Chapter 24: Favorite Game

"Haah... ah."

The bearded man let out a long sigh and slumped forward against the cabinet’s handle. With a heavy thunk, his forehead must have struck the metal.

"Hey, Greenie."

"What is it, Beard Guy?"

"...I’ve been thinking for a while now—don’t you have a more decent name to call me?"

Top Chat: Yeah! I think "Greenie" is pretty bad too!
Top Chat: For real.

"...Bushy Guy?"

"That’s still about the beard."

"...Bear Guy?"

"Can you stop revolving around facial hair?"

Top Chat: Beard’s growing
Top Chat: Beard explosion

Finally, Beard Guy—still without a proper name—lifted himself from the handle. Hard to tell behind the sunglasses, but his face was twisted like he’d bitten into something bitter.

"I’m actually Homu—ah, right, I’m streaming. Then just call me by my V-Liver name, Homuramura Entarou."

"Nope."

"Wha—!?"

Top Chat: Nope lol
Top Chat: So Entarou’s real name really does start with 'Homu'

"Come on, gimme a break... Greenie, how attached are you to my beard, anyway?"

"I’m not attached to your beard at all."

"You’re not!?"

"It’s just that Kirishi-tan once said ‘a V should give dreams, so the person inside shouldn’t exist.’ That’s why I don’t want to call you Homuramura Entarou."

"Hm... if that’s the case, then I guess I can’t argue."

Top Chat: Elf-san...
Top Chat: Weren’t you the one who called Masked Rider ‘Kirishi-tan’?
Top Chat: Exactly...

"Hey, what!? So the bow girl even calls one in a mask by name!?"

"Mm."

"I don’t get your standard here..."

"It’s simple. If you can give dreams, then it’s fine to show the person inside."

Top Chat: Ah, so that’s how you see it
Top Chat: Yeah, back then Kirishi-tan’s reputation definitely went up from that Masked Rider stunt
Top Chat: Yeah. That Kirishi-tan really was a person who could give dreams
Top Chat: Wait, but then...

"...So you’re saying I can’t give dreams? That I’ve got no charm? I’m a man who pushes forward for his goals, you know!"

"Mm. I just think you should do what you like."

Top Chat: Honestly, I don’t hate him, but I can’t say I love him either
Top Chat: He’s living free, doing what he wants, but not really all the way somehow
Top Chat: It’s like, I kinda want to cheer him on, but not quite...

"Why!? I chose this path just to keep playing the games I love!"

"But Beard Guy, you don’t actually want to compete, do you?"

"...Why would you think that?"

"There aren’t many people who have to smack their own cheek just to be able to stand behind others."

"Ugh...!"

"If you like playing with people more than competing against them, then just do that."

Top Chat: Eh, really?
Top Chat: Didn’t know that
Top Chat: But it does sound spot-on
Top Chat: Well, it’s Elf-san after all

"What is your goal, Beard Guy?"

Top Chat: Pro gamer
Top Chat: It should be to become a pro gamer

"What about being a pro at games that aren’t competitive?"

Top Chat: ...Does that even exist?
Top Chat: Probably not
Top Chat: Never heard of a pro in games without PvP

"Then it doesn’t suit you."

Top Chat: Brutal!
Top Chat: This elf lol
Top Chat: Elf-san wwww

"Then what the hell am I supposed to do...?"

"That’s obvious."

Beard Guy, slumping with his head down, slowly raised his face.

"Let’s play games!"

"Alright, go! Beard Guy!"

"Greenie, haven’t you been dumping all the zombie dogs on me since earlier!?"

"I’m taking the machine gun."

"Ah! Hey, you—wait, whoa!?"

"Mmh. It’s troublesome if Beard Guy dies."

Top Chat: And yet Elf-san keeps holding the respawn point for him
Top Chat: The feeling sprouting in my chest right now... is this tsundere?
Top Chat: Why do you guys keep sprouting things

"Beard Guy, this time we match properly, got it?"

"Y-yeah, I know. ‘Ready, set, go!’ right?"

"Good, let’s do this. Ready, set, go!"

"Ah."

"Mmph."

"S-sorry!"

Top Chat: Carts keep piling up at the bottom of the ravine
Top Chat: And from the remains of what once was Elf-san at the bottom, a new life will be born...
Top Chat: Stop sprouting weird things already

"Wheeeey!? Why’s big bro going on an in-store date with a white girl!?"

"H-hey, what about your dance game? I-I mean, I wasn’t, you know, it’s not like that..."

"We’re not doing that."

"Whey... Wait, you’re not?"

"So this isn’t what I thought...?"

"Alright, Rattling Youth, switch with me. I’ll cheer from the sidelines."

"Wheeeey!?"

"Eh, why am I stuck playing a horror game with my underling...?"

Top Chat: What the hell are we even watching right now
Top Chat: The budding of love
Top Chat: Curious to see where the arrows point

"Guess it’s about time."

I narrowed my eyes against the evening sun pouring through the window. The towering cumulonimbus clouds, lit by the red sky, gave off a strangely moving sight.

"You guys holding up?"

The two men, sprawled on the long bench inside the arcade, looked completely burnt out.

"It was... fun, but... even I... have limits to my stamina..."

"Whey..."

Top Chat: Congrats on conquering all the in-store VR games
Top Chat: Elf-san crushes two grown men
Top Chat: The wording, lol

"Hm. You look lively."

"In what world!?"

Top Chat: Eyes of a blockhead!
Top Chat: Elf Eyes. The sharpest blockhead vision.
Top Chat: More like a peephole?

"Your very first comment was ‘That was fun,’ right?"

"Mm..."

"I never heard that once when you were racing against me."

Top Chat: Wow, he remembered that well
Top Chat: Well, I guess current Entarou might be worth cheering on a little
Top Chat: ...Is this tsundere?
Top Chat: Nope

"Greenie... ah—Elf-san?"

"Yeah."

Beard Guy lifted himself from the bench, took off his sunglasses, and looked at me.

"Will you play with me again?"

His face didn’t look bad at all, so I turned on my heel.

"Yeah. See you, Homuramura Entarou."

Top Chat: Elf-san going hardboiled
Top Chat: Man, that was a good scene
Top Chat: I’m moved!
Top Chat: Huh?
Top Chat: What’s up, Elf-san?
Top Chat: What did you even come here for?

"Well then, you guys too—see you."

――This stream has ended――

Top Chat: Ah
Top Chat: Wait, so that "guess it’s about time" earlier was a foreshadowing!?
Top Chat: How the hell were we supposed to know that!
Top Chat: Hey, waiiit Eeeelf!!
Top Chat: Seriously, fix your damn way of ending streams!