Wow, We Really Got Completely Screwed...

"I-I-I'm shaking so much…!"

My whole body was trembling. This ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the first time I would actually talk with my teammates.

"It's not even the first time, why are you shaking like that?"

"B-because it is the first time…!"

"We've been practicing for days already, what kind of bullshit is— ahem…."

"S-since I ran away saying I was going to buy tofu, this is the first time…!"

Of course, for me it really was the first time. But not for these people.

"Okay, that's true. But… you're still holding onto that? We already talked everything out. So just forget about it."

"Heukrangi is fine…! No, Heukrangi has to be fine…! But the others aren't…."

"…Why do you talk like that?"

"I-I was just stating the facts."

"Ah, I already said I was sorry! Give it a rest already, you alligator-turtle bitch!"

"If apologizing fixed everything, why do we even have laws and police…!"

"Okay that's fair…! But I already apologized, and I even said I'd compensate you…!"

Ding—

"Hello?"

While I was bickering with Heukrangi, someone else joined. The voice was pretty familiar.

"Ah, Aura… y-you've arrived…!"

"What the hell, why are you talking like that? It's creepy."

"Right? Your tone is completely different from this afternoon, Bullet."

"Ah, well Aura gave me a new chance…! So I have to at least do this much…."

I clasped both hands together with a solemn face and began to pray.

"Aura, my love. My light. My darkness. My life. My joy. My sorrow. My rest. My soul."

"Please stop… it's embarrassing…!"

"If there are seven billion Aura fans in the world, I am one of them."

"If there are seven billion then I'm also an Aura fan?"

"If there are one hundred million Aura fans in the world, I am still ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠one of them."

"If there are a hundred million then I'm also an Aura fan?"

"If there are ten million Aura fans in the world, I am still one of them…"

"I said stop."

A cold, low voice drilled straight into my brain. In that instant my entire body locked up, shoulders going rigid.

"Kyaat!?"

"Understood."

"Y-yes…!"

A brief silence settled over the voice chat room.

My body kept trembling. I wanted to say something, but I had no idea what.

Please. Somebody say something…!

Ding—

The silence finally broke when the two streamers in support positions joined.

"Hello!"

"What the, why does the vibe in here feel so weird?"

Their bright, lively voices finally let me breathe a little easier.

"Y-you smell nice…."

"Excuse me!?"

"What the hell are you even saying—!!! Smell nice—!"

Their giggling voices pulled a goofy grin onto my own face.

"Ehehe…."

"Kyaaah! That's so creepy!"

"Alright, alright, enough."

As the laughter kept going, Aura stepped in to take control of the conversation.

"We've already finished discussing everything in the group chat, but I'll go over it again so the viewers are on the same page."

"There was an unfortunate incident, but our Aura Team has decided not to remove Bullet and to welcome her instead."

"Waaaaaah—!"

"Welcome—!!!"

The two support streamers clapped and cheered.

"Hehe… th-thank you…."

Being welcomed by women like this was a genuine first for me. Compared to that, Aura and Heukrangi's reactions were pretty lukewarm.

"Hmm…."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all…!"

It bothered me a little, but both of them were people I was grateful for anyway.

"Objectively speaking, our team's current strength is not high. Among the hundred-plus teams in the Fall of the Great, we're probably sitting near the very bottom."

We're that weak?

I tilted my head and pulled up the records. Even scrims left a history. The moment I checked them, my mind went blank.

The entire match history window was painted solid red. Most of them were brutal scores like 3-0 or 2-0. Meaning they hadn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even been able to put up a fight.

Scrim win rate of a grand total of 4%!!! We're completely fucked!!!!!

"Wow. We really got completely screwed…."

"…Bullet?"

Aura called my name in a freezing voice.

"Y-yes!?"

"Could you… maybe keep that kind of comment to yourself?"

"Ah, s-sorry… I-I think my inner thoughts just slipped out…."

"So that was your genuine honest opinion then…."

"Uh, yes…."

"In that case, what do you think our team's problem is, Bullet?"

Cold sweat poured down my back. Of course I had no way of knowing that.

"Bullet?"

Aura pressed for an answer. Depending on what I said here, the direction of our team—and the popularity of my stream—would change.

Are you going to back down? Or keep pushing forward from here….

The hesitation was short.

I was already on a moving train. The moment I jumped off, I would just get left behind…!

"Uh, that I wasn't there…?"

"We always scrimmed together, so what kind of nonsense is that."

Heukrangi immediately called it out.

"Yeah!"

"Right, right!"

Smell-Nice 1 and 2 agreed too. What a pair of freeloaders….

"I-I mean more precisely… th-the awakened me wasn't there… that's what I mean…! The me back then and… the me right now are completely different beings…!"

We really were different. Completely. From head to toe. Soul and all!

"So you're saying that if you're here, we might be able to climb out of this losing streak?"

Aura's voice sharpened.

"I-I can't say for certain, but… I-I'll do my absolute best…!"

"Hmm, good. I just got us a scrim lined up, actually."

"Al-already!?"

I hadn't even finished preparing myself mentally yet.

"W-wait, there's a team that wants to scrim against us…? But we won't even get proper practice…!?"

"……Let's see just how different Mk.2 Bullet really is."

Gulp—

"Y-yes…! Ah, a-and… there was something I couldn't do during the apology stream earlier, so could I say just one thing to the viewers right now…?"

"I have a bad feeling… but go ahead."

With Aura's permission I shot up from my chair and bowed my head deeply.

"I-I'm sorry for causing the hacking controversy… It wasn't even my fault and you all were just talking nonsense, but it's still true that things got noisy because of me…."

"I'm truly, extremely sorry and I will repay you all through my gameplay…!"

Bullet, debut match, here we go…!