The screen shows the next competitors entering the tournament.

======

[KNIFF]

- KSD

- NIFF

- SANGJUN

[Ushitsuno 3150]

- Hitachibo Nagase

- Mizunashi Tsuna

- Suo Hinoka

[JC Sade]

- Sade

- Oruhasa

- Tetowani

======

[Team "If You Lose, It's Vodka's Fault"]

- Vodka

- Akie

- Liliria

======

Our team name appears on the broadcast screen.

Team name: Ushitsuno 3150.

Wasn't it originally "Gyukaku 3150"? The organizers warned us that using the actual restaurant name might be risky, so we changed it to the Japanese reading.

Either way, the team name still gives off a strong yakiniku smell.

[Are there any teams we should keep an eye on?]

[First, there's "KNIFF," a team of three pro gamers.]

[Yes, they're a no-firearms team. Let's see how far these pros can go without guns!]

[Besides them, the "Uchitsuno is the Best!" team also looks promising.]

[Indeed. They have Nagase, who showed impressive skills in the last Donuts Cup.]

[Mizunashi Tsuna is also quite famous, right?]

[Yes. She's currently Diamond rank, but she used to be Predator rank, and was also a high-ranked player in OverWatch.]

[Ah, y-yes! That's... right. Indeed. She's truly an amazing player.]

Oops.

Aichi Hideaki stumbled over his words in momentary confusion.

"Mizunashi Tsuna" has never reached Predator rank in APOX Legends, nor has she ever been a high-ranked player in OverWatch.

But Masaya the caster confidently spouted nonsense, leaving Aichi speechless.

"Ehhh? Me, a Predator...? I don't remember that?"

Tsuna-chan is understandably confused.

[Comments]

うしつの: Oops

萌子: Ugh

ｔｋｃ: lol

ひのかわいい: Ko..Konnazu!

にゃっきー: www

Wei Hsu許: Masaya caster!

ピイマン: What are you saying!

あぽひの: "Non-existent memories"

...Of course, Masaya wasn't completely making things up.

"Mizunashi Tsuna" has never been Predator rank or a high-ranked player,

but "Nazu-chan" has.

Both reaching Predator rank (the highest rank) in APOX Legends and being a high-ranked player in OverWatch happened when she was active under the name "Nazu-chan."

In other words, Masaya the caster, unfamiliar with VTuber culture, made a mistake!

In his mind, he equated "Mizunashi Tsuna" with "Nazu-chan" and blurted it out!

Of course, he probably doesn't even realize his mistake.

Aichi, the owner who's familiar with VTuber culture due to having VTubers among his team's streamers, quickly changed the subject.

[And Suo Hinoka recently made headlines with her Platinum Challenge, right?]

[Yeah~ I've never watched Platinum rank games with such tension before. The timing was so close, like it was scripted.]

[Oh, Masaya, did you watch the stream live?]

[I saw it through clips. It appeared in my Neotube algorithm.]

[Ah, I see. It did generate a lot of buzz.]

So he watched it through clips.

By the way, it's a bit embarrassing to keep hearing others mention my Platinum Challenge.

Putting the word "challenge" next to "Platinum," which is just a mineral rank, makes it sound so pathetic.

I feel like people must be thinking, "Why is she making a challenge out of something so basic?"

[And next, the JC Sade team includes Oruhasa, who is Hinoka's mama. One point of interest will be whether we'll see Hinoka commit filial impiety.]

[What? Mama? Really? So Oruhasa is Hinoka's mother?]

[Um... Masaya, in... in the VTuber industry, there's a culture of calling the illustrator who drew your character your "mama."]

[Eh? Ah! Aaah! Is that so? Aah. I know Oruhasa's age... so when you said "mama," I was shocked. Aaaah... so that's the culture. Then... is there also a "papa"?]

[Yes, there is. It's...]

[...There really is? I was just asking casually.]

[Papa... refers to the Live 2D rigger.]

Aichi is explaining VTuber culture to Masaya.

Hmm. Back then, Masaya really knew nothing about VTuber culture.

It's quite surprising to see his 2020 self completely clueless about VTubers, considering he later debuts as a VTuber himself.

[I'm learning something new today.]

[Now that we've introduced the teams and players, let's start the first official game. Are we ready?]

The broadcast switches to the observer's game screen.

The screen still shows the waiting room.

After showing the waiting room for a while, the screen changes again.

[Uh... eh...]

[Ah. Listeners, we're told the setup isn't complete yet. We'll need to chat for about two more minutes.]

[What should we talk about for two minutes?]

[Hmm... Aichi-san, who's your main legend in APOX?]

[I use Wraith. A man should always be at the front line! That's the rule.]

[Oh, really? That's the complete opposite of me.]

[Who's Masaya's main legend?]

[I use Watson. Defense is the best, everyone.]

[Ugh. The defensive meta is the enemy of battle royale games. The enemy.]

[Come on, what are you saying? Defense is the flower of battle royale games.]

[Wow... I can't stand this. Want to make a bet? Whether a team that mainly plays defensively will win this Donuts Cup, or a team that mainly plays aggressively. How about it?]

[Sounds good. I'm for defense, and Aichi-san is for offense, right?]

[Yes, what will the loser do?]

[What are you planning to do?]

[How about this? The loser does a forward roll.]

[Haa, a forward roll? Isn't that too easy?]

[Is it?]

[Just one forward roll is too easy.]

[Then not just one. How about rolling around the entire studio? How's that?]

[Kahahaha. Sounds good! Forward rolling around the entire studio? It's on. Let's do it.]

[Listeners, please remember this. If a defense-focused team wins, I'll do it. If an offense-focused team wins, Masaya will forward roll around the studio.]

[Now that everything seems ready, let's really start the first match!]

*

We turned off the broadcast on our stream.

Keeping it on would be stream sniping, right?

Hmm...

I could secretly keep it on a sub-monitor and no one would know.

But I'm sure no one in a tournament full of famous streamers and influencers would do such a thing.

I wouldn't either.

"Phew. Everyone! Let's just do what we practiced!"

"Of course! Nagase-senpai!"

"Should we do a cheer?"

"Good idea! Let's decide on a chant. How about this? I say 'Ushitsuno!' and everyone responds with 'Saikou (the best)!'"

"Sounds good!"

"Here we go..."

.

.

.

"Ready—! Ushitsuno—!"

""SAIKOU———!!!"

The first match has begun.

*

"Ruru, I'm turning on my mic now, so you can't speak."

"Okay. Meme, don't worry."

Meanwhile, at LEDOL's Japanese dormitory, a man and woman were together.

Meme, one of LEDOL's members, and the VTuber Rushihime.

Who exactly is Rushihime?

One of the Four Heavenly Kings of VTubers.

The Queen of Gachikoi.

Known by such titles, Rushihime has the highest proportion of "gachikoi" fans among all current VTubers.

What's gachikoi?

It refers to fans who develop genuine romantic feelings for a VTuber.

Having many gachikoi fans has both advantages and disadvantages for a VTuber.

The main advantage is increased donation revenue.

When fans think of the VTuber as their girlfriend, they donate much higher amounts than they would to an ordinary VTuber.

This is evident just by looking at Rushihime's Neotube superchat rankings.

Her superchat ranking has consistently been #1 since her debut.

And not just #1 in Japan—#1 worldwide.

With such an incredible advantage, VTubers try to cultivate "gachikoi marketing," deliberately creating situations and behaviors that make fans fall in love with them.

However, not all VTubers engage in "gachikoi marketing," because the disadvantages of having gachikoi fans are just as significant as the advantages.

Gachikoi fans demand extreme purity from the VTuber they "love."

It's not just about not having a boyfriend.

They dislike even normal conversations with men.

Even if there's no conversation, they dislike the VTuber being in the same space as men.

And if there's even a slight hint of involvement with men, they immediately have meltdowns about jealousy.

Rushihime's streams are like that too.

Rushihime engages in "gachikoi marketing" more actively than any other VTuber, earning her the title "Queen of Gachikoi."

Her streams are famous for being men-free zones.

What if it became known that she's actually dating a male idol?

If this fact became public, it would cause unprecedented jealousy drama.

But for now, their secret is being kept strictly confidential, and Meme is participating in the Donuts Cup at Rushihime's request.

"The game is finally starting. Let's try to win!"

"Yes. Good luck, Meme-san."

"Yukacchi-san, may I be the jump master?"

"Of course, Meme-san!"

Meme received the jump master role from Yukacchi, allowing him to decide where the team would land.

"Hmm... should we go here?"