Suddenly, I opened my eyes to a delicious smell tickling my nose.
I pulled out my phone to check the time and saw it was 8:30 AM on a Monday.
…For a moment, I panicked, thinking I was going to be late, but then I realized today marked the start of Golden Week, and I quickly felt relieved.
Looking back, I remembered that I had woken up this morning just like any other day, but since it was Golden Week, I went back to sleep…
“Yawn…”
As I stretched while waking up, I thought, no matter how much it’s Golden Week, if my daily routine gets too messed up, I’ll end up suffering later.
So I needed to get up now and stretch.
“Ehhh…”
Maybe it was because I slept longer than usual, but my head felt slightly foggy. Still, I slowly stretched and opened the door to head into the living room.
As I did, the delicious smell that had been teasing my nose got even stronger.
Rubbing my eyes, I turned my gaze to the kitchen, where Suzuha Koga was busy cooking.
“…Hello.”
“Are you awake? I was going to wake you up when everything was done. It’s almost ready, so wash up and sit tight.”
“Okay…”
I followed Suzuha Koga’s instructions and went into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth before sitting at the table.
As I waited, staring blankly at the ceiling, Suzuha Koga brought out the finished dishes and laid them out on the table.
A sandwich with a soft-boiled egg and bacon inside.
It was simple yet delicious, perfect for breakfast.
“Alright, I’ll dig in…”
“Enjoy it, Izumi.”
To my greeting, Suzuha Koga replied and took a bite of an apple.
Since I had come over, I really should eat together, but Suzuha Koga always did this.
“Is it good?”
“Yes, it’s, um, delicious…”
Even though she knew I absolutely loved her cooking, Suzuha Koga always asked me this whenever she made something.
And when I nodded or answered, she would chuckle and smile.
I sometimes wondered if Suzuha Koga saw me as a pet…
Although I was grateful she took the time to do this for me, even though it must be a hassle.
“By the way… when did it start?”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“When Mom went on her business trip, Suzuha Koga came to cook for me like this…”
“Hmm… I don’t remember exactly.”
When had it actually started?
I roughly recalled it was after I had done an offline collaboration with Tsurusaki…
Well, it wasn’t particularly a problem.
After all, Mom had asked Suzuha Koga first.
If I had to point out a downside, it would be that I wasn’t getting ramen as often anymore.
“Okay, I’m done eating…”
“Glad to hear that.”
After finishing the meal and washing the dishes, I took a shower and came out to find Suzuha Koga waiting for me with a hairdryer and a brush.
Naturally, I sat on the floor while shaking my damp hair slightly, and warm air mixed with Suzuha Koga’s gentle brushing began.
Even though I just got out of the shower, her soft touch made me feel drowsy.
“Why does it seem like I’m… your pillar husband…?”
Pfft?!
With Suzuha Koga making my meals, drying my hair when I came out, and often looking out for me on stream…
“If I’m your pillar husband, does that mean I’m a pillar lady?! I won’t forgive you for betraying the faction!”
Looking at the current situation, I thought it was impossible to refute being called a ‘pillar lady’?!
Yeah, in the end, the most important thing in a combat mode was, of course, ‘stealth’.
No matter how skilled you are, if you get attacked by the other four teams at once, you can’t win.
And even if you aren’t that skilled, if you can sneakily avoid conflict until the end, you can win.
Simply put, the key to winning in combat mode is whether you can avoid getting swept into chaos when it starts.
But there’s no way Suzuha Koga, the top tier in Star’s Flow, would know that.
She probably just thought simply.
If the combat ends up being about user skill, then if she teams up with me, who’s relatively good at the game… surely we could win.
…Of course, that thought was completely misguided.
“Housekeepers have been so audacious lately! So today, I plan to judge those audacious housekeepers.”
“Eh?”
Housekeepers… meaning Kuromaki’s fan name.
But what audacious acts could they possibly commit, just happily enjoying the angelic acts of Kuromaki, who claims to be a wicked noble lady?
If anything, wouldn’t it be the Izutomo causing trouble?!
They seem to be trying to torment me every day…
“So what I’ve prepared for today is… this!”
As Kuromaki showed the name of the game, I instinctively realized.
Ah, I think I’m starting off with a loss today…
[“The preparations for the judgment of last stardust are complete! Now, I will show you the terrifying power of the faction!!! #Star’s Flow #Kuromaki Hikari #Kainoh Izumi”]
All sorts of anime and game characters came together to compete against each other in the game, Last Star.
In this latest version of Last Star, a new mode called ‘Combat’ was introduced.
Two players team up, and a total of five teams participate in each match.
The team that survives the longest wins… it was a simple game mechanic.
And to win in combat, three things are necessary.
First, the basic skill, which is obvious.
Second, the ability to assess the situation since it’s a mode where teams fight.
Finally, the third is the stealth to avoid being targeted…
To be honest, the most important thing is definitely the ‘stealth’.
No matter how good you are, if you get attacked by all the other teams at once, you can’t win.
And no matter how poor your skills are, if you can quietly avoid the fights until the end, you can win.
To put it simply, the key to victory in combat mode is whether you can avoid the chaos when it starts.
But Kuromaki wouldn’t know that…
She’s simply thought if she teams with someone who’s decent at the game, they’d probably win.
…But that assumption was undoubtedly wrong.
– To be this benevolent to the housekeepers
– She truly is an angel, isn’t she?
– The top duo of Star’s Flow
“I-I’m not the top duo…!!”
“Ah?! Izumi, so does that mean I’m the top duo?! I can’t forgive you for betraying the faction!”
Looking at the situation now, I had no way to deny being called a top duo?!
Right, in the end, the most important thing in combat mode was, of course, ‘stealth’.
If two VTubers teamed up and gathered their fans to engage in combat, what do you think would happen?
Naturally, the fans would all unite to attack the VTuber team!
Especially if there are plenty of the troublesome Izutomo mixed in!
– It’s even worse than during the BN days, haha!
– What did she mean by judging housekeepers…?
– In the end, she was just the same as usual.
“Ehhhh…! Are all the housekeepers chatting and watching this?!”
“P-Please focus on the game instead of chatting…!”
Even if I’m here, there are limits!
In the end, under the pretense of judging housekeepers, our Last Star combat mode ended up in the last position, and the picture of us getting judged was completed.
“Is Kuromaki really fit to lead Build Craft… is that just a wonderful game?”
“What does that even mean?! You’re so audacious for a junior, Izumi!”
– Our lady is so sorry.
– Thanks for your hard work, Mei.
Thanks to that, my perception of Build Craft somewhat improved.
During Golden Week, should I try building the shrine I’ve been putting off in Build Craft…?
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