Surprises Must Be Joyful

With that high-pitched greeting, a blonde warrior appeared on screen.

Chat messages shot upward in a continuous stream. Barely ten minutes into the broadcast and the viewer count had already blown past two thousand.

Utopia's popularity played a part, sure — but it was also the time of day when people who loved games were wide awake. Kiri the gaming prodigy's stream was pulling in viewers ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at a blistering pace.

And I was watching that stream from bed.

This was the first broadcast I'd ever waited for and tuned into that wasn't Eve's, so my heart was fluttering for no real reason as I soaked in the back-and-forth between Kiri and the Haras.

"…"

The moment the donation appeared, Kiri's avatar rolled her enormous eyes in a huge, exaggerated circle.

Then she vanished.

"…Hahaha. 'Who's gonna stream for us now,' huh? Hahaha."

The second she disappeared, chat exploded like a storm — and Kiri came right back, quoting the funniest line.

"Thank you for the one gold coin~ And we're already in love, aren't we? What's with the sudden confession~"

She steered the conversation so naturally, her audio never cutting out, keeping the audience locked in without a dull moment.

"Alright then, shall we… get back to the main event?"

The banter had been fun, but her greatest charm was still the games.

The moment she said she was starting up, chat and donations erupted, and Kiri switched her avatar into combat mode.

"Ohh, so the avatar really did change yesterday. Listening closely, her voice sounds a little stronger too."

Something I'd noticed watching Kiri's stream: she was incredibly skilled at modulating her voice. The tone she used for banter and the one she used for sweaty ranked games were so different you'd think they belonged to two separate people.

If you heard both without knowing it was Kiri, you'd probably assume they were different streamers entirely.

"That's impressive. She could work as a voice actress… Ah, it's starting."

Kiri's gameplay finally began.

This was an FPS I'd played myself — five-versus-five, win by completing the given mission or wiping the enemy team. Every character had a superpower, and how you used those abilities was the core strategic element.

Whoa, but…

I'd figured she was around Platinum. I never expected Diamond. And that was a rank she'd hit after only playing a handful of matches between other games?

Insane…

As if that rank were no mere decoration, Kiri hard-carried the first match. While her teammates got shredded without even knowing which way to face, she was the only one playing like an actual human being — racking up kills and finishing the mission to drag the team to victory.

"She's good. No — this isn't just raw mechanics. Her game sense is on another level."

Aim: above average. Situational judgment: razor-fast. Callouts to teammates: clean and clear.

With all three boxes checked, Kiri naturally slid into the role of team leader, and they closed out the stream's first ranked match with a win.

"Whew… Great work, everyone~"

Watching chat and donations go absolutely feral every time she won made one thing obvious: the people watching Kiri's stream knew exactly what they wanted.

Even I — an Adami — found myself locking in on her plays.

"Haaah, but I'm getting sleepy… Maybe I should just go to bed."

Before I knew it, it was one in the morning.

If this had been Eve's stream, I would have fought the drowsiness and kept watching. But I didn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have enough attachment to Kiri's broadcast yet to power through exhaustion, so I reached to close the stream and sleep.

That was when—

"Huh? Huh?"

Kiri sounded startled by something.

What?

"Aaaah! Everyone! I found someone gaming after hours! Going after the culprit!"

She'd spotted someone on her friends list marked as currently playing and sent an invite on the spot.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

The moment I saw that name, every scrap of fatigue I'd been carrying vanished completely.

"Eve?!"

I shouted my bias's name out loud.

"Aaaah~ Unnie~ Why'd you invite me~?"

"You little brat! How dare you game behind my back?!"

"I was trying to do it in secret~"

Even after being yanked in out of nowhere, Eve answered Kiri in perfect streamer tone, smooth as anything.

Thump.

What was this feeling?

Every meeting with Eve until now — except the very first — had been something I'd anticipated. She'd post a stream notice, and I'd wait for that exact time, every single time.

But right now.

I'd run into Eve on Kiri's stream with zero warning.

"Hi~ Eve~ An unintentional surprise! Hello, Haras!!"

"I'm mid-match right now~ Already confirmed all the cheaters!"

Hah!

"There was even a nickname that was straight-up 'Eve's Something-or-Other' just now?"

Kiri?!

"Okay, Unnie, screenshot that for me. Anyone who two-timed me gets banned for a month~"

EMERGENCYYYY!!!

In the end I sent a donation just to defend myself — and I was so flustered I only sent one gold coin…

"Pfft, hahaha. That username… khhk. Yeah, this is confirmed two-timing, hahaha."

"Yaaaaah! You sent Kiri Unnie one gold coin and that's what you say?!"

"Aigoo, Eve's First~ Thank you for the one gold coin~ Eve, stick around a bit longer. Having you here makes money and it's fun."

"No! I'm leaving!"

"Cheaters, be quiet!"

The two-timing was whatever. What mattered was that I didn't want Eve to leave.

That was the correct Adami response.

"Hahaha, ah… Eve really is the best."

The drowsiness had long since evaporated. Watching the unexpected Eve–Kiri chemistry unfold in real time, I was wired like I'd been hit with a stimulant — already completely absorbed in Kiri's stream. No — in Eve's stream.

"Eve! Open your eyes and shoot, please!!"

"Both eyes are wide open!"

"Then why aren't you hitting anything?!"

"Waaaaah!! This is exactly why I wanted to run away!!!"

As expected of Utopia's reigning game-illiterate.

Eve came fully equipped with the tragic trifecta — miraculous aim, floor-scraping game sense, and callouts so forced they barely counted as instructions — and she was doing everything in her power to sabotage Kiri's hard carry.

Kiri, clearly losing her mind, somehow still scruffed her by the collar and carried her anyway. Eve dragged her right back down.

The match swinging between heaven and hell was pure entertainment for every Adami and Hara watching.

"So this is how good an unexpected surprise can feel… I had no idea."

My heart still wouldn't stop racing. It was the same warm, pleasant thrum I'd felt the first time I met Eve by chance.

I felt alive.

"Whew… We won… That was… actually brutal."

"Wow, you won again. Unnie, you're insane."

"…Heheheh."

"Uh, Unnie? You're not mad, right?"

"…One more."

"What?"

"One more match! I'm starting your game coaching right now!"

"Nooooo!!!"

In the end, Kiri couldn't take the frustration and started coaching Eve through the game. Eve, of course, tried to refuse on principle.

"I'm going to sleep!"

"You can sleep with skills like that?!"

"I can! Extremely well!"

"Not happening. I'm not letting you sleep tonight."

Whoa. Intensity.

Kiri, hang in there a little longer!

"Did something good happen to this unnie today? Why is she so relentless?!"

"Real-life talk is banned!"

"Ban it then!"

Something good, huh. Now that she mentioned it, Kiri had seemed to be in an unusually good mood all day.

I hadn't watched her stream enough times to know — I'd just assumed this was her default.

"Everyone… Kiri Unnie is actually someone who gives way really easily… but once something gets under her skin, she never backs down… Like games. Or games…"

"If you give way, you can never play the game."

"Waaaaah! I never should've gamed after hours!!"

And so Kiri's stream transformed into a collab with Eve, and it kept going until the morning sun came up.

"Hah, hah."

"Whew, whew… It's over!!! I'm going to sleep!!"

"Sleep well…"

After the final match, Eve finally headed out.

"You worked so hard!!! For real!!! I'm out!!! See you at 6 PM today!!!"

And with that, Eve actually logged off.

Kiri watched her go, chuckled under her breath, sent Eve a "good work" message on Discord, bantered with chat a little longer, and then ended the stream.

"Alright, I'll be heading out too. That was fun~ Kiri-ring!"

Yeah. It really was.

It was fun.

It was genuinely great. I'd give it a ninety-three.

Holding onto that thought, I finally hit the limit of how long I could fight the drowsiness, and quietly closed my eyes.

I dreamed. A dream of the first time I saw Eve.

And. What had Eve been about to say after that?

Please remember me?

Please keep watching?

I didn't know.

I had a name now. Would I ever get the chance to find out?

Ah, but maybe it was because I'd seen her in the dream.

I found myself thinking I missed her. Just a little.

"Mmyah…"

I opened my eyes in an awkward position.

I'd fallen asleep the second the Eve–Kiri collab ended, so I'd been sleeping in a posture that was anything but comfortable.

Aigoo, my back…

"…Two o'clock? Pretty early, considering I went to bed at sunrise."

Honestly, I wanted to sleep more. But if I did, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

And no matter what, I couldn't be late to the first class of the new semester.

"Haaah, I'm hungry… but I don't feel like cooking."

Deciding to eat out, I quickly washed my face and changed into comfortable outdoor clothes.

I still didn't know many places around here. Might as well take a walk, get some air, and look for a spot.

"Yesterday was fun. Eve–Kiri really is the ultimate duo."

The afterglow of last night still sat warm in my chest as I headed down the stairs, browsing cafés on my phone.

Maybe it was because that kind of surprise was a first for me. My heart was still racing for no reason.

"…An unexpected surprise that makes your heart race."

A title on the café community board caught my eye, and when I opened the post, it was a reaction write-up about Eve showing up on Kiri's stream yesterday.

"Haha, this person writes well."

They seemed closer to a Hara than an Adami. From a Hara's perspective, having Eve around made Kiri brighter, and that was a good thing.

It wasn't an Eve praise post, exactly — but hearing someone say, even indirectly, that things were better because Eve was there put me in a good mood.

"Yeah. Surprises are supposed to make you happy."

"What is?"

Right.

A surprise has to make you happy.

Just like ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this sudden encounter.

"Wah!"

"Hahaha, sorry. Didn't mean to startle you."

"Senior Wa Sol?"

"Good morning… well, not quite. Good afternoon~"

Thump.

Because of yet another unexpected surprise, my heart started racing all over again.