tried to pull the trigger while feeling that it was the end ―――
☆ 彡 ☆
彡 ☆ 彡 ☆
彡
“…What?”
I
managed to defeat Char, and I saw Hoshino-san’s HP bar, which indicates that he
was already dying.
The
remaining amount dyed bright red is probably between 30 and 40.
That
is a small number that you can be killed by a single bullet even if it is not
“Disua”.
“It’s
too early to lose anything …! Why!”
Hoshino-san
is not the kind of person who says he can do what he can’t.
He
often makes stupid jokes that she knows to be a lie in a blink of an eye, but
she has never seen him tell a lie.
Maybe
something unexpected happened, or-
“…
Is there anyone stronger than he imagined?”
It
could be either of those.
The
five people who chased me around were strong enough, but none of them were
outstanding.
I
think those five can’t go far beyond Hoshino-san’s imagination.
If
that’s the case, the only possibility left is Ibuki’s existence.
Her
strength is unknown. But because she stood beside Suda, that wasn’t an
impossible possibility.
“…
I headed to the wrong place?”
I’m
in charge of the two snipers.
If
I had gone to Ibuki instead of Char, I would have regretted it.
“What
should I do?”
But
before I could grieve, I knew what I had to do.
It
was my duty to stop Ibuki.
But
I can’t think of a way to do it.
Should
I run to Ibuki now?
Far
beyond the battlefield of Hoshino-san and the others?
It’s
impossible. You can’t get there in time.
I’m
not sure if I’m a match for someone who would hunt down Hoshino-san in the
first place.
“…
Something …, if I don’t hurry up …!”
It’s
not surprising that Hoshino’s HP is lost a second later.
She
didn’t even have time to worry.
“What
I can do from here?”
I
turned my head as fast as I could.
Well,
whatever.
It’s
the way to help Hoshino-san.
I
need to find it.
“…
Hhhmm.”
What
I saw in my eyes was a weapon.
It’s
her partner, the one that Char left behind.
It’s
Los’s “legendary” long-range weapon.
“…
“Dizua”.”
I
muttered the name in a small voice.
The
weight of the “Dizua”, which I rarely hold, surprised me, but I carefully
checked the magazine.
Then
there was a single bullet left in it.
“…………”
Somehow,
I managed to find out the distance from my position to Ibuki using the map.
The
place was invisible to the naked eye, and it was not a distance that the human
eye can see.
“…
620m.”
Too
far, I thought.
In
this game, the closest distance for a sniper to hit is 150 to 200 meters.
For
“Dizua,” the range is farther at 250 meters due to the high-powered scope.
If
you can hit 300 meters, you are considered a top-notch player, and if you are a
professional gamer who mainly plays sniper, you can hit up to 350 meters.
The
world record for a long-distance kill is 593 meters.
“……
.…… 620m”
With
that in mind, I looked at those numbers again.
What
can I do now?
I
have only a single bullet in my hand.
I knew it.
That
there was only one option.
I…
Right
here, right now.
Will
go beyond the world.
–600m
snipe.
“…………
Fu ……”
I
closed my eyes and adjusted my breathing.
I’m
not sure I’d call it a dot, but I can see a small figure of Ibuki.
If
I hadn’t known where he was to some extent beforehand with the “Eye of the Sun”,
I don’t think I would have even been able to find him.
One
bullet.
One
chance.
It
can’t be the torso.
If
I don’t hit him in the head, he won’t die.
“…
Calm down, me.”
Hurry
up.
But
don’t be hasty.
A
single mistake is the same as a loss.
“…………”
I
noticed that my hands were shaking.
The
crosshairs on the scope were shaking as I had never experienced before.
There
is no such thing as a heart in the virtual world, but when I saw the pulsating,
dizzying aim, I realized how reckless the action I was about to take was.
620m.
That
was just too far for me.
Ballistic
fall.
Wind.
Air
resistance.
This
realistically created world makes snipes more difficult.
“…
Hoshino-san”
I
muttered the name to calm my mind.
It’s
impossible to snipe at this distance with just your ability.
It’s
all about intuition and luck.
And
because of these things, Ic can guide to the target that I want.
“…
Hoshino-san …”
I
didn’t want to keep relying on him.
I
don’t want to be a woman that needs his help.
Hoshino-san
is suffering from the same pain sensation as the real one that he carried on
his behalf at this moment too.
He
is fighting for me. He is desperately enduring it.
That’s
why I too.
Will
go beyond the limit.
“…
for Hoshino-san … !!”
I
push through recklessness with determination.
“――――――”
I
held my breath.
–Concentration.
Time
stops.
–Deeper.
I
saw the wind.
–Sharpen
my senses.
Draw
the trajectory in your mind.
—-Here
it is.
A
roar.
The
heavy recoil returned to my hands.
The
bullet fired far above Ibuki’s position and slowly fell according to gravity.
The
time it took for the bullet to land was roughly 0.7 seconds.
It
was so long that it seemed like an eternity to me.
A
void fills the air.
And
then.
I
stare at the disappearing bullet.
I
understand the result.
“……I
hit her huh?”
In
my field of vision, I noticed a string of text indicating that I had killed
Ibuki.
–World
Record [624m]
☆ 彡 ☆
彡 ☆ 彡 ☆
彡
-I
can’t do this.
The
feeling of giving up was born in me.
I’m
not talking about willpower or anything like that, but just the pure fact that
it’s a dead end.
No
matter what I did, there was no way to reverse the situation.
I
felt a mixture of frustration and apology.
I
wondered if my one mistake would cost me Inori-chan.
“…!?”
――But
then suddenly.
Ibuki’s
line of sight disappeared.
I
opened my eyes in surprise, not knowing what had just happened.
I’m
not sure why Ibuki would remove his muzzle from me.
Inori-chan
should be in the exact opposite of Ibuki, and there should be nothing to
disturb Ibuki, and right after I thought so.
I
heard the gunshot of a “Dizua” later.
It
is the only weapon in LoS that has the firepower to kill an opponent with a
single shot.
It
was not a strange sound that I had heard many times in this game. The weird
thing was that it was not a sniper shot aimed at me.
It
was pointing in a different direction.
――Maybe,
just maybe.
The
piece fits in my mind.
I
thought it was impossible, but there was no other possibility.
It
was hard to believe, but perhaps.
Inori-chan
shot Ibuki.
“—“
I
wondered how many hundred meters away she was.
500?
600? At the very least, it was a distance that made it ridiculous to even think
about challenging her.
She
hadn’t given up.
She
believed that I wouldn’t give up, so she recklessly challenged and accomplished
it.
Oh,
shit, that’s pathetic.
――What
is “this is impossible” …! !!
Up
until now, I’ve been so thoroughly “standing my ground” that I’ve rarely had the
opportunity to experience the feeling of being completely stuck.
Because
of that, my thinking process on how to get out of this kind of situation is
gone.
That
is not shogi or chess.
There
is no such thing as a perfect game.
――I’m
also scratching myself.
Even
Inori-chan pushes her limit!!!!!
I’m
not afraid of reckless challenges.
I’m
going to push my limits too.
I’m
not going to give up.
I
lifted my face again with burning eyes.
Suda’s
eyes met mine.
He
was already pointing the muzzle of his gun at me with an expression that seemed
to be relaxed.
His
aim is my forehead, and I knew I was going to die just by him pulling the
trigger.
Can’t
the knife reach him?
One-shot,
I’m dead?
Who
cares?
What
I’m holding is the knife that cuts through everything.
Despair,
unreasonableness, and anything else that gets in my way cut it all down
together.
I’ll
even cut down common sense for the sake of Inori.
–Check
it out.
This
is a game world.
If
the system allows it, then everything will be fine.
If
that’s true, right?
There’s
nothing that this knife in my hand can’t cut.
It
can even cut through bullets.
What
was pointed at me was a large caliber rifle.
The
“Warning from the Sky” had told me where the bullet would end up.
The
bullet landed slightly to the right of my forehead.
And
the muzzle was in front of me.
I
could see the trajectory of the bullet, connected by dots.
So,
all that was left was the timing.
–Check
it out.
The
world of 0.01 seconds.
At a distance of one meter, there is no effect
of bullet speed.
I
watch the moment when the trigger is pulled.
I
only follow the bullet.
The
scenery disappears from my sight.
The
world turns white.
I
can’t even see Suda’s face anymore.
Only
me and the gun that wants to kill me are left in the world.
–Check
it out.
No
sound is needed.
No
color is needed.
Just
look at his intent to kill.
Blood-colored
lightning flashed across one edge of my vision.
The
limits of my eyeballs.
It
doesn’t matter.
Let
go of the pain.
–Check
it out.
Find
out what I’m betting on this blade.
What
am I pushing the limits?
I
don’t need to think about it now.
My
world.
It
accelerated.
I
could see.
I
felt a strange sensation on the knife that I slashed up.
A
metallic sound I had never heard before echoed through the air.
Behind
me, I heard two broken pieces of something fall.
Color
returned to the world.
Then
I saw Suda’s face in my field of vision.
He
has an idiotic expression, a mixture of impatience, despair, and stupefaction.
――Oh,
how dare he do whatever he wanted?
Anger,
hatred, disappointment, I put all my emotions into this one flash.
I
screamed as hard as I could.
I
stomped down on Suda’s neck, crushing him as if he were flying, one meter away
from where I thought I couldn’t reach.
On
Suda’s neck.
“Don’t
ever …… come near Inori-chan again.”
-I
swung the knife.
At
this moment, we are victorious.
☆ 彡 ☆
彡 ☆ 彡 ☆
彡
[Inori's
POV]
Silence,
a tiny echo in the silence.
The
sound of gunfire had disappeared from the field, and I only heard the sound of
footsteps.
It
was the sound of Inori-chan running.
It
was the sound of her hurrying to Kazuto.
Inori
went back to the road she had once run as fast as possible during this game.
She
wondered about the never-ending match but decided that she should join up with
Ichikano first.
When
Inori arrived at the spot, she found Kazuto lying on his back.
“…
Kazuto, san”
If
you look at it, Kazuto wore something like a faint, red-black thunder all over
his body.
It
turns out that a fierce battle that she could imagine happened here. And
because of that, the field became so desolated.
Kazuto,
who heard Inori’s mutter, turned only his neck and saw Inori.
“…
Ah, Inori-chan. Thank you for your hard work.”
It
was a terrible and exhausted voice.
He
smiled caringly, but at a glance, he’s overdoing it.
“Kazuto-san…”
Inori
called out his name again letting out a cry, and slowly approached Kazuto.
She
endures her legs that are about to collapse. And then she walks step by step.
“…”
Then
she kneeled right next to Kazuto and looked down at his face.
In
the world of the two of them, where no one can interfere, Kazuto and Inori came
face to face.
Both
had their mouths closed and quiet time passed.
“…
Why do you look like that. Did we win?”
Kazuto
talks with anxiety when he sees tears spilling from Inori’s eyes.
He
wondered if there was still something that makes Inori cry.
Inori
opens her mouth while looking down.
“…
I’m sorry. Because of me … You’re dying for me… You’re dying. You’re trying too
hard …”
I’m
more than grateful, I’m sorry.
When
I thought about the pain that hit Kazuto, I couldn’t say anything but her
apology.
“Stop
it. I did my best because I wanted to do my best. If you apologize, …… I’ll be
in trouble, too.”
But
for Kazuto, Inori’s tears were not something he wanted to see.
“………
Please, don’t cry.”
For
Kazuto, who isn’t used to the tears of a girl, coming up with her nifty lines
is harder than slashing bullets.
He
could only tell her honestly what he thought.
Inori
covered her eyes with her hands, but she still couldn’t hide the tears rolling
down her cheeks.
“…
Because… I’m sorry …”
Inori
apologized again for not being able to stop her tears.
Kazuto
is stuck in her word and only her sobbing of Inori echoes.
Even
the little sobbing sounded good to Ichika because she didn’t make a single
noise.
It
was a long time ago that Kazuto worriedly said that.
“…
Hey Inori-chan. Do you remember the first time I sent a message?”
Looking
at the sky, he spoke softly.
He
spoke in a nostalgic voice as if remembering it.
Inori
endures a sob as she slowly lowers her hand.
She
was still crying, and her voice was trembling, but she managed to reply.
“…
I remember, of course, because that was the first message that I received.”
“Hey,
that’s right … I’m a little happy.”
Kazuto
smiled as if he was shy.
“I’m
not going to lie, I don’t remember what kind of message I sent myself. But I
still remember the reason why I sent the message that day..”
“…?
Why?”
“es.
It was the time when Inori-chan stopped laughing so much. I used to love
watching you play games like you were having fun.”
It
was a bit of an exaggeration to say that I was blaming her.
The
tone of voice was a little ridiculous.
Inori
was surprised by his words.
“Well,
was that so? I wasn’t aware of it …”
“Really?
I was wondering if it was something you didn’t like.”
Anyway,
Kazuto continues.
“…
I didn’t want to see Inori-chan trying to be sad from that time on.”
“…”
“In
other words, I want you to do your best for me. That’s the same reason I sent a
message at that time and I did my best today. I don’t want to see you sad, I
want to see you laugh… “
“…”
“So
don’t apologize. After all, I just wanted to do it …. If you could thank me
even a little, I want you to laugh for me.”
“……Okay”
Inori’s
tears did not stop.
But
this time the tears were different than before.
She
smiled shyly and it was tears that came from joy.
……
…………
………………
"Ye-es.”
Kazuto
feels a break in the conversation, and he twists his body to stand up.
…But.
“Oh,
it hurts, it hurts.”
He
gave up because of the severe pain that ran all over his body.
His
tone is playful, but his expression is frozen and doesn’t look like a joke.
Unlike
during the deadly battle before. He seemed hard to move in a calm state.
“…
What are you doing all of a sudden??”
“No,
I’m about to die.”
“Did
you possibly get shot in the head as well?”
Seeing
Inori with her seriously anxious face, Ichika makes an excuse as if she was
impatient.
“Well,
it’s not like that. You see, isn’t it strange? The match doesn’t end when only
two of us survive.”
“Oh,
that made me wonder too.”
“I
think it’s because I got out of the ‘camp’ weirdly. Maybe it’s a bug that
doesn’t treat Inori and me as friends. Look, on my map, I don’t see Inori’s
location, either.”
Ichika
managed to open the map to Inori with his right arm.
“…
That’s true, but I can check Kazuto-san’s energy gauge, though.”
“That’s
me too. Well, it’s a bug, isn’t it?”
“Huh?”
Inori
is a little convincing, but I think it seems stupid to ask for consistency in
bugs.
It
seemed that she decided to accept it for the time being.
“And
I thought that if I died, it would solve the problem.”
“Ah,
I see…”
Kazuto
took a breather, relieved that he could resolve the suspicion that he was
crazy.
“But
then I’ll kill you easily, even if Kazuto-san doesn’t overdo it.”
“Yes,
the way you said it. I wish you had chosen your words a little more carefully.”
Kazuto’s
emotions that twitch his face are similar to those when he sees the back of an
idol.
But
the fact is that it’s the best, so she can’t say it back.
“But
how do you kill someone easily?”
For
Kazuto who thought there was no such thing as an easy way to die. That part was
unexpected.
He
did not know what she was going to do, so he tilted his head and asked.
“Leave
it to me. If you close your eyes, you’ll be dead before you know it.”
“What
a scary thing to say.”
Inori’s
confident attitude made me feel rather scared.
“Please
close your eyes as soon as possible. With a single-digit HP, I will erase it in
an instant.”
“Yeah,
……. But what’s the point of closing my eyes? Do I have to close my eyes at all
……?”
“No.
If you open your eyes, I’ll get angry.”
“Yes.”
Losing
to Inori’s pressures. Kazuto then chose the option of silently closing his
eyes.
Now
his vision was blocked, he couldn’t see anything, which filled him with anxiety
and curiosity.
However,
since he was forbidden to open his eyes, he had no way of knowing how they were
going to do it, and he felt frustrated.
“Did
you close it properly?”
“Yeah,
perfectly.”
The
obedient Ichika overcame his curiosity and closed his eyes tightly.
Inori
also seems unquestioned, and she believes in the word without any particular
confirmation and begins preparing to “kill comfortably.”
“…
Well then, goodbye.”
While
I couldn’t see anything, only the voice of Inori arrived at once.
“Thank
you very much for your help this time.”
It
was a gentle voice, but the expression on his face was unrecognizable to Kazuto
“I’m
sure I won’t see you anymore, but … I’ll never forget today.”
It
seems to be lonely, not so.
After
all, I couldn’t judge from the voice alone.
“…………
And then”
And
there was a tense voice.
“……Goodbye”
With
the word of farewell.
–Inori
gently embraced Ichika.
A
hug that covers his cheeks from above, touching his cheeks.
Inori
remembered that there was an attack judgment on the hug in this game.
“Eh
…? What? This …, eh?”
This
is the first time I’ve ever seen such a thing.
It’s
not just the fact that you can feel the fine hair on your neck, or that there’s
something soft against your chest, or that you’re so close to someone that you
can turn your head and kiss them on the cheek.
He
had never experienced anything like this before, so he had no way of noticing.
“…
I love you, Kazuto-san.”
“Yes?
But, Vtubers need to treat their fans equally…”
In
the end, he left that dying words as ever and disappeared.
The
only one left on the battlefield was Inori, who heard the familiar fanfare of
victory.
It
seems to celebrate victory-or something else.
“…
“Vtubers need to treat their fans equally,” you say. Yes, I know that.”
Kitou
mutters alone, with her cheeks becoming red.
“Don’t
worry. I’m not Inori right now. It’s a confession from Kitou Miko.”
Kitou
confidently declares words that she can never say to him directly.
If
she is in the same area as Houki or Michiyuki, they can make her say it
directly to him.
But
in any case, their peaceful life is still safe.
One
change is that Kitou’s love has become even better than before.
BACK NEXT