Chuseok Special Stream

“…Shall we get the game started?”

[I wasn't finished talking yet!]

…Sounds like she's angrier than I expected.

Well, even by my own standards, today's remarks had been a bit harsher than usual….

Seriously, this is all my aunt's fault. What is even happening?

After a brief moment of deliberating over how to handle this, I opened my mouth.

…No idea if this will work.

“By the way, Wooju, you're so skinny that honestly, I think it'd be fine if you gained a little more weight.”

[Uh…?]

“Of course, you're plenty gorgeous as you are, but I think it'd be even nicer to look at if you filled out a bit more.”

[…Sis, you do realize Rose is pulling a scheme right now to weasel out of this situation, right?]

[I mean, yeah, I know…! But when Rose praises me like that, why does it feel so sincere…?]

…It's working?

“It's a compliment because I mean it.”

[Rose, hush. Your voice is annoyingly trustworthy for no reason, so it's confusing.]

“Teri, why are you stirring the pot? I'd appreciate it if you didn't question my sincerity.”

[Um… isn't that less stirring the pot and more stating facts…?]

“Shiru?”

[…I'm sorry.]

[Hehe, I won't let it slide next time!]

Thankfully, the storm passed faster than expected.

“Now then, let's actually play the game.”

[Yes! But how are we splitting the teams?]

Today's Yutnori was set to be a 2v2 team match, so we had to divide into teams.

Hmm… how should we split up?

Oh, why not that way?

“One.”

[Huh? Why a random number all of a sudden?]

[Two.]

“So it's me and Teri on a team.”

[…Is this legit?]

“Simple, right?”

With the teams decided, we started the Yutnori match.

“Our team will go first.”

[Wouldn't you rather go second? What if you get caught?]

“What's there to worry about? If a piece gets eaten, all that happens is Wooju's weight ticks up a little more.”

[Hey!]

“Oops.”

…Should I start watching my mouth today?

One slip might be forgivable, but with mistakes piling up like this, it gave me pause.

[…Just you wait! I'm absolutely going to win!]

“Oh, planning to eat all the way to the championship?”

Hmm… no, this isn't working.

I guess I just have to live like this for the time being.

Doesn't poison take a while to work out of your system, after all?

I’ll live like this until the poison… the habit finally wears off my speech.

[Waah! Fine! I'm splitting off into a separate voice channel!]

Look, I'd love to ease up….

But it just comes out of me reflexively….

[…Sis, please, save me. If I'm alone with Rose she'll do this to me, and I don't think I can take it….]

[Teri… doesn't that sound an awful lot like you're planning to use me as a shield…?]

[…Nope?]

[Call's over! Shiru! Let's go!]

[Y-yes…! Okay…!]

Ding!

“Hm, with people gone from the voice channel, it's so much roomier in here.”

[…Should we split off too?]

“Aw, but then it wouldn't be a collab, would it?”

[…Shall we promise not to blame ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠each other?]

“Sure. And if I get bored, I can always just harass Wooju through in-game chat, right?”

Text chat is safe, no matter how much my mouth runs wild on its own.

“Well then, since we're up first, let's just roll, shall we?”

[…Fine.]

“Come on, five! Come out!”

I pressed the mouse, watched the meter fill up, and clicked — and the narration rang out.

Despite the cheerful voice, the coveted five didn't come — just an iffy little pig.

“Hmm… the pig feels a little shaky….”

[See? That's why I said we should go second.]

“You're not breaking our promise, are you? Or should we pretend that promise never happened?”

[Looking on the bright side, as long as they don't roll a pig, we're at an advantage — so I'd say this is good.]

Now it was the opposing team's turn, and they threw the sticks.

“Hm? No, I'm perfectly fine. Why are you all making a fuss?”

[Think about everything you've said today.]

“Hmm… fair point.”

While we were at it, the other team threw the sticks again.

“A sheep, huh….”

Naturally, they moved the piece sitting on the pig spot.

“Teri, let's pull off a clean five here.”

[I'll do my best.]

“Hmm….”

…Why is our luck like this?

“Oh, well, at least the other team rolled something unremarkable too.”

Instead of bringing out a new piece, I moved the one we already had onto a diagonal route.

“Alright! Come on, five!”

[Huh…?]

Huh? Is that even a thing in this game?

Apparently it is a thing.

“Typing taunts in chat feels stale, so Teri, would you like to do the provoking this once?”

[Um… can you recommend a line?]

“Hmm… just send a single smug little 'easy.'”

[Okay.]

“Excuse me?”

[What?]

“Why did you add the follow-up in chat?”

[Because it'd tilt her even more.]

“Oh.”

Can't argue with that.

“Great effect, I'd say.”

[Oh, yeah?]

“Yes. But whoever sent that donation engaged in cuckoo behavior, so it's a chat ban.”

[Uh, okay….]

On our team's next turn after that, we got a piece all the way to the goal.

“So, we've only got three pieces left now? I'm just worried this might end way too quickly.”

[…Aren't you usually careful about flags? Why are you deliberately planting one?]

“Because, like I just said, it mustn't end too quickly — so I planted it on purpose?”

[Ah.]

And then, as if by miracle, my flag actually shone — the game stayed far tighter than anyone expected.

“Wow… how did the situation even get to this point?”

[Isn't that because you planted that flag earlier?]

“Hmm… I do have a particular talent for planting flags, but even accounting for that, this is severe?”

At the moment, each team had exactly one piece remaining.

Our team's piece had moved along a diagonal route from the start, so it could re-enter on a shortcut, while the opposing team's piece had only just come out.

“Please…! Give us a four! A four!”

[Four…! Four…! …Wait, have we ever actually rolled a four in this game?]

“Hm? No, we haven't. Which means it's about due any moment— ah, dammit.”

[…Isn't that a flag too?]

“…It is, yes.”

[…We're doomed.]

“Oh, crap!”

[It's fine, as long as it's not a one— oh, sorry.]

“…Should we just shut our mouths and play from here on?”

[…Isn't it already too late for that?]

“…Honestly, I was thinking the same thing.”

“Yes!”

[You'll live to see another—]

“Ah-ah! Zip it!”

[Oh, right.]

The opposing team's turn ended, and now it was mine.

“Come on!”

I pressed the mouse button, brimming with desperate hope.

I watched the meter rise and fall, and the moment the feeling said now, I let go.

Ugh, so that was a losing feeling….

This is why they tell you not to play on vibes alone, right?

[…You lost because of that flag you planted earlier!]

“Excuse me? No! Okay, technically that's true, but! We promised not to blame each other, remember?!”

While Yerin and I kept bickering, the Yutnori game's narration rang out again.

“Uh…?”

[…What is this?]

“…Shall we shut our mouths completely and finish this out?”

[…Agreed.]

And so, until the very end, not a single sound passed between us — nothing but the game's sound effects.

Ah, thankfully, we did win.