Blind Date (1)
"Ah, but we should probably set this up properly first. Hmm."
The sudden turn of events left me and the other participants staring at Jjangjjangwang in a daze.
Had I heard that right just now?
A blind date?
A word I had never once even considered popped up out of nowhere, and I had no idea how to react.
"First off, is everyone okay with this?"
Even with the question hanging in the air, the participants just glanced around at one another. No one could bring themselves to answer.
They were probably as thrown as I was.
After reading the room, I tentatively opened my mouth.
"Um..."
"Yes? Go ahead, Hana-chan."
"When you say we're doing a blind date... what exactly does that look like...?"
"Hmm. We'll figure that out as we go."
Ah. I see.
Even a veteran streamer with ten years under his belt couldn't whip up a perfect plan in a single instant. Needing a little time was only natural.
"What should we call today...? Kind of like a pilot episode, I guess. You know what I mean, right?"
"...Pairetto?"
I had no idea what that meant.
Thankfully, Jjangjjangwang was kind enough to explain.
"Like episode zero, or a prologue? If this goes well, we might put together a proper version next time. Today we're just testing the waters."
Having roughly grasped the idea, I nodded.
"So can I take that as everyone agreeing?"
"Yes! I'm totally down!"
"I'm okay with it too..."
"Of course I'll do it!"
Once they understood, all the participants declared they were in. Refusing in a situation like this would actually have been the strange thing. Whatever their reason for joining today's collab, lasting even a little longer was a pure win. And if the content was a blind date? Meeting the opposite sex was bound to pique everyone's interest.
"Oh! Anyone here currently dating?"
"......"
"Nobody? Hana-chan?"
"H-hai?!"
Jjangjjangwang's avatar stepped right up in front of me and pressed the question with relentless curiosity.
"No boyfriend?"
"...I don't have one."
"Really?"
"Yes. ...Why are you so suspicious of watashi?"
"Nah, I was just asking. It's more like... Hana-chan just gives off that vibe, you know? Like you'd be popular with guys."
Was I supposed to take that as a compliment? Me, who used to be a guy, supposedly popular with guys. Hearing it left nothing but a weird, uneasy feeling.
"Alright, we'll proceed on the assumption that everyone's single. Don't come after me about it later. I don't want controversy showing up on my wiki, so please cooperate. Got it?"
Even if someone were dating, they'd probably hide it right now. These were people who loved Jjangjjangwang's streams enough to want in on them.
"Then we should start by moving to a map with a nicer atmosphere. Hmm... Hang on. Let me look for a map."
While Jjangjjangwang searched for a map, someone approached and spoke to me.
"Hana-chan."
"Eh?"
The username was Reumwing. A female participant with a flashy avatar, and one of the people I'd gotten fairly close with during today's collab. She'd been so proactive about coming up to me that we'd somehow become friendly before I knew it. She seemed like a genuinely good person.
Reumwing asked in a small, slightly mischievous tone.
"You actually have a boyfriend, don't you?"
"I-I told you I don't!"
"Come on. Really?"
"Hontoni!"
Why wouldn't people believe me?
"Then is there anyone among the guys you like?"
"Eh...?"
"Oh my, so there is. Who?"
Was this how girls talked? I'd always thought women spoke in circles so round you couldn't even grasp what they meant. This was way too much of a fastball.
"Hey, you two ladies!! Keep it down! We can hear everything!!"
"Hieeek!!"
"Excuse me, you're the loudest one here. And it wouldn't be you anyway, so give it up."
"Heh, heh heh heh. Well now. For the record, by my standards, you're the least appealing of the female participants."
Why were those two suddenly fighting? They weren't seriously arguing, of course, but this bickering wasn't new. Even during the games earlier, they'd clashed over every little thing.
"Why are you two fighting? Come on, let's go in! In!"
Their spat ended with Jjangjjangwang's intervention. Though considering he'd just watched for a while, he had probably been enjoying the show. His streamer's instincts would have told him as much.
Anyway, we moved to another map for the impromptu blind date content.
"Alright, the main stream tanked, so this is some emergency content I threw together: a VR blind date. Today's a pilot, so please bear with us if things aren't perfectly smooth~ If the response is good, we might plan it out properly. Have fun watching!"
With Jjangjjangwang's polished opening, the blind date content officially began.
The map we'd moved to was a cozy cafe bathed in warm sunlight. Of course, the participants hadn't been given any explanation, so we just stood there staring blankly.
"Alright, everyone. Here's what we're going to do..."
After thinking for a moment, Jjangjjangwang explained.
"First, could you pair up however you like, guys and girls, and take a seat?"
Following his instructions, we read the room and sat down in pairs. Once all eight of us were seated, Jjangjjangwang added,
"Great. You'll talk one-on-one like this, and when time's up, we'll switch partners. You get the idea, right?"
"Yes."
So I had to keep talking with the person in front of me until time ran out. I already had a feeling this wasn't going to be easy.
That was when it happened.
Succeed in the Blind Date!
"...Eh?"
Wait. What kind of quest was this? Succeed in the blind date. What did "succeed" even mean, exactly? It wasn't what I was thinking... right? I wasn't mentally prepared for any of this. I'd gotten dragged into this on the spur of the moment! I'd never even thought about dating!
"...Hana-chan?"
"H-hai?"
"Sorry. You just suddenly zoned out."
"It's fine. Thank you for worrying about me."
The male participant in front of me was someone I hadn't talked with much during the games. His username was I-Fan. I had no idea what it meant. Anyway, we started chatting, little by little.
"Hana-chan, do you live in Japan?"
"No. I currently live in Seoul."
"Oh, really? Mind if I ask why you came to Korea?"
It was a slightly embarrassing reason to say out loud. But it wasn't something that had actually happened to me, so being honest should be fine, right?
"Well, the truth is... I dreamed of becoming an idol... I've given up on it now, though."
"Wow, that's amazing. That's really cool of you."
I don't think I'd ever been called cool in my entire life.
"Arigatou gozaimasu."
"Is there anything you'd like to know about me, Hana-chan?"
"Eh. Ah... well. Your type?"
"Hmm. My type is..."
After that, we kept talking for about five minutes.
"Alright, time to switch!"
At Jjangjjangwang's sudden shout from somewhere, the men moved seats and continued talking with new partners.
"Hana-chan. Pleasure to meet you. I'm Gujiong."
"Yes. Hello."
A male participant with an impressively deep, low voice.
"Forgive me for asking, but what do you think of me, Hana-chan?"
"...De? Eh? Eh?"
Under the sudden assault, I just repeated myself like a broken record. Too aggressive. Way too aggressive! Even I, who used to be a guy, felt this way — how would a regular girl even take this?
I hadn't noticed it during the games in the first half, but when it came to romance he wasn't just proactive — he was on fire. I was so confused I didn't even know how I was taking this guy's charge. The one thing I was sure of was that it was a lot of pressure.
...So this is just him throwing himself into the content, right? I want to believe he isn't actually coming on to me for real.
"I can't help thinking this opportunity coming my way is destiny. Jjangjjangwang noticed my true feelings, and..."
Please let me believe that...
The second meeting was considerably exhausting. I hadn't known five minutes could feel so long. When Jjangjjangwang told us to switch seats, the intense stare Gujiong kept on me until the very end was downright unnerving.
And I found myself seriously considering something. Wouldn't it be better to just give up on this quest? It was only a sub quest, after all.
After that, I talked with the remaining two guys as well. Fortunately — if you could call it that — they didn't leave much of an impression. Maybe because the second guy had left such a vivid memory.
"Alright, great. Did everyone have a good chat?"
"Yes..."
Four rounds of five minutes each — twenty minutes had passed. Compared to the game we'd played first, it was only a third of the time, so why was I this tired?
"That's round one done. Next map!"
The most terrifying thing at this moment was that I had no idea when this blind date would actually end.
Could I make it through this?