Chapter 31: That was me.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 31: That was me.
[Oppa. So what's your smurf ID?]
After reading Doah's message, I double-checked the ID of the account I'd bought.
[HairLossNotSin]
I had just bought the cheapest, lowest-tier account I could find...
What on earth was the original owner's story?
I didn't know the details, but the ID seemed like it had a heartbreaking story behind it.
After we had lunch together, I headed home, and Doah said she had a class and left first.
Still, it was a huge relief that we seemed to have cleared up the misunderstanding about yesterday's game.
By blaming a non-existent third party, I had successfully set myself up for a date on Summoner’s Rift with my favorite streamer, something I'd been desperately waiting for.
I wanted to try my best, carry the game, and show her how good I was, but the thought that I'd shown her my absolute worst side first made me cringe.
Sigh... my life...
Integrity (愼獨).
The ancient sages weren't kidding when they said you shouldn't do anything unprincipled, even when you're alone.
From now on, I won't blame my teammates.
From now on, even in solo queue, I will enjoy a clean and healthy chat culture.
[I'm logging on now!]
At Doah's reply, I immediately opened up Voicecord.
[Join the Voicecord!]
-Ring ring, ring ring-
When the call came in, I cleared my throat a couple of times and hit the accept button.
[Ah. Ah. Hello?]
[Yeah! Oppa! I can hear you!]
Hearing her voice without seeing her face somehow made her sound even more like Luka.
Was it just my imagination?
Or does Doah become stronger in front of a monitor?
[Can you send me an invite?]
[Okay!]
Soon, a game invite popped up, and I clicked accept.
Next to my profile was a familiar nickname.
cherriestastegood
So... about yesterday... I'm sorry... yeah...
[Should we start right away?]
[Yeah, yeah. Let's queue up.]
Since we were playing a normal game, we found a match almost instantly.
[Doah, what characters do you usually play?]
I already had the answer sheet in my hand, but I pretended not to know and asked about her history.
[As a support, I usually play Yuumi or Lulu, and for tanks, I play stuff like Nautilus.]
Did Luka play Nautilus...?
I can't really remember.
I'd had a bitter taste of her Yuumi yesterday, so I didn't really want her to play it.
[Let's go with Lulu.]
[What are you going to play, Oppa?]
[Lulu's time-honored partner.]
When I hovered over the portrait of a short-legged, monster-like marksman, Doah let out a gasp of admiration.
[Ooh... The classic combo!]
[Just give me the buff when I ask for it. Got it?]
[Hey, Oppa. I told you I'm an all-rounder. I know how to adapt.]
Ugh, stop with that damn 'all-rounder' talk.
You're in Bronze because you're equally bad at everything, you know.
[Ah. Okay. Okay.]
As the game started and the loading screen appeared, Doah trailed off as if she had something to say.
[Um... Oppa...]
[Yeah?]
[Oppa, are you... by any chance... bald?]
A chuckle escaped me.
[No, I have a full head of hair. You saw me at school today.]
[Then why is your nickname that?]
Because you almost found me out yesterday, so I had to buy a new one.
[My friend is suffering from hair loss, so I made it this to support him.]
[Wow. Oppa, you're a real piece of work.]
That's right. That's why I spammed the fucking chat in your stream, too.
Once we were in the game, I had a feeling it wouldn't be easy just from looking at the enemy team's composition.
[Doah.]
[Yes?]
[Try your best not to get hit by the bandage, but if you do, just abandon me. Got it?]
The enemy team had picked the Kalista and Amumu combo, notorious lane bullies.
Hey, it's a normal game.
Take it easy. Why pick Kalista-Amumu?
At this rate, forget carrying; the game might end with us just getting beaten to a pulp.
[Yep!]
But as always, my bad feelings were spot on.
[Oppa...?]
[Doah, just leave me! Just get out!]
The enemy Amumu must have been a pro, because he landed his bandage on me every single time there was an opening.
[Ah, I'm dead...]
The enemy marksman's spears pierced my character again and again, tearing my body to shreds.
They had a comp that snowballs from a strong early game. We had a comp that was strong in the mid-to-late game and needed to play for the future.
Our mission was to survive the early game without any major issues.
However, in just ten minutes, we had both racked up two deaths each.
[...We're screwed, aren't we?]
[Hey. From now on, let's just start praying.]
All we could do now was pray that the top side of the map, not our lane, would do well.
[But if our jungler comes, we might have a chance, right?]
Doah seemed to be hoping for a lifeline, but I couldn't easily give her a confident answer.
[If our fed jungler comes here just to die with us, it'll be truly hopeless.]
[If I use my ult and give him my buffs, don't you think he could get the kill?]
Doah-tan... are you... leaving me... for the stronger, more capable jungler...?
The thought of having my support NTR'd made me shed a tear internally.
[Doah.]
[Yes?]
[In that case, do you just want to roam a bit?]
If she stayed with me under the bottom tower, we'd most likely just give them a double kill anyway.
If that's the case, you should at least save yourself.
At least you can contribute to this victory...
[Oppa, are you okay?]
[It's just one death instead of two.]
After I conveyed my intentions in a solemn tone, Doah was silent for a while.
Instead of a reply, a ping appeared.
Lulu's determination to head to the bottom tower was displayed on the screen.
[But we're playing together, so...]
[Doah...]
Ah, this is actually kind of touching.
It was basically the same as her agreeing to be buried alive with me.
[If we die, we die together. Heh.]
...Cute.
No, seriously. Is it even legal for someone to be this cute?
Her simple words made my heart pound.
[Alright! I'll really, really try my best!]
-The Nexus has been destroyed.-
The result was catastrophic.
Our team's base was destroyed in just 20 minutes, and we lost our home.
[KASITX: Ah, lost again because of these fucking trash bot laners.]
As our only hope, the fed jungler, spewed insults, I gently clicked the exit button.
[Ah~ Not a bad warm-up, right, Doah?]
[You too, Oppa? Ah, I think I was a little nervous since it was my first game too.]
Me, a hardcore fan of internet streams.
Doah, the idol streamer.
We ignored reality and engaged in some quick banter, like a comedy duo.
[Quickly, quickly, let's get into the next game.]
Now it was time to really make up for it.
[Oppa, should we go full try-hard mode?]
[Sounds good. Let's win this time.]
This game, Doah and I picked Yuumi and Lucian.
It was a combo that could easily crush the opponent, as long as I, the marksman, played well.
Yesterday, I thought we were playing separately, so I couldn't give her directions, but today I could.
[Doah, if you see a kill opportunity, use your spells immediately. Got it?]
[Yep!]
Still, our early-game performance was much better than the last game.
Our duo succeeded in chipping away at their health and forcing them to recall.
[How was that? Not bad, huh?]
[Ooh! You're good!]
The last opponents felt much better, so I thought this game would be a breeze, but then...
[No! Dude!]
Isn't there a saying from some famous manga?
When five people gather, one of them is bound to be trash.
And this game was no exception.
Our jungler, who appeared out of nowhere, ignored my pings telling him not to go in since I was pulling the lane, and charged straight into the enemy jungle.
The enemy team, thinking "jackpot," opened their jaws wide for him. Based on that, the enemy jungler widened the growth gap even further and began to exert powerful influence over our lane, which had been doing well.
[...Oppa. I think we're going to die.]
[I think so too.]
As a huge minion wave crashed into our tower, the pressure became suffocating.
[Should we run for it now?]
[Aah... but if we give all this up, our lives are over.]
I was serious.
Giving up this wave to recall was basically the same as handing the enemy two kills' worth of gold and experience.
There was no time for us to bicker.
Because the enemy jungler's boar rider ultimate had already slammed right into my face.
[...Hey. I can't move.]
[Well... if you get hit by that, you're supposed to die.]
It's unfair. So fucking unfair.
Why do I have to die like this?
If I lose when I play well and lose when I play poorly, then how in the world am I supposed to win?
I wanted to score points with Doah, so why is my luck so terrible?
In the end, the bot lane we had painstakingly won went back to square one, and we collapsed helplessly.
[Aargh...! This is so fucking annoying. That damn butcher.]
Even though Doah was here, I felt like I'd explode if I didn't at least curse that much.
[Agree. I don't know why he's throwing so hard.]
Doah must have been upset too, as she agreed with me.
Sigh... As expected, you're the only one who understands me...!
[But Oppa, can I share an honest opinion here?]
[What is it?]
Is she going to flame the top or mid laner?
Doah paused for a moment, hesitating to say what was on her mind.
[To be honest, I think your friend you happened to play with yesterday is better than you, Oppa.]
...Hey. That was me.