[【Deluxe Kart Starlight】Everyone, let’s go! #KainohIzumi#TsurusakiTsukasa#Star’sFlow]
“Senpai, do you have a goal in Deluxe Kart today?”
“D-Definitely 1st place!”
For a gamer like me, if there’s a goal in a competitive game, it’s definitely to be 1st place.
2nd place, 3rd place, or last place? Those aren’t goals.
No matter what, it’s 1st place. If I’m not 1st, people won’t remember me.
“Then I guess I should aim for 2nd place. I can’t take your 1st place, after all.”
“Haha…”
It’s gotten easier compared to when we first met, but still, a little discomfort lingers in my heart.
Is it because her words feel too direct, as if she’s targeting me?
In contrast to the white sea with Suzuha Koga or the casual conversations in the faction with Hikari Kurokami, this feels more pronounced.
-Izukaasa Teetee
-Tsurusaki Mei-chan is too lovable
-There’s a junior trying to cheat right from the start
-Have the bodyguards of Atlas already fallen…
But the reactions in the chatroom are quite acceptable, so it’s awkward to call them out.
Well, of course. Tsurusaki has repeatedly said since her debut that she likes me, so this kind of reaction is rather natural.
The awkwardness I feel is probably because I’ve never had someone say such things right next to me.
“Then let’s start, Senpai.”
“Oh, yeah…”
In the game’s waiting room, all 12 players had gathered.
So, I designated my character as ‘Mini Lucky’ and input the command to start the game.
The screen transitioned to the loading screen, showing the battlefield location as [Death Sands].
The map’s feature was that if you strayed off the regular course, your movement speed would drastically decrease due to sand debuffs, with random sandstorms appearing on the map.
My chosen small character, Mini Lucky, wouldn’t be significantly affected by the sand debuffs but needed to be careful of being swept away by the sandstorms.
[Are You Ready?]
When the loading finished, that phrase appeared along with the desolate desert scenery.
Everyone knew the sound of engines roaring from every direction was like the horn of war announcing the start.
And my position was third from the back.
Although the starting position doesn’t greatly influence the game, it was quite a disadvantage for me aiming for 1st place.
[3 🔴⚫⚫]
I input the command to use the starting booster, slowly ramping up the car’s output.
The engine sounds echoing gradually became more intense.
[2 🔴🔴⚫]
Glancing sideways, Tsurusaki was staring blankly at the screen without any emotion.
Did she really mean it when she said she wouldn’t aim for 1st place?
[1 🔴🔴🔴]
I quietly swallowed before my final moment.
[Start! 🟢🟢🟢]
With the sound effect announcing the start, I dashed forward without hesitation.
Looking at the minimap, I noticed three players had failed to accelerate due to misusing their starting boosters.
And my rank was now 4th. Considering the poor starting position, this was a pretty smooth start.
As long as I don’t get swept away by sandstorms, I can definitely aim for 1st.
And there appeared the item boxes at the first drift course.
Naturally, I moved towards the spot with two overlapping boxes.
The items I picked were a speed-boosting ‘Booster’ and a ‘Banana’ to hinder my opponents’ paths.
Since my character, Mini Lucky, is small, I’m weak in collisions, so I should choose a position where I get disturbed the least.
That position is not 1st, but 2nd.
Deluxe Kart fundamentally provides many items to latecomers to target 1st place.
So, I’ll use the booster to climb to 2nd, then use the banana to keep the people behind in check; that’s the best strategy.
“Senpai Izumi.”
“Ah… yeah?”
While I was thinking about that, Tsurusaki suddenly spoke to me.
“Be careful.”
And there seemed to be a hint of laughter in her voice.
“What do you mean…?”
Before I could ask Tsurusaki what she meant, I instantly understood her words.
KABOOM!
A guided bomb had flown in from behind.
It collided with my car, sending my Mini Lucky soaring into the sky.
“Wha—?!”
As I hovered in the air, other cars quickly passed by me.
My rank had dropped from 4th to 8th in an instant.
“W-Wait, that guided bomb was you, Tsurusaki…?”
“Yes, that was me.”
Tsurusaki answered nonchalantly, and I felt my anger boiling.
“B-But you said you wouldn’t take 1st place…?”
“Come on. It’s obvious that you can’t just let me do that from the start.”
“Ugh….”
“Besides, up until a moment ago, you were 4th, right? So it’s no problem whatsoever.”
“Ughhh…!”
Tsurusaki’s reasoning was too logical for me to counter.
“And that’s why I told you to be careful…”
“B-But how would I avoid a guided bomb…!”
The only way to dodge that is a ‘Full Moon’ item that ignores all obstacles, right?!
-Tsurusaki… do you have a talent for bullying?
-If they’re Izutomo, then it’s only natural to be bullying.
“Ugh….”
In the chatroom, the current situation was being referred to with great joy, while Tsurusaki was definitely laughing as if her previous blank expression was a lie.
…Don’t give up.
After all, Deluxe Kart requires three laps to finish the game.
This was just the first lap, in the early stages of the race. I can still make a comeback.
That’s what I thought as I collected my composure and started driving again.
★
And the result of the first match ended in 4th place.
“Why…!”
Why was Kainoh Izumi born, and Izutomo turned into bullies…!
-Izumi is such a noob, haha
-At this level, aiming for 1st is absurd.
-Rather, wouldn’t Tsurusaki have a better chance?
There were definitely opportunities. No, there were tons of chances.
With items coming out in between, I had plenty of opportunities to turn the tide.
I even managed to get to 2nd place at one point.
But the Izutomo wouldn’t let me be.
Whenever I tried to get ahead a little, numerous hindrance items targeted me, making it impossible to dodge them all.
When the Full Moon item appeared, I had a glimmer of hope…
But the gap was already too large to make a comeback.
“Hahaha….”
-Tsurusaki was an Izutomo after all…
And the biggest annoyance was, of course, the girl laughing beside me, Tsurusaki.
Her rank in this match was 2nd. She had pushed me aside to earn that position.
Before we started, Tsurusaki had said,
“Then I guess I should aim for 2nd. I can’t take your 1st place.”
That meant as long as I’m not 1st, she’d keep disturbing me.
In that case, there’s only one method.
I need to take 1st from the start, avoid all items targeting 1st, and keep 1st till the end.
…Huh? The more I think about it, it feels impossible, right?
And that feeling turned out to be correct; in the next games, I ranked 5th, 3rd, 7th, 6th, and 9th, while Tsurusaki finished every match in 2nd place.
‘Ah… well, maybe I just had a bit of fun? I remember usually being 2nd when I played with everyone at Atlas.’
What is this? That’s really scary.
“Well, then shall we wrap this up soon…?”
Before I knew it, it was 10:20 PM.
Since Tsurusaki had to head home, it was a good time to end.
Of course, it was disappointing that I’d never ranked 1st, but I couldn’t not let Tsurusaki go home because of that.
“Then, Senpai, how about we have a penalty game for the last match?”
“A-A penalty game?”
“Yeah. Simply put, the player with the lower rank selects one of the penalties stated in the chatroom to perform.”
“Hmm….”
The more I think about it, isn’t this way more disadvantageous for me?
Tsurusaki had been 2nd place all along, and I was beneath her.
But with everyone in the chatroom insisting it was a good idea, I didn’t have the courage to decline.
“Okay, fine…”
“Hehe…”
That smile of hers seems genuinely happy…. I can’t tell if it’s a good thing or not.
I wrestled with those doubts while quietly starting the game.
★
I can do it. I can do it. I can do it…!
Right now, my rank is 3rd. And I’m not far behind Tsurusaki, who is in 1st and 2nd.
And I’m already at the last lap, a little more than halfway to the finish.
In other words, there was plenty of potential.
The items I’m holding now are Full Moon and Booster.
The Izutomo probably plan to use all their items once they pass the halfway mark of the course.
To bring me despair.
But if I synchronize the use of Full Moon and Booster, I could definitely win.
I see the possibility…!
As those thoughts crossed my mind, a guided bomb flew toward me.
Now is the time.
Without hesitation, I activated both the Full Moon and Booster.
-Now!
-It’s time for the showdown!
In an instant, I overtook the 2nd place Tsurusaki and then passed whoever was 1st.
Next, I obtained the item from the item course, which was a ‘Flash’.
The effect is… invincibility and maximum speed.
“I won, r-right….”
Deluxe Kart is designed so that latecomers can overtake 1st place, making it common for 1st place to receive ordinary items.
In other words, getting a Flash just now means I broke through some ridiculous odds.
And that means the world wants my 1st place.
There was no hesitation in using it.
The thirst for 1st place erased my indecision.
And just like that, I achieved 1st place for the first time.
By the way, Tsurusaki finished 2nd in this round as well.
…What is this? That’s really scary.
“Then, those ranked below me! It’s time for Tsurusaki to face her penalty!”
Regardless, I confidently declared that.
Because I’m 1st place.
Being 1st means being the best, and everyone is beneath me!
I have the right to say this!
“Well, I guess there’s no helping it. A promise is a promise.”
Fortunately, Tsurusaki seemed unfazed.
If she had looked upset, I would have cancelled the penalty, but she really is a nice person….
“Then, can I pick the penalty?”
“Ah, sure. T-Tsurusaki, choose whatever you prefer. And everyone, nothing lewd, okay?”
No matter what she chooses, the penalties will be tough anyway, so there’s no need for me to step up to choose.
I’d feel sorry if the penalty I selected made it hard for Tsurusaki.
-50 Squats
-Confess to Mei-chan!
-Horror Game
As countless messages flooded the chat, Tsurusaki chose….
“I’ll go with this, Senpai.”
“…Huh?”
★
Izumi’s body was warm like a child’s, and the smell of baby powder mixed with peaches felt nice.
Tsukasa thought it would be great if they could cuddle and sleep like with a dakimakura.
“Eeeek…”
And the person in question seemed frightened, her previously confident demeanor gone as she curled up and shut her eyes tightly.
The penalty chosen from the chatroom was ‘Give Izumi a back hug’.
Izumi protested that this couldn’t possibly be a penalty, but she lost to the chatroom’s fallacy of ‘it’s a penalty because you’ll feel embarrassed’.
In fact, even though she refused and tried to escape, Tsukasa’s insistence, ‘You can’t perform the penalty without your senpai,’ left her with no choice but to give in.
The thought that she needed to set a good example as a senpai tripped up Izumi’s escape.
“Senpai Izumi.”
“Ah, yeah…”
“I’ll definitely offer Atlas to you later, okay?”
“U-uh, yeah…! I-I hope you can h-hang in there…!”
Izumi was trembling, unsure if she felt awkward or scared, a stark contrast to when she naturally reached out to Tsukasa’s face earlier.
“W-Wait, that’s enough!”
About 30 seconds passed. Izumi declared the end and pulled away from Tsukasa.
As the warmth disappeared, Tsukasa felt a bittersweet smile.
‘…Well, I can make more opportunities next time.’
And this was just a coupling for increasing subscribers.
Even if the other person was the charming Izumi, that fact wouldn’t change.
In the end, it was just a business deal, so Tsukasa didn’t need to sincerely feel disappointed, even if she wasn’t an Izutomo.
…That’s what Tsukasa quietly repeated to herself.
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