Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Confident Lulu
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While walking back from school, there was someone completely unexpected walking right beside me.
It was Im Rua.
Without saying a word, Im Rua stuck close to my side the whole way. The moment we reached the apartment entrance, she opened the door for me.
"...What are you doing?"
"Opening the door."
"...Suddenly?"
"Your fingers are hurt."
"I can handle this much myself."
Was she ignoring me? Or overprotecting me?
Maybe she was just using this to ease her own guilt.
Either way, it was annoying. But ridiculous at the same time.
I'd naturally drifted away from Im Rua before, and now here we were getting weirdly close again.
Though maybe it wasn't weird—it was inevitable.
Ending up in the same class, exchanging a few words here and there, her coming over to my place after all this time... None of that could be pure coincidence.
At the very least, it meant Im Rua wanted to get close to me.
......
*clap!*
"Jinwoo...!?"
I lightly slapped my own cheek, and Im Rua jumped in surprise. But right now, I needed to snap myself out of it, even if it meant slapping my face.
Who was getting close to whom? What did Im Rua lack that she'd want to befriend me?
Life had taught me one thing: people have ranks. Im Rua and I were on different levels. We lived in different worlds, so naturally, our ranks diverged.
No telling what the future might bring, but right now, it was clear who had the edge.
Whether I was making money or not, the end result was me staying up all night streaming or fiddling with videos, while Im Rua diligently studied and hung out in the top ranks of the school as the model student.
No matter how you sliced it, wasn't Im Rua the better person?
And she didn't even know I made videos. From her perspective, I was just a delinquent who pulled all-nighters, then slept through class.
Why would someone like her want to befriend a delinquent like me? No point entertaining weird ideas.
And yet, even thinking all that...
"...Thanks. For opening it."
A favor was a favor.
Her actions were over the top, unexpected, and baffling, sure—but actually opening the door for me? That was genuinely helpful. Obviously.
You thank people for things you're thankful for.
"Sure... Call me anytime you need anything."
"What, even at dawn?"
I tossed it out half-mockingly, but Im Rua nodded with dead seriousness.
"...If you need me."
"......"
She really couldn't take a joke.
I stared at her so intently my head started to ache, then waved goodbye.
Not with my injured right hand that she'd tried to protect, but with my perfectly free left.
Im Rua gave a light wave back before slipping out of the apartment entrance.
Once she was out of sight, I shoved aside all the lingering unease and headed up to the apartment.
I ate the dinner my brother had made, checked my NewTube channel to manage comments, and waited for the stream.
Lulu's homework stream—the one she'd accidentally spoiled yesterday.
Endless Return was packed with subculture appeal, and it was infamous for assigning "homework" streams to various streamers.
Today, Sweet Nightmare—Lulu's group—was tackling that homework stream.
"Sweet Nightmare~!"
They greeted energetically as always, all together.
One quirky detail: the "I Am an Idiot" sticky note plastered on Lulu's model forehead.
"Before we dive in... Lulu?"
"Sorry for my slip-up yesterday...!!"
Buzzcut Lulu welcome lolololol
Buzzcut Lulu lololololol
Super Dumb Lulu-nimnimnim
You spoiled it like that?
Disappointed, Lulu-nim. No-stream punishment for 24 hours.
Lulu had broken the embargo yesterday by mentioning the homework stream on air.
I figured it wasn't a mistake but intentional, but either way, this apology performance was how they moved past it.
That was the perfection of this "embarrassment" scenario.
"Lulu, you iiiidiot~ Spoiling that?"
"It was a mistake...!"
"Idiot idiot idiot iiiidiot~"
"I'm not an idiot...!"
As expected, Aris launched a merciless assault, and Lulu flailed back in response.
How did those two mesh so perfectly? Even their casual banter made for great clips.
"Aris~ Don't tease Lulu too much~"
"Sis! But she needs a scolding this time!"
"I've already scolded her plenty, right?"
Lulu's model shifted into that signature "glancing nervously" pose at Mei's words.
That was one of Lulu's strengths.
She knew exactly how to leverage her model's expressions.
In situations where plain words would do, she'd tweak her model's face, adjust the eye direction to sell the "nervous glance."
And as a group, Sweet Nightmare exploited that talent to the fullest.
"...Sis, how hard did you chew her out yesterday? She's glancing all nervous."
"Oh? Did I scold her that much~?"
"No... Absolutely not...! Ow ow ow...!"
Lulu bit her tongue denying it, and I burst out laughing.
If I had to pick the funniest pure-entertainment VTuber stream these days, it'd be Lulu's. I hadn't seen anyone funnier lately.
"Anyway! So that's that~ Today, it's Endless Return with the three of us! No-stream punishment until first place! Let's go~"
"Yay~!"
Lulu and Aris cheered in unison, responding to Mei, who was handling progression.
And lurking in the chat behind that cheer was a prophetic line.
All-nighter confirmed today
...Honestly, I thought the same.
Even if not Mei, Lulu alone would drag it out.
Endless Return was built for three-player teams, so you could premake a party of three.
But matchmaking then scaled to the highest tier in the group. Averaging would lead to stomping noobs, so that's how the system worked.
Among Sweet Nightmare's trio, Aris—the best gamer—sat at Diamond tier, well above the upper ranks.
That was just from casual play; the issue was...
...The other two weren't even close to Diamond, let alone Platinum below it.
Mei was probably Gold at best, and Lulu likely stuck in the bottom-tier Bronze.
Basically, teaming up meant Aris carrying the other two against Diamond-level foes.
"Lulu, got a character in mind?"
"Me? This one!"
Lulu pulled out the vampire girl she'd played yesterday.
Aris eyed it with approval.
"Ooh~ Not a bad pick."
"Hehe~ I practiced hard yesterday!"
"Mei-sis, how's Lulu doing?"
"Best I've seen from her~"
"Alright then, Lulu. I trust you?"
Aris selected her dual-wielding swordswoman, while Mei picked a hammer-girl to support them both.
And so their game began...
...Predictably, four hours in, not a single win.
"Aaaargh...!!"
Aris's model thrashed wildly, while Lulu did her nervous glance at her.
It wasn't that Lulu played badly. The matchmaking just threw too many tough opponents her way, hitting her skill ceiling.
She held up fine until the final fight, but against enemies who survived that long, she'd inevitably slip up and cost them the game.
That created the "so close" loss pattern, making Lulu nervous.
"Sorry..."
"Nah, don't apologize."
"Yeah~ Games get lost sometimes~ But carry us hard next round, okay~?"
Maybe because they knew her effort—Aris, who would've roasted her normally, shut it down with "don't apologize," and Mei tossed in teasing encouragement.
Lulu dropped the nervous look at their words and nodded eagerly.
Bet she's nodding cutely like that in real life too. You could just tell she was that adorable in person.
Entertaining those pointless thoughts, I kept watching the collab with no end in sight.
Side note: the very next round.
"This is, the true, JOY!!!! Lulu caaaarrrry!!!"
"Our Lulu~ Did so good~"
"Yes, Lulu! You can do it, you just gotta!!"
"Ahem!!"
Lulu straight-up carried the final fight, breaking the no-stream curse.
And her instant switch to maknae "Lulu-mode" was the highlight.
Lots to clip today. Happy Clipper here.