The Savior of the 6th Generation
Chell Sumeragi [Yes]
Inagika let out a long sigh.
【Guerrilla Collab】 Sora came over to the house, so we’re deciding what game to play together.
Oh Lora/EYEAI “Sounds nice….”
Her sleep schedule was in ruins. Inagika had gone to bed at four in the morning yesterday and only dragged herself out of bed well past lunchtime. Waking up in the morning had always been a struggle. Still, she had somehow managed to attend high school. Having friends with similar hobbies probably helped her get through it without too much trouble. But once everyone went off to different universities, they stopped meeting, and she never quite fit in with the people in her own department, so she eventually dropped out. With no one to meet, she figured it didn’t matter if she couldn’t get up on time. Yet most people still woke up in the morning and went to sleep at night, which made finding a proper job nearly impossible. It was the final destination of a completely broken social life. Even so, she told herself it was fine. Because she had become friends with Lora.
…Which was exactly why sitting here streaming alone with Sora felt a little painful.
“I was the one who got close to Lora first, though… ugh…”
At some point, Lora had grown closer to Sora than to her. I knew this would happen… The moment she started talking with Sora, Inagika had thought, This person is a total social butterfly. She probably got along with most people right away. Inagika still couldn’t understand why someone like that had become a VTuber. It wasn’t that she disliked Sora, but…
Sometimes, when she taught Sora how to play Minecraft, she felt a tiny spark of superiority. Chatting with the ever-popular Sora made her feel like she was a little closer to being a social butterfly herself. So they had grown somewhat friendly, yet Sora still felt difficult to approach. Even when she used casual language, Inagika had sensed an invisible line being drawn the first time they met on Discord. Meeting Lora in real life had made things a little easier, but…
Oh Lora. Lora was… an incredibly fascinating person to Inagika. Was she really some rich young lady? Even her aura was different. It was clear she lived in a completely different world from ordinary people. Normally, that would make it hard to get close, yet for some reason Lora was easy to talk to. Inagika thought she was starting to understand why. At her core, Lora was skilled at bending others to her will. Because of their positions, Rion-senpai looked after her. Sora took care of her whenever she showed a weakness. And Anna-senpai seemed to have seen straight through her inner desires… Inagika suspected Lora had seen through her own desires as well. Whether intentional or not, Lora had a natural talent for drawing people in. She really was like a villainess. Now Inagika understood how the villainesses in romance fantasies could gather so many followers.
“Ugh… I’m probably just a disposable person to Lora…”
Once the thought reached that point, Inagika grew a little depressed. Lora would keep making friends with all sorts of people from now on. She would definitely be doted on by the seniors too. Among them, Inagika would be nothing more than someone who passed by…! Five years from now, Lora might not even remember her existence. Huh? There was someone like that? Come to think of it, I think there was a girl with that name in my cohort…! After all, she was nothing but human scraps—someone with no outstanding qualities, broken social skills, and a wrecked sleep schedule…!
…Human relationships were always painful. To Inagika, Lora was her closest friend, but to Lora, she probably wasn’t. With that thought, Inagika crawled under her blanket and slowly began to be forgotten by everyone.
Inagika can’t tear people apart. (END)
—Ring ring
“Hah…!”
The Discord notification jolted Inagika back to life. A message had arrived from Lora.
Inagika hurled the blanket that had been swallowing her away. She stripped off the clothes she was wearing and tossed them onto the bed like decorations. She had no time to fold anything. “M-Mom…! Help me pick an outfit! I’m going to a friend’s house…!” Since school had never taught her how to dress nicely, she called for her mother’s help. Ignoring the usual scolding about not throwing clothes everywhere, Inagika rushed out of the house faster than anyone.
And now Inagika was playing Darkness Deception.
“……Huh, why?”
How did things end up like this…? Wasn’t Sora the one supposed to play the horror game…? Chell was also supposed to receive punishment as a terrorist, but Inagika had never once helped destroy the city…!? She had her doubts, but it was already too late. Inagika sat in the gaming chair, left hand on the WASD keys, right hand gripping the mouse. S-She wasn’t very good at games like this…
Among the 6th generation, Inagika liked games second only to Lora, but that didn’t mean she had much confidence in her actual skill. Thinking back, most of the games she had played were ones with minimal physical demands. Kwonshin, Destruction: Moon Rail, Blue Record, Dragon Musume Predator Derby, Idol Producer Cinderella Kingdoms…
……She had only ever played gacha games.
“Inagika might actually be better at Stage 3.”
At that moment, Lora spoke.
“The enemies in Stage 3 stop when they enter your line of sight. Since you naturally end up surrounded more often, you have to think about how to escape rather than reacting instantly. You’re smart, so I think you’ll do well.”
“Uh, r-really…?”
Inagika’s face lit up at the praise. W-Well… she had played quite a few puzzle games, after all…? Destruction: Moon Rail (shortened to Moon Rail) was a turn-based game, so you had to use your head when twisting your body to clear it, right? Kwonshin also had various puzzle elements… She had even tried card games like Shadow Burst, so she was probably used to using her brain……?
By contrast, Sora wasn’t the type to think deeply. Social butterflies tended to act first rather than think, so as an introvert, she (probably) excelled at brain play…!
I’m the savior of the 6th generation… The one who will conquer Stage 3……!
A baseless yet strangely convincing confidence welled up inside her…! Inagika straightened her posture. It was time to show off her brilliant brain play. If she cleared Stage 3, widely considered the hardest in Darkness Deception, what kind of reputation would she earn?
Inagika’s mind painted a vivid picture.
“To clear Stage 3 so easily… As expected of my proudest friend.”
“Amazing! I could never beat Stage 3~. Among the 6th generation, Inagika is definitely the smartest! Let’s stay close from now on!”
“I sent a friend request.”
“Hehe…”
Imagining herself becoming the hero of the 6th generation, a smile naturally spread across her face. At this very moment, a hero was descending.
***
In truth, Stage 3 also required physical skill. There were moments that demanded calm play, and moments where instant reflexes were crucial. As mentioned, Stage 3 was filled with traps—spikes that rose at regular intervals, axes that flew at you—traps where timing mattered. Since timing fell more into the realm of physical skill than brain skill, even Inagika couldn’t avoid struggling.
“Wouldn’t it be better to skip the traps with skills?”
“S-Should I…?”
“Haven’t you been saving your skills too much? You can use them every time the cooldown ends anyway.”
“But if I get surrounded… skills are the only way out…”
Sora and Inagika exchanged such words. Sometimes things only become visible once you take a step back. Perhaps because Sora was now in the position of watching the game, she began offering advice little by little.
“Let me try this time. Move over.”
“U-Uh…”
So Sora, Inagika, and even Chell took turns playing. Inagika stubbornly cleared Stage 3. She also cleared Stage 4. Stage 5 was a bit difficult, but Sora cleared it. Chell cleared Stage 6. Sora cleared Stage 7 by squeezing out every last bit of strength. And when they finally cleared the long-awaited Stage 8—
“It’s already lunchtime.”
Approximately twenty-two hours since the stream began. At some point Chell had snuck into Lora’s bed and was openly sleeping, while Inagika was nodding off beside her. Sora was still awake, but—
“Ugh, ugh…”
She seemed unable to speak properly, probably from screaming so much.
“Chell and Inagika have fallen asleep, so it looks like Sora and I will have to end the stream together. Did you have fun?”
“……I’m exhausted.”
“Sora says she had fun too. We played Darkness Deception today, but I’ve already gifted Sora all sorts of horror games before. Let’s meet again with a different game next time.”
“……Save me.”
With Sora’s farewell, I gently pressed the end-stream button. I removed the earphones and stood up. The scene was nothing short of disastrous. The chicken boxes bought for late-night snacks still hadn’t been cleaned up, and there were three corpses going by the name of “teammates.” Only one person was actually sleeping in the bed. And she had even stolen my bed.
“No helping it, I suppose.”
Normally she avoided doing trivial chores, but it seemed she would have to put in some effort for once. With that thought, she lifted the nearly unconscious Sora and Inagika and carried them to the bed.