Shared Pain Is Halved
I had been going about my peaceful daily routine, same as always.
And then someone came along and shattered that peace, barging straight into my ordinary life.
"Teacher, are you going to G-Star by any chance?"
That someone was none other than the streamer Nikang — a person I could fairly call my first disciple.
Come to think of it, we hadn't really talked at all since facing each other in the Abyss Streamer Tournament. Before that, I'd occasionally drop into her stream when she was playing Abyss, offer some advice, and type in chat asking why she wasn't playing Camilla. But after the tournament, I'd gotten quietly busy myself.
Sure, we were friends on Abyss and friends on Discord, but there was something that made me hesitate to reach out first. That was just my nature. I had never been the type to initiate private contact with anyone.
And yet, when an acquaintance messaged me first, I was always genuinely glad to hear from them — a thoroughly contradictory human being, if there ever was one. I mulled over Nikang's question for a moment.
G-Star, huh. Come to think of it, quite a few of my own viewers had been asking about it too. Saying that if I went, they'd love to meet me and get an autograph.
It wasn't like I had zero interest. As someone hanging out a "variety game streamer" shingle, I'd figured a gaming event like this was worth attending at least once.
Go check out what new titles were around, try the demo booths, that kind of thing. And while I was at it, fire up an outdoor stream and chat with viewers about being at G-Star. Other streamers did that all the time. Watching them, I'd thought to myself that I should try streaming like that someday too.
If I had to pick a side, I was leaning toward yes. There'd be the hassle of figuring out transportation and lodging and all the rest, but if I let that stop me, I'd never go anywhere.
Besides, if I didn't go now, I'd just be glued to the house as usual. Getting out for some external activity for once didn't sound half bad.
"Yeah, if nothing comes up, I'm planning to go."
Nikang was probably planning to go to G-Star herself. That was why she'd asked. And since the topic was already open, this worked out well — unlike me, who'd never been to G-Star in my life, she might actually have some experience.
I could ask her for advice on lodging, transportation, all of it. Or better yet, just go together from the start. That wouldn't be a bad idea either.
I was nodding slightly to myself with those thoughts when Nikang, having heard my answer, let out a short sigh.
"Um, Teacher, do you remember? You said that if I hit Diamond with Camilla, you'd grant me anything."
"…Did I?"
The unexpected remark slowed my reply. I turned it over in my head for a moment, and yes — I might have said something like that.
Being my first disciple and all, I'd probably gotten carried away and just blurted things out. Like writing a blank check. But Nikang hitting Diamond with Camilla had always seemed like a long shot with very low odds.
"Check my match history. I hit Diamond. With Camilla."
Looking at the match history site link she sent, though, I realized my assessment had been completely wrong. Right next to her ID sat the emblem proudly symbolizing Diamond, and occupying the most-played slot was Camilla's portrait.
She hadn't one-tricked Camilla exclusively — other heroes were mixed in here and there — but hey, I wasn't some porcelain craftsman. No need to be that strict about it. This was more than enough to pass.
"Oh, you actually hit Diamond. Congrats."
"So, about that thing where you said you'd grant me anything…"
"I'll give you one wish. Nothing I can't actually do, though — something reasonable."
Why had Nikang suddenly brought this up? Given that she'd started with G-Star, maybe she, like me, didn't have anyone to go with.
So she was going to use her wish to ask me to go together? That would be such a simple, cute wish. She wouldn't even need all this buildup — a single "please go to G-Star with me" would have been plenty.
But my prediction was only half right. What Nikang said next made my face crumple on the spot.
"…Please cosplay with me!"
"Excuse me?"
"At G-Star! Let's cosplay together…!"
It was a request so flustering and absurd that it took me a solid three seconds to even process the situation properly.
I double-checked to make sure I'd understood correctly.
"Cosplay? Like, dressing up in clothes that look like a character and wearing a wig and all that?"
"…Yes!"
"Why would I."
The words shot out at nearly spinal-reflex speed. But Nikang, as if she'd prepared for exactly this, stammered out a counter.
"Th-the wish! The wish! I'm using my wish!"
"Ah…"
It was a sigh loaded with meaning. So that was what all the buildup had been for — I understood, even as the realization sank in that I'd been completely cornered.
"Cosplay, though… I've got no experience with it, and it'd be rough in a lot of ways… Could you wish for something else?"
"But it's my wish… I even hit Diamond with Camilla, who's hard, just so I could make this wish…"
You hit Diamond for a wish like that—
The words rose all the way to my throat before I swallowed them back down. Figuring out the situation came first. Why on earth was Nikang suddenly asking me to cosplay with her?
"Do you usually like cosplay? Is it a hobby or something?"
"No, it's just a punishment. I spun a roulette with my viewers and 'cosplay at G-Star' came up."
Even after hearing the explanation, I somehow felt more baffled than before. What did any of that have to do with me?
"Okay, then just go cosplay by yourself. Why drag me into it?"
"Hehe… They say shared pain is halved, right?"
"Isn't it supposed to double?"
After that, Nikang's excuses — if you could call them that — kept coming.
She said it bothered her that even though she was my first disciple, we'd barely interacted because both of us were busy streaming. And that even without the cosplay, she'd wanted to hang out together at this G-Star.
On top of that, she clung to the idea of walking around the booths together, and my resolve started to waver.
Honestly, it wasn't a hard no even if you killed me and brought me back. I didn't have any particular aversion to putting on frilly cosplay outfits, and given that I'd already seen everything there was to see in Camilla's body, it would have been weird to suddenly start fretting that cosplaying would destroy my dignity.
If anything, hearing Nikang's pitch made me curious. I already looked identical to Camilla — so if I put on the look she normally wore for a cosplay… just how identical would I become?
As if reading my mind, Nikang launched into a self-PR pitch toward the end of her pitch.
"I'll prepare all the costumes. I'm the one who asked, after all. Teacher, you just need to show up."
"You won't even need a wig. Hair color, eye color — everything's already the same, so no contacts either. Just some light makeup should do it… Honestly, I think you'd be fine just changing clothes. Your entire existence is already a cosplay."
And then, the decisive blow.
"I've been to G-Star a lot, so I know it well. I can just book the same place I always stay, and if you go with me, it'll be super convenient, you know?"
Nikang was an excellent guide.
Truthfully, my heart had already long since tipped toward accepting, but I played hard to get as I answered.
"Alright. Let's do it together…"
"Yes! I knew I could count on you, Teacher. There's no one but the great Kayak!"
Nikang started excitedly mapping out plans left and right. I added one more thing.
"Would it be okay if one more person came along?"
"One more person?"
Earlier, Nikang had said shared pain is halved. She was right about that.
I smiled faintly and opened my mouth.
"Someone to cosplay with us."