Vtuber Chapter 49

Vtuber chapter 49

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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.

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