Chapter 99: The Flow of People
"Let’s go over the rules. The player who takes two wins first is the victor. If no one among the three becomes champion, the result is decided by the number of stages cleared. If that’s also the same, then the player who ranked higher in the final match will be the winner. Understood?"
"Yeah!"
"Y-yes!"
Top Chat: So, no draws.
Top Chat: Worst case, it could end in two straight first-round losses.
Top Chat: I don’t think that’ll happen, but if it does the mood will be super awkward lol.
Top Chat: That’s why we’ve got to cheer them on with all we’ve got!
Top Chat: Go go, Elf!
Top Chat: Do your best, Kirishi-tan!
Top Chat: Don’t lose, don’t lose, Siren!
"Okay then, let’s start! Matching, begin!"
"Oooh."
"Uh, um… o-oooh."
Top Chat: Siren’s weak at ad-libbing lol.
Top Chat: How has she managed streaming like this up to now?
Top Chat: Well, she’s a sailor, but Siren was always a streamer who barely spoke.
Top Chat: It felt less like watching a V-stream and more like listening to wired radio.
Top Chat: Just having her stream on meant you’d hear her soothing singing voice nonstop.
Top Chat: Okay, I’m going to subscribe real quick.
Top Chat: If it’s your first time, I recommend the lullaby streams.
Top Chat: Just subbed 100 times.
"Kyoo… Siren’s lullaby, huh. I wanna hear it too."
"Then I’ll sing again tonight."
"Mm."
"You two, focus on the game. It’s about to start!"
Forty players lined up at the starting line. Floating above them, the signal light turned on—now.
Top Chat: It’s started!
Top Chat: Go go go!
Top Chat: Push through! Get past them!
Top Chat: …Are there horse racing fans mixed in here?
"This one’s mine!"
The first stage was a race. The first twenty to finish would advance. On a massive staircase made of stacked drawing boards, cutting through the gaps in the tightly packed crowd heading for the goal, Kirishi-tan shot into the lead.
Top Chat: She forced her way through!
Top Chat: Whoa—dodging like crazy.
Top Chat: I’m bad at the palette guillotine zone.
Top Chat: You fall a lot there, huh.
Top Chat: It’s so narrow and crowded, even if you know the guillotine’s coming you can’t really escape.
"Stay calm, stay calm… now!"
Top Chat: Is Siren just steadily going with the flow of people?
Top Chat: Isn’t she kinda slow?
Top Chat: But it also looks like she’s moving at the safest timing, when the guillotine doesn’t fall.
Top Chat: Hm, I’d love to ask what her intention is.
"Kyoo… Siren, is there a reason for how you’re moving?"
"Uh, ah, yeah. I’m just syncing my movements with the rhythm of the palettes falling, that’s all."
"…So she says."
"Says what?"
Top Chat: Elf lol.
Top Chat: You can ask after the match lol.
Top Chat: But it’s really a contrast.
Top Chat: Kirishi-tan forcing her way to the front so she wouldn’t get stuck in the flow.
Top Chat: Siren holding her position safely within the flow of people.
Top Chat: So what about you, Elf-san?
"This is a place where you’re supposed to ride the flow, so I’ll just dive right into the crowd."
Top Chat: Not going Elf-style?
Top Chat: Just like Kirishi-tan taught, huh.
Top Chat: Well, with this many people, Elf-san would get caught up anyway, so fair enough.
Top Chat: Hm?
Top Chat: Elf-san, that’s where the guillotine falls.
Top Chat: Careful!
Top Chat: Back off!
"Ei."
Top Chat: Huh?
Top Chat: Did she just grab the guillotine that fell in front of her?
Top Chat: Ah, and now Elf-san along with the guillotine—
Top Chat: Eh?
"Toh."
After getting a little lift, I let go of the guillotine. Where I dropped was—right onto the densely packed mass of people.
Top Chat: lol wait
Top Chat: Hold on lol
Top Chat: Whaaaaaat
Top Chat: “Ride the flow of people” doesn’t mean that lololol
"I’m going ahead."
"Onii-chan, where are you even running!?"
"On heads."
Top Chat: On heads, really?
Top Chat: You could phrase that a little better lol.
Top Chat: A bunch of people are clearly falling unnaturally.
Top Chat: This has gotta be Elf-san’s doing lol.
"Made it through."
Top Chat: Well, that was about as shakily chaotic a start as expected.
Top Chat: Can you really just brush it off with words like that lol.
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