Nightfall - Joint Stream (4)

They were going wild.

Even starting the duel under a handicap, Yujin had shown them something that shattered the limits of what a human being could do. And Ecclesia, for her part, had proven to every last viewer that her skill was nothing to be ashamed of even when set beside his.

More than that—Ecclesia had accepted her own defeat with the quiet grace of a knight out of some old storybook of heroic deeds. And Yujin, in turn, had acknowledged her and treated her with real respect. That sight struck something buried deep in the viewers' chests and set it ablaze, whipping them into a frenzy.

The name of that something was nothing other than romance.

Donations poured in from viewers who had just watched Yujin and Ecclesia's battle.

"Mm… thank you all so much for the donations. First off… StopJustStop? Don't tell anyone you donated? Does that mean I wasn't supposed to read the donation message out loud like this? But you did donate, so just ignoring it feels a little…"

As Yujin read through each donation message in a distinctly flustered voice, the viewers burst out laughing.

Naturally, Yujin wore an expression that said he had no idea why the viewers found any of this so entertaining. Ecclesia, watching him, could only let out a hollow little laugh.

Looking at that face of his, it finally sank in for real.

The fact that Yujin had only started playing VR games a mere three days ago—that in this field, he was basically a complete beginner.

Of course, by that same logic, Ecclesia herself had just been thoroughly demolished by that very beginner. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠But at this point, she couldn't even bring herself to care about a trivial detail like that.

Right now, Ecclesia didn't feel all that bad about losing.

Because it went beyond a simple win or loss—deep down in her heart, she had already acknowledged the skill Yujin possessed.

"…Come to think of it, there was one gift I personally still owed Soma."

"Everyone watching the stream right now should remember. What exactly I put on the table as the stake for today's one-on-one duel with Soma."

"The gift I'm giving Soma is none other than… the concrete method for entering Nightfall's hidden route."

As she spoke, Ecclesia pulled out a tiny USB drive and held it up for everyone to see.

It was a strategy guide filled not with the brute-force physical approach Yujin had used to force his way in, but with a proper, orthodox method that anyone could follow if they just paid a little attention.

Just as the audience was swelling with anticipation, eyes locked on the USB in Ecclesia's hand, she suddenly shook her head from side to side.

"I think you all might have forgotten… I don't actually have the right to reveal the hidden route method."

"Because I lost today's duel, so every right related to the hidden route has been transferred over to Soma."

With that, Ecclesia held out the USB she'd been holding and handed it to Yujin.

"Here. It's yours now. And I am someone who has absolutely nothing to do with the hidden route anymore. So you decide, Soma. What you're going to do with the data that holds the method for entering the hidden route."

At Ecclesia's words, the chat erupted all at once.

As the viewers pleaded with Yujin, he looked over at Winter's face.

Stacking the board in his own favor was one thing—but when it came to this industry, there was still a lot he didn't know. So he left the call to Winter.

Catching the meaning in Yujin's gaze immediately, Winter put on a look of careful consideration.

"Hmm… I've decided. How we're going to handle the hidden route information we received from Ecclesia."

"Everyone, did you know that until very recently I was a tiny no-name streamer, so I still haven't even made a MyTube account?"

"Well, that part's fine for me—but my oppa really can't go without a MyTube account. Even for my oppa, though, building up MyTube subscribers is going to take some time, right? The MyTube market these days is such a red ocean."

Letting out an exaggerated sigh with over-the-top gestures, Winter then flashed a sly grin and gave the USB in her hand a little shake.

"And that's why the video containing the method for entering the hidden route will be uploaded as the very first video on my oppa's brand-new MyTube channel, which we'll be creating soon! How about it? You're all looking forward to it, right?"

Every viewer flooded the chat with rage-filled comments at the news that the hidden-route video wouldn't be revealed right then and there, but would instead go up later as a MyTube upload. Winter paid them no mind whatsoever and just waved both hands at the camera.

"Well then, everyone. That's all we prepared for today's stream. Thank you so, so much for watching today's broadcast with Ecclesia, and we'll see you again next time! Twyeo-bye!"

"Today was really, really fun. I'll see you next time with a Nightfall playthrough!"

"Everyone, twyeo-bye!"

But cruelly enough, the moment Ecclesia and Yujin finished their goodbyes, the stream cut off as well.

Even though the stream had ended, a good number of viewers lingered in the chat, posting all kinds of speculative comments.

Today's broadcast had left so many lingering aftertastes that nobody wanted to just close the blacked-out screen and walk away.

And right now, just like the vast majority of those viewers, there was someone staring a hole through a black screen, lamenting the hollow ache deep in his chest.

"…Insane. Swordmaster—that user is a complete monster…!"

The middle-aged man clawed at his own hair over and over like someone who'd lost his mind, then suddenly whipped his head toward the man beside him and opened his mouth.

"Hey. What are you doing just standing there gawking? Get back on the line to Korea right this second. And this time, don't send some goddamn email—find a phone number by any means necessary and try to get him on a call."

"…What? B-but that user never made his phone number public—"

"Does that matter right now?"

At the man's frantic excuses, the middle-aged man's face twisted.

"If the number isn't public, that's the end of it? Use every method. Every means. Hack his account, send an inquiry to the President of Korea, I don't care what you do—just find it!"

"Y-yes, sir! I'll find a way somehow!"

The man nodded frantically at the middle-aged man's words, then carefully ventured a question.

"…Um, Total Director."

"What."

"If we do manage to get in contact with that Swordmaster user… what exactly should we say?"

At ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the man's question, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and tapped his fingers against the desk as if weighing something.

"…Tell him this. We lost. And you won. So let's stop testing each other here. We're prepared to accept whatever conditions you want in order to lock you down. In other words, roughly—"

The middle-aged man—Hayao Misaka, Total Director of Nightfall—said it with both eyes gleaming.

"Would you be satisfied if we used your combat data not for some measly DLC boss, but to create the final boss of the next title?"