Jinseigyakuten Uwakisare Enzai wo Kiserareta Orega Gakuenichi no Bisyoujo ni Natsukareru [LN] Bahasa Indonesia

Chapter 4: Let’s Meet Again at This Place

The day after that legendary night, I overheard some guys at the edge of the classroom buzzing with excitement.

“Hey, you catch the scrim yesterday?!”

“Hell yeah, I did! It was insane, right? They were kinda meh until they switched up the comp—then bam, total domination!”

“That Yami pick was slick, huh? Feels like it just fits Urume’s vibe, y’know?”

“Seriously, it’s wild that nobody’s using her in the competitive scene. She looks like the ultimate god-tier character. But when I try her, it’s like, ‘Oh, crap, no ult!’ and I’m dead.”

“Watching her zip around the battlefield like she owns it? Man, that’s the kinda play I’ve been dying to see! That’s the stuff!”

—Right?!

Whoops, almost got sucked into their nerd fest there. Geez, it’s like I’m the otaku here. Guess that just shows how damn electrifying Meru’s play was last night. Even they seemed kinda shocked at how well it went, like it hadn’t sunk in yet. Me? I was hiding behind Shinomi, peeking at my phone, just straight-up dumbfounded, like it wasn’t even real.

Still, seems like Meru’s character pick’s getting a ton of hype. They say it’s some obscure, off-meta choice, so it makes sense it’d stand out, but still…

“Yami’s not just some niche pick, Kunshi-kun. She’s, like, the main character,” Kikuri said at lunch, leaning against the cafeteria’s window counter with a wry smile.

“She’s literally the face of VB—official SNS icon and all. Story-wise, she’s a big deal, too. You could call her the protagonist, no problem. Plus, she’s apparently super easy to play. Think… Mario or Pikachu. That make sense to you?”

“?”

“No way. How’ve you even survived in Japan this long?”

Just grit and determination, that’s how.

“Anyway, when the star of the tournament picks the star of the game, it’s bound to get people hyped.”

“That so?”

I nodded vaguely, slurping down my 280-yen kake udon.

Even to me, Meru looked like she was in her element yesterday. The way she was struggling just two days ago? Like a bad dream. She was tearing across the map, blasting enemies left and right—looked like she was having the time of her life. More fun than any play I’d ever seen.

Maybe that’s the real Meru. Free from the weight of being a pro, the chains of have to win, can’t lose. Not that she was throwing the match—probably just found her perfect playstyle with her best character.

If that’s the case, fate’s on her side.

I don’t like throwing around words like “fate,” but it’s hard to deny something shifted for Meru and the crew after last night. A good flow, you could say.

“Playoffs are in three days, right? If they keep this up, they’re golden.”

“Sounds like it’s a pretty big venue, too,” Kikuri added.

“You guys already got tickets, yeah?”

“Yeah, but… I’m not sure about going,” Kikuri said, her face clouding as she stared out at the courtyard.

“No way I can risk getting recognized, you know? Plus, it’s kinda lame there’s no watch party stream for the main event.”

“What, you just scared of big crowds or something?”

“Excuse you, I’m the one doing live performances. I’m not exactly allergic to events.”

“Live? What, streaming counts as a ‘live performance’ now?”

“…Wait, I never showed you?”

Kikuri tilted her head, pulled out her phone, tapped around, and slid it across the counter to me.

On the screen was a dazzling 3D CG stage with Kuriki Hisoka singing and dancing.

…Singing?

…Dancing?

Not some intense choreography, mind you—just idol-like gestures synced to the music. But still… this shut-in nudist?

Faced with a mystery that’d make the 300-million-yen heist look tame, I kicked my brain into overdrive.

“…Got it. It’s like a suit actor—no, a motion actor—”

“Nope, that’s me dancing.”

“…Pre-recorded footage—”

“100% real-time.”

“…No way… That’s impossible…!!”

“You’re kinda rude sometimes, you know that?”

This shut-in, singing and dancing like some polished pro? No way! And yet…!

“We should hit up karaoke sometime. I’ve trained, you know. I’m pretty decent even without autotune.”

“Hard pass. My worldview’s already crumbling.”

“I’m gonna make you wave a glowstick one day, just you wait.”

Kikuri’s voice dripped with mock resentment before she perked up, clapping her hands like she’d just had a lightbulb moment.

“Oh, right! Why don’t you go?”

“To your live show?”

“No, the playoffs, dummy.”

…Huh?

I slurped the last strand of udon and turned to stare at Kikuri, sitting next to me.

“If I stay home and do the watch party stream for the finals, that leaves one ticket free, right? I could probably transfer it to you if we sort it out now.”

Kikuri flicked her long hair with a flourish.

“Unless you’re the one scared of crowds?”

She grinned, all teasing and smug. I averted my gaze, staring into the empty udon bowl, now just broth.

The offline venue.

Seeing Meru fight in person…

“You wanna see it, don’t you? Your oshi’s big moment, live, after cheering her on through streams every day.”

“…!!”

“What’s with that face? Like your mom and girlfriend are being held hostage.”

That’s exactly what it felt like. A moral dilemma straight out of a trolley problem.

My oshi’s big moment?

A month ago, I’d have laughed at the phrase.

But now? I get it, just a little. That urge to root for someone, to make them your protagonist.

I’ve changed.

And part of me hates admitting it. My whole deal’s been about standing alone, not tying myself to anyone else. My pride, my principles—they reject it.

But this chance? It’s once-in-a-lifetime.

“Bet the ticket transfer window closes today, huh? Maybe by evening. Or, like, in an hour or less~” Kikuri said, sneaking a glance at me.

“…Fine.”

After a long internal battle, I forced the words out.

“Not saying I’ll go, but it’d be a waste to let it slip. I’ll take it for now—”

“Nuh-uh. I’m only giving it to someone who says, ‘I wanna cheer for Meru-tan live, pretty please, Kikuri-neechan!’”

“I wanna cheer for Meru-tan live, pretty please, Kikuri-neechan!”

You’re gonna pay for this, you hear me?!

It was a cloudy weekend in early July.

For the first time in a while, I left my place on foot, hopped onto the moving walkway of the Ebisu Skywalk, and made my way to Ebisu Station. I leaned against a round pillar in front of the east exit gate, waiting.

I live in a rundown neighborhood packed with cheap apartments, but just a short walk away, you hit spots like Garden Place, prime for dates, or trendy areas like this station. Tokyo’s like a grimy stained-glass window—crammed with all sorts of colors in a tiny space, where one wrong turn lands you in a whole different world.

Killing time by mentally reciting English vocab, I spotted two girls passing through the gate.

“Senpai! Sorry to keep you waiting~♪”

“Didn’t wait that long. You should feel honored I bothered waiting at all.”

“What kinda high-and-mighty character are you—huh?”

I frowned as I caught sight of the two stepping through.

The shorter one was definitely Chinana. She had on a breezy camisole with frills and denim pants cropped at the ankles.

Next to her stood Ranka, tall and sleek. She was in pants too, but unlike her usual flashy style, she was dressed down in a plain white shirt and gray cardigan.

Both of them were sporting oversized glasses.

Ranka even had a wide-brimmed hat, which made her vibe totally different from usual.

“You guys look… kinda off today?”

“Just a bit of a disguise,” Chinana said. “I’m a nobody, so it’s whatever, but Ran-nee’s a big deal, y’know?”

“Don’t want people spotting me walking around with you either,” Ranka added.

Makes sense. Like some kinda actress…

“And one more thing,” Ranka said. “Today, I’m ‘Risa,’ and Chinana’s ‘Chihiro.’”

“Huh?”

“Fake names for when we talk,” Chinana explained. “We both use pretty much our real names for work, so if we call each other that in public, we’re screwed, right?”

“We use different aliases every time we hang out,” Ranka said.

“Like spy codenames or something…”

Fame’s a hell of a tax. So this is the world celebrities live in?

“But if you’re so paranoid about getting recognized, wouldn’t it be better if I stayed clear?”

“Maybe, but…” Ranka trailed off.

“It’s way more fun together!” Chinana chirped, bouncing over to me.

She clasped her hands behind her back, bent slightly at the waist, and peered up at me with big, pleading eyes.

“Plus, having a guy around makes things feel safer… We’re counting on you, senpai!”

Ranka, watching from behind, scrunched her face like she’d seen something shady.

“Why you gotta act so cutesy?”

“Wha—? Cutesy? Me? No way, I’m just being myself~”

“Ugh, gross!”

Guess I’m playing bodyguard today. Even in their lowkey getups, they’re both pretty enough to draw unwanted attention. Having a guy to block the creeps makes sense.

“If that’s the deal, leave it to me, Ranka, Chinana. Back in elementary school, I once nailed a middle schooler messing with my little sister with a soccer ball.”

“It’s Risa.”

“And Chihiro.”

“…”

Hanging out with famous people… what a pain!

On the Saikyo Line from Ebisu, I shielded the two from the near-packed train. Bracing my hands against the door to hold back the crowd, I noticed Chinana smirking like she was enjoying it, while Ranka looked away, almost embarrassed.

“(You can relax a bit, senpai ♥),” Chinana whispered, teasingly, so the other passengers wouldn’t hear. “(If your arms give out and you lose balance, you’ll just end up squishing against us ♥. Girls’ bodies are soft, y’know? Perfect cushions ♥.)”

“(Hey! Quit egging him on with that creepy ASMR voice! I’m the one who’d suffer most here!)” Ranka hissed.

True, if I buckled under the crowd’s pressure, Chinana’s small enough to duck and dodge, but Ranka? Not so much.

Ranka clutched her handbag to her chest like a shield. “(This guy’s got a rap sheet already…! And he’d be done for if he got slapped with a molester charge! Think about that!)”

“(Yeah, if a moan echoed through this packed train, it’d be game over for everybody.)”

“(Who’s moaning?!)”

“(More importantly, you’re ready to throw me, your supposed ally, under the bus with a false accusation?!)”

The crowd thinned out a bit, so we avoided disaster, but I’m gonna have to watch my back around these two on trains from now on.

After about 20 minutes on the train, we stepped out at Kokusai-Tenjijo Station.

With fewer buildings around, the cloudy sky stretched wide, and a gentle sea breeze brushed my skin. Ariake, a reclaimed patch of land facing Tokyo Bay, felt surprisingly open compared to the claustrophobic crush of central Tokyo.

I knew there were a bunch of event venues around here, and one of them was hosting the VBGS PG playoffs.

“Throat’s kinda dry. Wanna hit the convenience store?” Ranka said, pointing to one next to the station.

“What a waste,” I said. “Should’ve brought something from home.”

“What? You got something on you?”

“Obviously.”

I pulled a water bottle from my backpack.

“What’s in it?” Chinana asked.

“Water.”

Ranka crossed her arms under her chest, tilting her head. “Hmm. Wait, are we even allowed to bring food or drinks?”

“Oh, yeah, I think there’s some rule about that,” Chinana said, pulling out her phone to check the regulations. “…Yup, says here only unopened stuff’s allowed.”

“What?! Even water bottles?!”

“Well, they probably don’t want people sneaking weird stuff in,” Ranka said.

Safety concerns, huh? Can’t argue with that.

“Guess you could dump the water and stow the bottle in your bag,” Ranka suggested. “If they check, an empty bottle might pass.”

“Well… it’s not just the water. I brought some snacks too…”

“This ain’t a picnic,” Ranka said, exasperated.

My bad for not checking the rules properly.

“There’s gotta be coin lockers in the station,” Chinana said. “We can stash your bag there.”

“Ugh, unexpected expense…”

“It’s just a locker. I’ll cover it as a business expense,” Ranka said.

“You guys need to respect the value of a hundred yen more.”

Bunch of rich brats. Still, I never turn down reimbursable expenses. Thanks.

We headed back into the station, found a locker near the gate, and stuffed my bag inside. Then we hit the convenience store to grab some food and drinks. I don’t usually buy stuff at places like this to save cash, but even I’m not dumb enough to think I can go hours at an event without eating or drinking.

“Ooh, this roll cake looks yummy~,” Chinana said.

“I had this milk pudding before—it’s so good!” Ranka added.

“Quit ogling the desserts! You’re not eating that now, are you?!”

Gripping a bottle of barley tea and a protein bar, I herded the two distracted girls (figuratively) out of the store.

Following Chinana’s lead with her map app, we walked along the sidewalk under the elevated tracks. A bunch of other people—guys and girls—were heading the same way. Could be for another event or the same one. Schrödinger’s crowd, I guess.

When we reached the venue, a massive line snaked out from the entrance.

“Wow, that’s a lot of people…” I muttered.

“It’s just a side event for VBGS, though,” Ranka said.

“Gotta be Urume’s popularity, right?” Chinana said. “Heard during the group stage, whenever Alpha PG played, viewership spiked like three times higher.”

Just like how we used fake names for Ranka and Chinana, we had to call Meru by her player name, Urume. They switched to it so smoothly—guess they’re used to this. Me? I just avoid using names altogether to not screw it up.

We joined the line, finally made it inside, and headed for the spectator seats. The venue was dim, like a movie theater. Not that I’d know—I haven’t been to one in ages. Last time was probably back when the Kiminaga family business was still alive. All I remember is Shinomi being a disaster in a theater.

The rectangular space, maybe four times the size of a gym, was lined with seats. At the far end, a three-tiered stage held desks—six or seven per tier—each with a monitor. That’s gotta be where the players sit. Up in the top corners, two big screens hung, probably for showing the game.

Swaying with the crowd, we reached our seats. Chinana stepped aside, gesturing for me to go first.

“Senpai, after you.”

“Huh? Oh.”

I sat down, and Chinana plopped right next to me, leaning in with a shy “Hehehe.”

“Side by side, huh, senpai?”

“Well, yeah, ‘cause you sat there.”

She’s acting like it’s some random seat-swap coincidence.

Ranka took the seat on Chinana’s other side, rolling her eyes. “You don’t have to pull those tricks. No way I’m sitting next to him.”

“I did consider the ‘flower on each arm’ vibe,” Chinana said, “but with the chance of the crowd getting filmed for the stream, I had to pass.”

“No way in hell,” Ranka snapped.

Right, the audience might get shown. Like in baseball broadcasts, sometimes you catch a glimpse of the stands.

If that’s the case, I’d better act like some random guy who just happened to sit next to them, in case they get recognized.

“Those monitors up there for the main stream?” I asked, pointing to the screens in the upper corners.

Chinana pulled her phone from the pouch on her lap. “Yeah, probably the observer view. But they also stream individual perspectives online. You can watch those on your phone if you want.”

“Wouldn’t mind hearing their voices, too,” Ranka said. “Observer view might miss the good stuff.”

I’ve only ever watched matches from Meru’s perspective, so that’d be ideal. The main stream’s supposed to have commentary, but I don’t really get what that’s like.

“You’d probably need earphones to hear clearly,” Chinana said. “Got any, senpai?”

“Earphones? Nah, don’t have any…”

When I watch Meru’s scrim streams, I keep the volume super low so Shinomi doesn’t hear.

Chinana dug into her pouch, pulled out a small square case, and took out wired earphones. She plugged them into her phone, popped one in her right ear, and held the other out to me.

“Wanna borrow this?”

Sharing earphones.

Even I know what that means. It’s the kind of intimate thing you see in shoujo manga. You end up shoulder-to-shoulder, and it’s got this… connected vibe. Embarrassing as hell!

But then I remembered.

“Didn’t you just say the audience might get filmed? If we did that and got spotted, it’d be a mess.”

“Whoops, caught me,” Chinana said with a grin.

She pulled the earphone out, wrapped the cord around her fingers, and tucked it back in the case. Then she pulled out another square case—this one black.

Wireless earphones.

“Try these. Less obvious.”

“Why didn’t you lead with those?!”

“Should’ve seen through the setup,” Ranka said from the other side, exasperated. “Wired earphones? Nobody uses those with phones anymore. Most don’t even have headphone jacks.”

What?! Taking advantage of my ignorance, huh?!

Chinana giggled, her shoulders shaking slightly, brushing against Mine. As usual, I couldn’t tell how serious she was.

I looked up at the high ceiling, dim and shadowy, trying to steady my rattled nerves.

Meru’s probably in the waiting room right now.

No idea what she’s feeling, but I hope she’s not as shaken up as I am.

◆

“Alright? You good?”

The question wasn’t directed at me, sitting in the greenroom’s chair, but at someone else.

“I’m… I’m fine…”

It was Liz, her face pale as a ghost, staring down at her knees like they held the secrets of the universe.

Minē, barely holding back a snicker, gave her shoulder a couple of playful pats.

“You’re way too tense, girl! Were you like this during the group stage too?”

“The group stage… had four matches. This time, it’s all over today…”

“You’re always actin’ all cocky, but when the real deal hits, you’re a mess, huh? Pfft, hilarious…”

Wearing a uniform plastered with logos from various companies and teams, Minē looked a hell of a lot more relaxed compared to Liz. Seems like she’s the type who doesn’t let nerves get to her.

I stared at Liz’s profile, her expression frozen like a statue, and said, “It’s a match point system, so even if you flop once or twice, it’s no big deal. Just treat it like a warm-up, yeah?”

“Yeah, exactly!” Minē chimed in. “There was that world championship where a team won with three straight determinations. You don’t gotta be that freaked out.”

“Yeah… yeah…”

Liz answered, but there wasn’t a hint of her nerves easing up.

I’m supposed to be the type who gets pretty jittery myself, but seeing someone this wound up next to me? It’s like all my anxiety got sucked right out, leaving me weirdly calm. Makes me wonder if someone could make a business out of this—taking on other people’s nerves before a big moment.

While I was lost in that pointless thought, a voice called out from behind.

“Meru.”

A voice I knew well.

I turned around, and there was Harin.

Her petite frame was decked out in a breezy denim vest and culotte skirt. Since Harin’s team wasn’t competing, she was in casual clothes. But somehow, her outfit looked like it was charged with the same intensity as battle armor.

“Been two weeks, huh? Get in some good practice?”

“…You already know the answer, don’t you?”

Scrims are run in anonymous mode. Even if you score a determination, only the character names show up, not the player names.

Still, I knew right away when Harin’s team pulled off a determination, and I’m sure she knew when we did too.

I haven’t crunched the numbers, but our determination counts in scrims were pretty much neck and neck. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say our skill levels were basically even.

“Oh, sure,” Harin said with a nod. “But scrims and the real thing? Totally different beasts. Today’s the day we find out who’s stronger. It’s not about past scores—it’s about how much strength you’ve built up until now. This isn’t some anime where you suddenly awaken mid-match.”

“…Sounds like you’re pretty confident.”

“Of course. We’ve done everything we could. There’s no reason not to be.”

I squinted, like I was staring into a blinding backlight.

Up until now, I’d always been dazzled by Harin’s radiance, just letting it wash over me. But now… knowing the importance of putting words out there, my mouth opened where it never would have before.

“Your strength has always been what’s carried me this far.”

But.

“Today’s different. Your strength? I’m—we’re—gonna surpass it. We’ll show you that us introverts are the ones who dominate in games.”

Harin blinked, caught off guard, and tilted her head. “Inkya?”

Right then, Minē slapped my back with a loud whack.

“Hell yeah, that’s the spirit!”

Minē went off, her voice practically roaring with intensity that startled even me.

“We’ve been grinding away at this game, no boyfriends, no nothing, getting our souls crushed by our classmates’ Instagram posts! Like hell we’re gonna let some social butterfly beat us at our game!”

Guess my little speech hit her harder than I thought.

She joined an all-girls team to avoid getting hit on by guy gamer friends, but deep down, she’s still hung up on not having a boyfriend… Talk about a complicated maiden’s heart.

“I don’t quite get it, but you guys seem plenty fired up, and that’s what counts,” Harin said, brushing off Minē’s outburst with her usual effortless grace. That’s the kind of light-side energy I’m talking about.

“Meru, you remember what I said two weeks ago? You still think I’m your best IGL? Even if our paths have split, I can’t help but stake my claim—in the game, in the match.”

Liz, who’d been rigid as a board, twitched at that.

“Today, I’m gonna make you see that. And I’m going pro. Back then, we didn’t get left behind by you—we were just setting up to meet you a little further down the road. That’s what I’m here to prove.”

Left behind.

Hearing those words come straight from Harin made my heart race.

Even Harin… she’d felt that way.

She’d always been so radiant, so gentle, like the sun on a spring day, never dimming, always embracing—and yet, she’d felt that way too.

As I swallowed that small spark of emotion, Liz turned to face Harin for the first time.

“…Sure, maybe my IGL skills don’t measure up to yours,” she said, her voice low and heavy, like it was cloaked in some dark, shadowy magic.

“But… that doesn’t matter! We’re gonna win as a team! We’ll make you see that Urume’s not just some physical-only player!!”

“Hell yeah! That’s the spirit! You tell her!” Minē cheered, throwing an arm around Liz’s shoulders.

Liz’s face, which had been pale as death, was suddenly blazing with fighting spirit.

I’d thought those two were the calm ones compared to my own hot-and-cold nature, but… looks like we’re the kind of team that gets downright terrifying when we’re in the zone.

And right now, Harin had just lit that fire.

“Harin,” I said to her, noticing the slightly overwhelmed vibe she was giving off.

“Let’s meet in the final ring.”

Harin let out a small, amused laugh.

“If you guys can make it that far.”

◆

The venue’s lights dimmed even further.

In the dark, filled with the roar of the crowd, only the desks for the twenty teams, arranged in three tiers, glowed like they were floating.

It was about to begin.

Two weeks of grueling scrims.

Five weeks, counting from the group stage.

Two months, if you went back to the national qualifiers.

And even longer since the team was formed for this very purpose.

Every second Meru had poured into this led to this moment, these few hours.

These few hours that were about to start.

All the time, all the effort—

Would it pay off?

Or would it all be for nothing?

The outcome would be decided.

'Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is over!'

The announcer’s voice boomed through the venue.

'VACANT BLANK Global Series: Possibility Garden—Playoffs! Here we go!!'

A thunderous cheer shook the arena from floor to ceiling.

Some fans were banging balloons like at a volleyball match, others waving signs with players’ names held high. It felt like an idol concert. Not that I’ve ever been to one.

The caster and analyst, seated on the right side of the stage, introduced themselves. Then, with perfect timing—

'Let’s get right to it. Player entrance!'

From behind the three-tiered setup of twenty desks, the players emerged all at once.

We scanned the sixty competitors, searching for Meru.

“Where? Where is she?”

“There! Over there!”

On the top tier, second desk from the right, we spotted Meru, alongside Exlz and M4ine, whom we’d met just once.

With Meru in the center, Exlz on her right and M4ine on her left, they settled into their gaming chairs and began checking their headsets and devices.

“Meru!”

“Kick some ass!”

Ranka and Chinana shouted their cheers, sounding like moms at a school sports day. Whatever happened to calling her by her player name?

'While the players prepare, let’s go over the rules for this tournament,' the caster said in a clear, steady voice.

'Each team earns survival rank points and kill points per match, competing for the highest total. This is the same as the group stage, but the playoffs use a match point system. The first team to reach the designated threshold—fifty points—and then secure a final survival, or determination, wins the championship.'

'That’s the tricky part, right? The number of matches isn’t fixed,' the analyst interjected.

'Exactly,' the caster agreed. 'A team that hits fifty points—what we call “lighting up”—must then secure a determination to win. Until that happens, the matches continue. In the past, we’ve seen tournaments where fifteen of the twenty teams lit up.'

'Which means there’s always a chance for a comeback. In the group stage, with a set number of matches, falling behind in points makes winning tough. But with match points, even a team in last place could, in theory, chain determinations and take the crown.'

'Because if your team gets the determination, no one else does.'

'There’s even a team in history that pulled off a three-determination streak for a comeback victory. Let’s hope every team keeps fighting until the end.'

'Absolutely.'

Fifty points, then a determination… Strategy’s gotta shift for that. Just maintaining a high average rank won’t clinch it, and even if you light up first, you’re not safe. Other teams will gun for you. Getting overtaken after lighting up would sting like hell…

“Oh, the POV stream’s up!” Chinana said, holding up her phone.

On the screen was Meru, leaning back in her gaming chair, staring up at the ceiling.

◆

The light pouring down from the ceiling felt brighter than usual.

The caster and analyst’s voices vibrated through my body. The crowd’s noise enveloped me.

I lowered my gaze from the ceiling to the monitor, where VB had just booted up. Beyond it, though, were countless faces in the audience. Our seats were on the top tier, giving me a clear view of the sea of people. How many were out there? Too many to register as individuals, yet I could feel their gazes on us.

To my left, Liz was measuring the distance between her eyes and the monitor with a ruler, trying to replicate her usual setup as closely as possible.

To my right, Minē was testing her mouse, checking its glide. Her usual playful smirk was gone, replaced by a deadly serious expression.

Could I perform like I always do?

No way, I decided objectively.

The real thing’s never like practice. My room doesn’t have this blinding light or this many people.

But if I let today slip, there’s no next time.

Even if I compete in another tournament, this one—this moment—can never be redone.

All our practice was for this day.

Only one team out of sixty players will win. Fifty-seven will see their efforts crushed, popping like bubbles.

We have to be the three who don’t.

…I’m overthinking it. I know.

But I can’t stop myself. The hours of practice, the fans cheering through streams, my teammates’ hopes—there’s too much riding on this. I can’t not face it.

I was scared.

I didn’t know what I’d be like thirty minutes from now. The thought of those irreplaceable thirty minutes terrified me.

I started to close my eyes.

But just before I did, something caught my attention.

Among the countless tiny faces in the crowd, three stood out like they were glowing.

Ranka-nee. Chinana. Shikimi.

Familiar faces. Faces I always see. Faces I want to keep seeing forever.

None of them… looked worried.

“…Phew.”

Some of my fear melted away.

I’m still nervous, but… they believe in me.

If they believe in me, I’ll believe in myself.

I pushed my bangs up and secured them with a clip.

My field of vision widened as I slipped on my headset, covering my ears.

The noise faded, and my focus zeroed in on the monitor.

Give it everything.

That’s all there is.

'All right, looks like preparations are complete. VBGS PG Playoffs, Match 1, begins now!'

◆

I borrowed one of Chinana’s wireless earbuds and peered at her phone screen.

Meru’s face shrank into a small picture-in-picture window as the game screen took over. Her character, Yami, leapt from the airship and landed on Dragon’s Bed, a structure mimicking a dragon’s spine rising from the lava.

My free ear caught the caster and analyst’s voices.

'How do you see the meta for this tournament?'

'Pretty inward-focused, I’d say. Lots of teams are picking fortress-building characters like Hexagon or Bubble Walker. Not many are going aggressive for kills.'

'And at the center of that meta is the group stage’s top team, TYM, right?'

'Yeah—oh, hold on, they’re already moving!'

The crowd stirred.

Drawn by the noise, I looked up at the main broadcast monitor. The camera caught Team TYM leaving their landmark, Earth Buckle, heading north.

'That’s fast! Barely twenty seconds into the match!'

'Talk about coordination!'

The audience buzzed with comments like “Too quick!” and “Do they even have weapons yet?” On the phone screen, Meru’s team was still looting item boxes.

While the crowd marveled at TYM’s speed, a random thought hit me.

“What’s TYM stand for, anyway?”

“The team name? Some kind of acronym, maybe?” Chinana said.

“Or maybe it’s just ‘Team,’” Ranka piped up, leaning over.

“Team? They’re Korean, you know.”

“I heard from someone that in Korea, they just say ‘team’ like we do in Japanese. Same with ‘nice.’”

“More like ‘tim,’ I guess,” Ranka added.

Huh… didn’t know that. Guess Japanese isn’t the only language that borrows English words wholesale.

But Harin doesn’t seem like the type to pick something as straightforward as “Team” for a team name…

'Let’s check the ring. The second ring completely engulfs Castle.'

'Castle’s in the safe zone, huh? That’s gonna be a mess from the start.'

'How so?'

'Castle’s got tons of buildings, so multiple parties can pile in. That means a lot of teams survive until the late game.'

'It’s not uncommon for ten or more parties to still be alive by the final ring.'

'Exactly. All those surviving parties start moving at once in the endgame, creating chaos. You’ve gotta navigate that carefully. Yami’s a good pick for that, no?'

'There it is!'

The screen switched from the map to Meru’s POV.

'The only team running Yami in this tournament! Team AlphaPlanetPG!'

'Yami, Roost, Garden—a fun comp.'

'Intentional or not, all three are female characters. Fitting for a tournament called PG, right?'

'The strength of this comp is its balance. Roost makes them aggressive, Garden keeps their defense tight, and Yami’s versatility ties it all together.'

'The sole Yami user, UltraMail, is considered one of the world’s top physical players.'

'Straight-up a beast.'

'Yami’s not super popular in the current meta. Can you break down her strengths?'

'She loses to Cloud Cross in movement range, but in a cluttered place like Castle, she’s untouchable. Cloud Cross can dodge bullets by flying, but when you’re surrounded by three or four parties, that’s got its limits.'

'With Zetsuseki, she’s invincible no matter how many sightlines are on her!'

'Zetsuseki’s cooldown is a bit long in this patch, so timing’s critical. Her ult, Kyoana, is great for safe movement too. Cloud Cross’s flying ult is trickier in building-heavy terrain like this.'

'This unique character pick might just shine right now!'

As the caster and analyst talked, Meru’s team followed TYM into Castle.

Castle, true to its name, resembled a medieval European town with stone and brick buildings. The actual castle was mostly gone, swallowed by a massive crack in the ground, leaving only remnants along the edge.

A voice came through the earbud in my left ear.

'Let’s get as far inside as we can. Getting pinned by teams coming from the outside would suck.'

'Where can we go?'

'Looking now… There! The house next to the market’s open! Let’s move! Sprint!'

Using Roost’s hawk to scout an empty building, Meru’s team slipped into a two-story house in Castle West’s north side. M4ine planted a poison tree by the door to fortify their position.

“They made it into a house,” I said.

“Come on, ring, shift this way!” Chinana cheered.

First hurdle cleared. But where had TYM, who got there first, set up?

Exlz, crouched in the corner and controlling her hawk again, spoke up.

'Listen up. TYM’s in the market next door.'

Meru’s screen shifted to peer through a window at the neighboring building.

It was less a building and more a small marketplace. A square pathway ran under a roof, lined with stalls. No walls, just low fences you could crouch behind, but TYM had sealed them off with electric fences.

'They really gonna hold that open-ass spot?'

'There’s an inner path, so it’s doable. Hexagon’s fences make it tough to push in, and grenades don’t work.'

'But if we get a chance, we hit.'

Meru’s voice was resolute.

'I’ll go out solo and apply pressure. Be ready to move.'

'Got it.'

'Roger that!'

True to her word, Meru slipped out of the building alone.

She crossed the street, sticking close to the market’s electric fences to scope it out. As Exlz said, an inner pathway ran through the center, where TYM had set up their base. Flanked by walls, it was way safer than the outer path.

But that was only if Meru wasn’t there.

Peeking over the outer fence, Meru locked onto an Elf—Hexagon—in the inner path. Her assault rifle roared. Hexagon jumped like her tail was on fire, dodging bullets while returning fire. Meru’s level-two armor took a beating, and she pulled back.

'Urume, there’s a runecrystal in the inner path’s dip. Can you snipe it?'

'I’ll try.'

Meru healed up while responding, then repositioned.

Chinana, hearing the same comms, tilted her head. “What’s a runecrystal again?”

“Hexagon’s ult,” I answered. “It deploys a barrier that negates grenades and restores a set amount of armor. Destroy it, and the barrier’s gone.”

Ranka shot me a suspicious look. “Getting pretty knowledgeable, huh?”

“…You pick things up watching this much.”

Truth is, I’d been secretly meeting Meru after work, and she’d taught me a thing or two. But saying that might set Ranka off. Better keep quiet.

Meru moved to the market’s opposite side. No other parties seemed to be poking around yet—perfect timing.

Her POV caught a glowing, diamond-shaped blue stone by a stall. The runecrystal.

Meru fired without hesitation.

TYM shot back instantly, but Meru slid side to side, dodging while hammering the crystal until the last second.

'Got it! …But they placed another!'

'They had a booster, huh? Still, good work! Fall back!'

With her armor broken, Meru used Zetsuseki’s invincibility to retreat to her team’s building.

'That used up their spare runecrystal. If we break it with Roost’s ult, they’re defenseless.'

While Meru healed, Exlz spoke with conviction.

'One quick push. Before other teams close in.'

'Cool. Let’s do it with Kyoana.'

'I’ll get sightlines from the other side. Let’s wreck ‘em!'

“Whoa, they’re going hard!” Chinana squeaked, watching their aggressive play. I held my breath. It’s the first match—the most nerve-wracking one—and yet Meru’s team showed no sign of playing it safe!

Right out the gate, a clash between championship contenders.

Meru finished healing, and Exlz sent her hawk to hover above the market. Yami’s ult activated.

With dark afterimages trailing behind, Meru crossed the street again. The main broadcast switched to an overhead view of the market.

'Alpha PG’s making a shady move! Their target—Team TYM! Championship favorites are colliding in Match 1!'

Harin’s team noticed Meru’s approach. Cloud Cross poked out from the outer path, trying to intercept the trailing afterimages. Meru triggered Zetsuseki, vanishing into the void before taking damage.

In that moment, the hawk spirit hovering above dove toward the market’s roof. As it glowed, a green whirlwind erupted.

Ignoring all cover, the wind blades dealt fifty armor damage to enemies in range. The electric fences and the inner path’s runecrystal shattered with a crash. Roost’s ult could destroy most placed objects.

Harin’s team was caught in the whirlwind’s effect, their movement speed plummeting. Meru opened Kyoana, and M4ine leapt from the building’s balcony to flank the inner path.

Meru unloaded on the enemy Cloud Cross in front of her. Armor broke, but before she could finish, they fled into the inner path. Meru moved to pursue, but another whirlwind engulfed the area—enemy Roost, Harin, had used her ult.

'Not Minē!'

Exlz reported as she warped through Kyoana to Meru’s side. At the same time, M4ine appeared on the inner path’s opposite end, peering through her sniper scope.

A bullet hit Hexagon, shattering their armor. Now all three enemies were nearly naked.

'Grenades! Keep it clean!'

Meru called out, tossing a grenade while the others followed suit. With no runecrystal to negate them, the narrow inner path was flooded with explosives.

This is it… we’ve won!

Overwhelming health advantage. No skills left for the enemy to fight with. Meru’s team wasn’t overextending either. Zero chance for a comeback—

Or so I thought.

In that instant, the three enemies, their feet surrounded by grenades, moved as one, like a single organism.

Straight toward M4ine, who was switching from sniper to submachine gun.

'They’re coming for me!'

Grenades exploded, but none landed clean hits. Instead, the blasts seemed to propel Harin’s team as they rushed M4ine.

Meru’s team fired at their backs, but Harin’s squad split left and right, ducking behind walls. No cover fire was possible.

A localized one-versus-three…! In three seconds, they could turn it around, but right now, M4ine was at a clear disadvantage. Exposed to get sightlines, she had no cover to withstand this…!

As Meru’s team tried to push through the inner path to help, grenades flew at them, forcing a momentary halt. Then, a pained VC cut through.

'Sorry! I’m down…! But Roost is critical!'

M4ine was knocked down. Screams erupted from Ranka, Chinana, and the entire venue.

She hadn’t been finished off yet, but if TYM looted her armor, the health gap would flip. To prevent that, Meru shot at Cloud Cross, who was aiming at the downed M4ine.

Pop-pop-pop! The sound rang out, and Cloud Cross went down. Two left!

But the counterattack was brutal. Roost and Hexagon ganged up, shattering Meru’s armor. She had to step back and take cover.

'Don’t go in alone!'

At Meru’s call, Exlz, nearly unscathed, held back from overextending. But TYM didn’t miss the opportunity.

Hexagon closed in for a split second, planting runes on either side of the inner path’s exit, linking them with an electric fence that blocked Meru’s team.

'That’s slick! They’ve blocked the two trying to push in!'

'Taking too long. Other parties will start closing in soon.'

The caster’s words made it click. It’d been thirty seconds since the fight started. Meru’s Kyoana might close soon.

'They’re escaping! We can end this!'

While the remaining two glared at each other, M4ine had crawled back toward their building. She could be revived there…!

'…Let’s wrap it up! Pull back through Kyoana!'

'Got it…!'

Exlz answered, frustration in her voice, as they ran back through the inner path and dove into Kyoana.

M4ine reached the two-story building safely, and they regrouped.

“Phew…”

“That was intense…”

Chinana and Ranka sighed in relief, and I let out the breath I’d been holding.

Right after, another party scouted the market. A recovered Hexagon drove them off. Meru’s team had pulled back at the perfect moment.

As things calmed, the caster spoke.

'A draw for both teams, it seems.'

'Sure, but TYM’s the one low on supplies. Their fresh runecrystal got smashed too.'

'Right. TYM barely looted before moving, so they burned through what little they had in that fight.'

'Alpha’s plan was probably to capitalize on a rare one-on-one with TYM. The trade ended slightly in their favor. Now TYM’s gotta make a move to resupply.'

Guarding a position takes ammo and healing items. Harin’s team couldn’t just hole up in the market anymore.

'TYM’s gonna move somewhere… Let’s go for another shot when they do.'

Meru was already eyeing the next chance, ready to pounce.

As if drawn by some magnetic force, the ring kept shrinking toward the market.

Meru’s team held their two-story building, fending off waves of parties charging in from the north or soaring in with Cloud Cross’s ult. Deathboxes piled up at the edge of the shrinking ring, marking players’ graves.

Even so, by the end of the third ring’s contraction, twelve squads remained. Some might’ve lost one or two members, but the population density in the ring was like Hachiko Square at Shibuya Station.

Safe buildings filled up fast, soon not enough for one party per structure. Meru’s building was swarmed with squads trying to muscle in.

“They’re in the first floor!”

“Liz, you got your ult?!”

“Ready!”

“Pop it now!”

The final ring was predicted to land in the plaza south of the market. Meru’s building, north of the market, meant they’d have to push through Harin’s team to get there. Letting another party share their building wasn’t an option if they wanted to pull off an attack.

Using Roost’s ult for a sweeping strike, Meru’s team quickly cleared the intruders and started planning their move. Once the fourth ring’s contraction began, their building would be swallowed by the damage zone. Time to act was running out.

“Roost’s ult won’t be up again! We gotta move forward with TYM’s push!”

“I’ve got Kyoana. Where do we use it?”

“TYM’s probably watching our back until the last second. We need to distract them somehow!”

“The building to the right’ll get eaten by the ring first! Use those guys!”

Fourth ring, contraction started.

Before a solid plan could form, the situation shifted. The orange ring crept inward, swallowing the building. Pushed by the encroaching zone, Exlz’s hawk spotted movement.

“The guys on the right are moving out! They’re taking fire from the market!”

“Let’s go!”

A split second. A fleeting moment.

The instant Harin’s team’s attention flicked elsewhere, Meru launched.

Trailing a black streak, she burst out of the building, darting to the left side of the square market. Harin’s team wasn’t blind to it. They fired suppressive shots, but it was a feint.

Meru opened Kyoana at the base of the slope, slipping back into the ring-threatened two-story building. While she drew their eyes, Exlz and M4ine crossed the street on foot.

“Popping one potion! …Done! Let’s move!”

Healing the slight damage taken in the building’s shrinking safe zone, Meru dove back into Kyoana, forming a pincer with her teammates around the market.

Exlz slid boldly into the outer path, shouting “Hexagon, Hexagon, Hexagon!!” in a focus call while blasting the enemy in front of her. Meru moved to sync up, but a green whirlwind tore through the area—enemy Roost’s ult, a counterattack.

“Take it slow! Heal up!”

Meru, calling the shots, reined in her team’s aggression, noticing the damaged enemy Hexagon retreating to the market’s south side. Risking a life-or-death fight after taking Roost’s ult damage was too dangerous, they’d decided.

Exlz cooled her head instantly, crouching by the outer path’s inner wall and sending her hawk aloft to gather intel on the chaos.

“The building in the back right’s still in the ring! At least two parties in the half-collapsed two-story on the left! We gotta push through the market…!”

“So we go straight in? Got it…!”

Meru answered with grit, pausing for a beat.

“Once we’re healed, we crush forward with everything! Fight like your life’s on the line!”

“Hell yeah, I’m in!”

“Enemy positions look like this!”

Exlz’s hawk revealed TYM’s setup. Two were positioned to flank the inner path’s exit, with one at the outer path’s far-right corner.

Fully healed, armor and health maxed, Meru’s team lobbed grenades into the inner path. No damage landed, but it kept Harin’s team from peeking out to shoot.

“I’m going in!”

Meru sprinted through the inner path, sliding into the south outer path. Her crosshair locked onto the Roost on the right.

“…!”

It was Harin. The overhead display confirmed it. Meru’s gunfire tore through half of Harin’s health, but Harin fired back, unfazed by Meru’s slippery movement, shredding Meru’s level-four armor.

Meru triggered Zetsuseki, her invincibility skill, making the concentrated aggro miss for a moment. Her teammates, circling from the outer path, lit up with muzzle flashes.

Six players clashed. Running, jumping, dodging bullets while unloading their own.

Enemy Cloud Cross went down first. Then Exlz dropped. Next, enemy Hexagon was knocked. It was two-on-one—until a third party’s gunfire took out M4ine.

Meru and Harin’s one-on-one ended in under three seconds.

The downed Cloud Cross was finished off by another party, turning into a deathbox before Harin’s eyes. Without hesitation, she looted its armor.

Armor equipped by a player fully recovers when it becomes a deathbox.

Swapping it for instant recovery—a basic technique called armor swap.

The health gap it created was too much, even for Meru. Harin’s shotgun blasted through her remaining health, and Meru’s screen turned gray.

“Aaaagh!!”

The scream wasn’t just from me, Ranka, and Chinana. It was the collective cry of Meru’s fans across the venue.

“Team AlphaPG eliminated here! Twist, the last survivor, abandons reviving her team and flees to the ring’s edge!”

Match 1—Meru’s team: six kills, sixth place.

Harin’s team climbed to fourth, with five kills.

Team AlphaPlanetPG—total: 9 points.

Team TYM—total: 10 points.

Pretty much even… for now.

“…Ugh…”

I slumped back in my chair, letting out a heavy sigh.

Chinana and Ranka, voices weary, muttered, “This is exhausting just to watch…”

“My heart can’t take this… Sixth place isn’t bad, right?”

The quiet start and chaotic endgame were giving me whiplash.

If we’re this drained just watching, how’s Meru holding up out there?

I stared up at her, seated at the second desk from the right on the top tier.

◆

“Nine points ain’t bad! Not bad at all!” Minē clapped her hands, hyping up the mood.

“Solid start for the first match! No weird accidents either!”

“…If we knew it’d end up south of the market, maybe we should’ve moved earlier…” Liz mumbled.

“Hey, Liz! No grumbling about what-ifs! We said no regrets during the real thing, remember?!” Minē snapped.

I let out a thin breath to cool off, eyeing Liz and her habit of overanalyzing.

“Let’s call that a warm-up.”

“…Yeah. Long road ahead.”

I clenched the hand that’d been gripping the mouse.

It moved. Not cold. My condition was solid.

I’m good.

Next time, I’ll be stronger.

I took a swig from a label-less water bottle and rolled my neck to loosen up.

This time, I’ll take you down, Harin.

◆

Match 2 was a stark contrast to the first, which stayed close to the action. The final ring appeared in a remote corner of the map’s northwest—Dungeon’s west side.

A watchtower-like structure stood there, and the team from Mizuto Bazaar, who climbed it first, fended off relentless harassment to hold the position. They mowed down squads closing in from all sides to take the win.

Meru’s team, moving from Dragon’s Bed to Castle, then Tower City, and finally Dungeon, crushed or repelled every enemy squad in their path, securing third place.

Seven kills. 14 points earned, totaling 23 points.

They hit second place overall.

“Nice… looking good! Real good!” Chinana cheered.

“Y-yeah…! That’s solid, right?!” Ranka added.

The strong result only ramped up the tension. Just two matches, and they were nearly halfway to match point—they could win… they can win!

Harin’s team, however, slipped a bit. Obsessed with securing a determination-worthy spot, they kept attacking the watchtower but got crushed by a squad from behind.

Thirteenth place, zero kills—1 point added, totaling 11 points.

A big gap opened between them and Meru’s team. But as the casters noted, this format allowed for comebacks. It was too early to relax—

That fear became reality in the next match.

As looting began at Dragon’s Bed, M4ine used her antenna to mark the second ring on the map. A jolt ran through Meru’s team—and me.

“West of Earth Buckle…!”

The second ring appeared around Earth Buckle, slightly left of the map’s center, leaning west. At its heart was that hill—the one where Harin’s team reigned like kings in the group stage’s final match!

“This is shaping up to be an interesting safe zone,” the analyst said.

“Looks like the same pattern where TYM took the determination in the group stage’s last match,” the caster nodded.

“Back then, TYM held an untakeable position through sheer force. It’ll be interesting to see what countermeasures other teams have prepared.”

“And as we speak, TYM’s on the move! Straight for the hill!”

A mix of cheers and screams erupted from the crowd.

They landed at Earth Buckle, closest to the hill. Stopping them from reaching it was impossible. The question was whether anyone could break their defense and steal the spot…!

While the overhead view showed Harin’s team setting Hexagon’s fences across the green hill, Meru’s team held a strategy meeting.

“Let’s grab Snake or Tip on the left first. We can’t hit the hill without being close.”

“Got it.”

“What about the Dragon’s Bed west crew?”

“If they’re slow, we slip past. If they’re fast, let ‘em go ahead. If they engage, pull back, loot, and detour.”

“Roger!”

Another team looting Dragon’s Bed’s west side opted for speed. A glide trail shot from a jump tower toward Earth Buckle’s north.

“They went deep. Took Snake.”

“Okay, let’s grab Tip.”

M4ine, who’d secured a sniper and scope, reported as Exlz spoke. Following the other team’s lead, they glided from the jump tower to Earth Buckle.

Midair, they glimpsed the hill’s west side, crackling with lightning-like fences. It screamed territorial claim—get close, and you’re dead. TYM fired sporadic shots to keep Meru’s team in check.

Meru’s team landed at Tip, a protruding entrance-like area west of Earth Buckle. A horseshoe-shaped space with inner paths connecting both sides, it had a large gate to the outside on the right and double doors to Earth Buckle’s interior on the left.

One key feature: a rooftop with a low fence directly above, where an antenna for ring prediction spawned. But that low fence offered little cover, likely making it a shooting gallery for Harin’s team on the hill. Holding it past the third ring seemed unlikely.

While M4ine ran around planting poison trees to secure the entrances, Exlz’s hawk spotted other parties gliding in.

Earth Buckle’s interior—right up the slope from Tip—and another Tip to the south, the southwest cliff, a lone house across the valley from the hill—every position filled up fast.

Soon, gunfire erupted from the north cave and west riverside, aimed at Harin’s team on the hill.

The casters chimed in.

“As you can see, this position gets shot from those two spots, so it’s not usually holdable at this stage.”

“But TYM’s using rocks as cover to fight back.”

“They’re caught in a crossfire from north and west—normally impossible to handle. But their coordination and aim are shutting it down.”

“They landed close, so they likely looted well, but with this much pressure, won’t their supplies run dry?”

“Very possible. Other teams know this spot’s unsustainable, so rushing in to get kills for supplies is tough.”

Whittle them down, and they’ll collapse—that seemed to be the other teams’ answer.

Time crept forward.

The second ring’s contraction ended, and the third appeared, covering Earth Buckle’s west half to the southwest cliff. Harin’s hill was fully inside.

“Oh! The north cave and riverside are completely outside the ring now!”

“TYM’s still holding strong. If they survive the third ring’s contraction, it’s bad news.”

“Is this hill position really that strong?”

“If you hold it late-game, you win, like, 100 percent. With this ring pattern, the final safe zone is usually the hill’s center, the valley below, or around Tip’s base.”

“The hill’s high ground over the center and valley, giving it a huge edge. What about Tip’s base?”

“The hill can shoot Tip’s rooftop freely, so holding the hill is like holding the rooftop. If the hill goes out of the ring, you jump to the rooftop and shoot down the final zone for GG.”

“So the hill covers all three final zone patterns!”

“If TYM isn’t dealt with before the third ring closes, that’s how it goes.”

“Damn… this is bad! Someone’s gotta do something now!” Ranka said, voice tight with panic.

Every team likely knew this, which was why they were aggressively sniping Harin’s team from afar. Harin’s squad looked harried, dodging shots, but showed no sign of abandoning the hill.

“In this patch, long-range weapons are kinda weak. That might be why they can’t break through,” the analyst noted.

I gritted my teeth. They’d planned for that too…?

The third ring’s contraction began, swallowing the north cave and riverside—TYM’s key vantage points. The moment the green hill became their throne drew closer.

But that moment was also the signal for war.

Players poured out of the cave and riverside, forced to confront Harin’s team or die. Harin’s squad aimed to reap them. Chaos was about to erupt—

Then, far to the south, a wyvern soared into the sky.

Cloud Cross’s ult. The dragon streaked through the air, diving straight for the hill.

No, not the hill itself—above it.

The jagged rock atop the hill, where Harin’s team used cover. A tight perch, but three players landed perfectly, raising their guns.

High ground.

Meru always said the higher position wins in FPS. That cramped rock was undeniably higher than Harin’s team!

Gunfire rained down from the rock, hitting Harin’s squad and the cave and riverside parties trying to take them out.

Harin triggered Roost’s ult, Purifying Wind, carefully avoiding their runecrystal while damaging and slowing all enemy squads. They huddled around the crystal.

The three parties attacking the hill weren’t allies either. Caught in the wind, they shot at nearby enemies, knocking them down one by one.

Harin’s team seemed to be fishing for kills in the chaos.

But they weren’t the only ones with a stake in this fight.

Behind them, in a building below the cliff, Meru quietly activated Kyoana.

“Here we go.”

Yami dashed out from Tip’s front door, trailing shadows. Almost simultaneously, a hawk dove from the sky, unleashing a storm. Purifying Wind—Exlz’s ult—targeted Harin’s huddled team and their runecrystal.

“AlphaPG joins the fray! They shatter the runecrystal, and Yami’s ominous shadow climbs the cliff path—!”

Meru reached the hill, opened Kyoana, and lobbed grenades at Harin’s clustered team.

They’d stayed grouped because the runecrystal negated grenades. Now, with it gone, the grenades rolled at their feet, poised to wipe them out with one blast…!

Before that could happen, Harin’s team scattered, dodging the explosions and focusing fire on Meru. As if expecting it, Meru slipped back into Kyoana, retreating to Tip.

“Nice grenade! TYM’s fallen back to the north side!”

Losing their safe zone, Harin’s team dropped to a lower ledge on the north side to heal. The ledge offered cover, and an abandoned car further down the slope gave them a fallback. Compared to the open hill, it was a cramped space.

The king had finally been dethroned.

“We fight on the hill! All three through Kyoana—ready, go!”

At Meru’s call, the trio dove through the spatial hole.

Bullets flew from the left as they emerged. The jagged rock was empty now, but a lone Bubble Walker fired an assault rifle from its shadow. One against three was no match—their combined firepower forced it back.

A deathbox from one party already littered the rock’s base, and the other two were half-broken. Meru’s team ignored them, sprinting twenty meters across the hill and tossing grenades below the ledge.

But they vanished midair.

“Runecrystal! They’ve reset it!”

“Peek and shoot! Don’t go down there!”

Meru followed her own call, leaning over the ledge to fire her shotgun, then pulling back. TYM returned fire, but it only grazed her.

“Make it tough for them! They’ll die on their own!”

Exactly as Meru planned.

The overhead view caught a new party joining.

“Snake’s party is peeking! TYM’s caught in a pincer!”

TYM’s ledge sloped into a winding building below—Snake. That party, hearing the fight, started shooting at Harin’s team.

“They’ve got this! They can win!” Chinana shouted.

“Yeah, go for it!” Ranka added.

Even to us amateurs, it was clear. Harin’s three would be whittled down—

Three?

The overhead display, showing player names and health, sparked a realization.

M4ine caught it too. “Wait! There’s only two of them?!”

“What?!”

A distinctive whoosh sounded.

The noise of passing through Yami’s Kyoana.

Meru spun around.

There, emerging from her own spatial hole, was a lone Roost.

Harin…!

“Twist appears behind AlphaPG! When did she—?!”

As the caster reeled, Harin opened fire.

Her teammates peeked from below the ledge, unloading shotguns on Meru’s team.

“Behind, behind, behind, behind!!”

“What?! How?!”

They were supposed to have TYM pinned.

Harin’s team was supposed to be ground down and wiped out.

But now, Meru’s team was the one caught.

Ground down and wiped out.

“AlphaPG wiped out! What just happened?! AlphaPG looked overwhelmingly favored, but TYM takes it!”

On stream, Meru’s team sat frozen, hands still on their mice.

Their stunned faces screamed disbelief at what had just happened.

We spectators were no different, too shocked to scream, watching the aftermath unfold.

“TYM loots armor from AlphaPG’s deathboxes and sweeps the rest! Snake’s party sees they’ve missed their chance and falls back! What a turnaround—what happened?!”

“The camera didn’t catch it, but Twist likely saw AlphaPG all enter Kyoana. That left Tip empty, so she had her teammates draw attention while she slipped in to heal, then used the open Kyoana to flank them.”

“Spotting that fleeting safe zone in the middle of that chaos! What incredible game sense! A true clutch play!”

To pull off that reversal in such a desperate situation.

Her mind worked on another level. I’d always thought my own brain wasn’t half-bad, but Harin’s sharpness was in a league of its own.

“Uh…” Chinana murmured, still reeling.

“How… many points was that?”

“…Zero,” I groaned.

“Zero kills, nineteenth place—zero points.”

Chinana and Ranka fell silent.

Despite all that fighting, the only squads eliminated were those around the jagged rock. Meru’s team hadn’t downed a single player.

That was Match 3’s result.

Afterward, Harin’s team held the hill like it was scripted, securing the determination without a hitch.

Survival rank points: 12.

Kill points: 18.

Total: 41 points.

Team TYM, first place overall—nine points from lighting up match point.

◆

The image shattered.

How to win. How to avoid losing. The vision of victory I’d built up over so long—gone, in just one match. In a single moment.

Because… how do you win when someone takes your back like that?

No matter how much you corner them… if Harin slips through from somewhere and shoots you from behind… there’s no way to win.

How do you win?

The answer I’d known just thirty minutes ago had slipped completely from my mind…

“Match 4 concluded! TYM takes fourth place with five kills, earning 10 points for a total of 51! They’ve lit up match point!”

“From here on, if TYM secures a single determination, the tournament ends.”

“The other championship contender, AlphaPlanetPG, placed sixteenth with zero kills. That’s two matches in a row with zero points.”

“That clutch in Match 3 might still be weighing on them. Hopefully, they can regroup during the break.”

“Speaking of, we’ve got a fifteen-minute intermission coming up. Let’s recharge for the climax as this broadcast—”

“Urume… let’s go.”

Liz’s voice snapped me back from my drifting thoughts.

“…Yeah.”

I gripped the armrests, slowly standing, and followed Liz and Minē to the back of the booth.

We descended the stage stairs, passed through the rear hallway, and entered the greenroom in silence. It felt like there was nothing to reflect on. Even if we hashed out what went wrong, I couldn’t picture myself fixing it in the next match.

The greenroom was split by teams. Harin had dropped by before the matches, but TYM was in a different room. Right now, that felt like a blessing.

I collapsed into a cheap pipe chair, exhaustion wrapping around me like a fog. My face in the mirror looked blurry, distant.

“Uh… anyone want something to eat? The manager got bananas and stuff…” Minē offered awkwardly.

Liz gave a half-hearted, “Eh…”

“I’m good… I don’t eat solids during matches,” she said.

“…Same,” I mumbled.

Nothing would go down my throat.

Something heavy and murky clogged my chest, blocking anything from getting through.

“…Haaaah…”

I let out a long, drawn-out breath, trying to expel whatever was dulling my strength. Pointless, of course.

We need to talk.

I knew it logically. Times like this, we had to communicate, align our three wills.

But no words came. Deep down, I felt anything I said would be useless without a solution.

…If Harin were here.

She’d probably lighten the mood, make it feel like everything was fixed even when it wasn’t, and somehow, it’d actually work out.

If Harin were here.

If Harin were on our team—

—No. What am I thinking?

That’s like saying I’m dissatisfied with Liz and Minē. Like I’m falling into petty teammate-blaming.

It was like I’d been thrown into a deep pit.

That one play had plunged me into bottomless darkness, staring up at the light. Harin, surrounded by teammates. Harin, holding up a trophy. And yet, she’s looking down at me with worry. That gaze, more than anything, made me feel pathetic.

How long will I stay in this pit?

I got stronger. Went pro. They say I’m world-class, men and women included. I’m taken care of by a wealthy family, wanting for nothing, yet somehow my heart’s stuck in this darkness.

Look right, look left—no one’s there.

Up there, it’s so bright, so lively—

—Just a pretty face, huh?

—Only hyped up ‘cause she’s young.

—She’s just got good aim, that’s all.

—Only noticed ‘cause her sisters are famous.

Comments, SNS posts, words that barely grazed my eyes echoed in her voice—that girl who scouted me, jealous, ringing and sinking into me…

No.

I’m—I’m—

My phone rang.

A sudden jolt pierced the vicious cycle trapping my mind. The phone on the desk blared its ringtone. Who could it be? Only teammates and family should have this number—

The screen showed Ranka-nee.

Normally, I’d be annoyed at the interruption, but I didn’t have enough focus to lose right now. Like I was escaping reality, I tapped to answer and put the phone to my ear.

“…Hello?”

“I’m so sorry! Can you come out to the staff entrance?!”

“…? Sure, but…?”

“Sorry! Just come quick if you can!”

The call cut off.

Was she going to cheer me up in person? It was sweet, but… I didn’t have the face to meet her.

I didn’t want Ranka-nee, Chinana—or him, most of all—to see me this pathetic.

But she sounded urgent… I couldn’t just ignore it.

“…Gonna take a walk,” I told my teammates, standing and leaving the greenroom for the hallway.

Following her instructions, I reached the staff entrance—

And found Kiminaga Shikimi prostrating on the floor.

“Uh… miss, could you move? You’re bothering the other guests…”

“Please! Just let me speak to her for a moment!” Shikimi begged.

The security guard looked exasperated, clearly capable of dragging him out but overwhelmed by his flawless bow. Ranka and Chinana were tugging at his back, but his knees and forehead seemed glued to the floor.

It was pathetic.

And embarrassing.

“S-sorry! he’s with me…!” I blurted out, my voice sharper than usual from sheer embarrassment. I yanked the now-upright Shikimi into the staff hallway.

As the crowd’s noise faded, I turned, my face burning like it was on fire, and glared at Shikimi’s clueless expression under the dim lighting.

“…What are you doing?”

“I had to talk to you. As your mental coach.”

His dead-serious face disarmed me, and I let out a small sigh.

“You could’ve just called…”

“Some things don’t come through a digitized voice.”

“You mean to cheer me up? That’s nice, but…”

“No. Saying ‘you got this’ won’t fix anything.”

“…What would you know? You’re just watching from the stands—”

Ugh, no. My voice sharpened. I knew snapping at him was pointless.

“You think you get what it’s like to play a game you can’t lose on that stage? There are things only players understand. You’re just an armchair expert with a bit of knowledge…!”

“Have you ever looked up at a player fighting for their life from the stands?”

“…Huh?”

His unexpected retort caught me off guard, and I met his steady gaze.

“You’re like a scared little animal right now. Everyone around you looks strong, terrifying, so all you can do is lash out. I’ve seen it three times already—when the pressure was crushing you, when you reunited with Harin and felt outclassed, when your teammates were fighting. I can tell just by looking at your face.”

“…Don’t act like you know me.”

“No, I’m gonna say it. You’re an idiot. A narrow-minded loner.”

“What?!”

My voice roared, rougher than it had been in ages.

Shikimi’s eyes didn’t waver.

“Meru, how do I look to you?”

“…Tactless, clueless about social cues, a study-obsessed idiot.”

“My natural traits are probably everything except the studying part.”

“…You mean how you worked your ass off studying to get where you are? I know. Your family’s company went bust, you were nearly on the streets, but you kept at it, got a scholarship—”

“Do you know I got insomnia back then?”

“…What?”

Caught off guard again, I listened as Shikimi spoke calmly.

“I couldn’t sleep. Not because I was studying. I was scared of tomorrow. Scared of the helpless present—I cried in bed. I sat at my desk to escape that fear. Every day was hell.”

I was speechless.

Shikimi, curled up in bed, crying? I couldn’t picture it.

“My parents told me I didn’t have to push so hard. My sister tried to make me stop studying. But I couldn’t. Not wouldn’t—couldn’t. I felt like everything would end if I didn’t keep going. Getting a scholarship turned it into a nice story, but that was just self-destructive escapism. No different from a depressed girl cutting her wrists.”

If I didn’t keep going, everything would end.

I knew that feeling.

No… that was me right now.

Driven by anxiety, unable to stop doing something…

“You might think I’m some unshakable, do-it-all strong person. But I’m just numb. Compared to fighting the terror of a future swallowed by darkness, bowing in public is nothing.”

“So… what’s your point?”

“I want to tell you the truth.”

Shikimi declared:

“No one else is as strong as you think they are.”

His words sank heavily into the murky fog in my chest.

“You might not get it yet. So look at what can only be seen from the stands. Then you’ll understand why I needed to tell you this.”

Footsteps approached. A glance back showed our manager beckoning urgently. The intermission was almost over.

“Time’s up,” Shikimi said, turning away.

“I can’t save you. That’d be arrogant. I’m just a nobody, a housekeeper. So, Meru—overcome it yourself. The only one who can save you is the you who’s fought this far—”

With that, he walked back down the dim staff hallway.

Something only seen from the stands.

Hurried along by the frantic manager, I thought about Shikimi’s words as I headed to the venue.

I couldn’t go to the stands now. No way to check directly.

What’s only visible from there?

I should’ve been planning for the next match, but until I reached backstage, I kept turning it over in my mind.

And the answer—it was waiting for me there.

Harin was there.

Her bright smile radiated a light bigger than her small frame, boosting her teammates’ morale. Classic Harin. Naturally at the center of any group, always leading to success—

Then she faced forward.

Turned her back to her teammates.

In that moment, I saw her profile.

Her lips pressed tight, a tense expression.

…Oh, I get it.

The next match could decide the championship.

Win it, and they’re champions. Marked by all nineteen other teams, they’d have to fend them off. Miss this chance, and another team could hit match point, overtaking them.

Of course she’s nervous.

Of course she’s anxious.

Something only seen from the stands.

It’s the players’ faces.

And looking at them, anyone could see—no one’s some untouchable, all-powerful being.

No one else is as strong as you think they are.

The heavy words lodged in my chest seemed to melt, seeping into my body.

Shikimi didn’t call me strong.

He couldn’t. Only my teammates, who’ve fought alongside me, and I, who know my own struggle best, could say that.

Instead, he showed me.

Harin, who I fear, isn’t that strong.

The fifty-seven enemies I face aren’t the invincible foes I imagine.

I can afford to underestimate them more.

Climbing the stairs to our third-tier booth, I chewed on that truth.

Sitting in my gaming chair, facing the monitor, it slowly settled in my gut.

By the time it fully digested, the match was about to start.

“Ladies and gentlemen, here we go! Will this be the decider? Match 5 begins!”

Hearing the caster’s voice.

Gazing at the monitor with clear eyes.

Blocking both ears with my headset.

I spoke to my two ride-or-die teammates.

“…Hey, you two. Sorry for the last second, but can I suggest a strategy?”

“A strategy?” Liz asked.

“What’s up?” Minē said.

“Kill everyone we see.”

Simple as that.

Do it, and we’ll win for sure.

Clasping both hands together, they thrust them forward toward the monitor.

The next instant, the monitor’s view shifts to Yami’s perspective, soaring into the sky above Dragon’s Bed.

The landing spot and the route for looting items are the same as always. Hopefully, they can snag some good weapons.

“Urmeru, there’s an assault rifle here.”

“I’ll take it. I’ve got a sniper rifle, so let’s swap.”

“Hmm… do we even need a sniper this time?”

“Oh, there’s a light machine gun. If we can find an extended mag for Thunder, it’ll be perfect.”

As expected of the resource-rich landmark, the gear comes together like a dream.

Healing items are a bit scarce, but enough for one fight should do.

“Rizu, enemy positions, please.”

“One’s at the far end by the landing pad. The other two are on the second floor of the building… oh, and one’s looting in the building up front.”

“Got it. Let’s hit the front first.”

“I don’t have my ult yet, so I’ll stick with you.”

And just like that, with casual ease, the battle begins.

◆

'Oh!? A party’s already clashing this early!'

Caught off guard, the main broadcast’s god’s-eye view switches to the action.

'It’s Dragon’s Bed! AlphaPG’s making their move!'

'That’s insanely aggressive. They could still catch up without forcing kill moves this early, don’t you think?'

Dragon’s Bed is a landmark formed from the massive corpse of a dragon, sprawled across lava. It’s divided into head, torso, and tail, connected by gondolas that travel along cables. The eastern building where Meru and her team land is the head, while the western building, where the enemies are, is the tail.

Naturally, the torso is the largest building, brimming with the most items. CloudCross from the western team, looting there alone, gets ambushed out of nowhere by Meru’s squad.

CloudCross tries to escape but doesn’t make it, turning into a deathbox on the lava. At that point, the western team abandons their teammate and attempts to retreat, but Meru’s crew doesn’t let up, chasing after the fleeing duo.

In a parking-lot-like area just west of Dragon’s Bed, Meru’s team catches up. The enemies, realizing retreat is impossible, fight back, but Meru’s relentless push gives them an absurd health advantage. They’re methodically surrounded and wiped out.

That’s three kills.

'A lightning-fast finish! AlphaPG secures three kill points! I don’t recall a single opening fight at Dragon’s Bed happening in scrims…'

'The ring’s pretty far, so maybe they decided to go for an outside move. And, well, some kill points just happened to be lying around, so they grabbed ‘em.'

The casters speculate, but me, Chinana, and Ranka, listening to Meru’s team comms, know better. Sure, the second ring’s up north in Tower City, but they haven’t said a word about the ring. They were dead set on wiping out the neighboring party from the start.

Even now, as they loot the three deathboxes, they’re chatting.

'What about EarthBuckle’s party?'

'They’re probably long gone by now.'

'Yup, sounds about right. So, grab some mana, level up our armor, and mess with anyone we spot?'

'Don’t forget to head toward the ring, okay? It’s Tower City.'

Exlz, the movement IGL, sounds nervous as she double-checks, but these girls are only thinking about kills.

Only thinking about shooting their guns.

Like total amateurs—like newbies just having fun blasting away.

“…Sure, I said they’re not as strong as you think…”

A wry smile creeps onto my face.

I didn’t expect them to play this recklessly.

It’s extreme. Are they really gonna be okay?

Having crushed the western team, Meru’s squad monopolizes Dragon’s Bed’s loot, stuffing their backpacks to the brim. Compared to before, they’re moving at a leisurely pace, slipping through the rocky hills toward Castle East—or so I thought.

They stop between the hills. It’s the top of an incline, where turning back lets you look down on the small settlement north of Dragon’s Bed.

'Let’s set up a checkpoint here for a back-cut.'

A back-cut? So they’re gonna fight any enemy party passing through here? The ones who might come this way are from Light Temple, Station, Titan Market, and maybe Hot Spring Village too…?

At the top of the fifteen-meter-wide slope, Meru’s team waits quietly for another party to approach from behind.

Eventually, an enemy peeks out from Dragon’s Bed’s direction. But the moment they spot Meru’s team, they veer left and vanish. There’s a path through Hot Spring Village to slip north through the hills, after all. Nobody wants to fight this early.

The path from Hot Spring Village also has a clear line of sight from Meru’s position if you head north through the hills. They take shots at parties rushing toward Castle East, but none result in kills.

Meanwhile, the outside of the first ring turns into a damage zone. Its lower edge is exactly where Meru’s team is posted up.

'Now we’re the furthest back. Let’s take out everyone ahead.'

So that’s what the back-cut was for. To completely eliminate any threats from behind and create a situation where they can just clash head-on.

With full confidence, Meru’s team moves toward Castle East. Sliding down the long slope, Exlz reports.

'There! By the station!'

'M4ine, hit ‘em.'

'Yes, boss!'

M4ine answers with gusto, raising her sniper rifle.

It hits me a bit late—Meru’s been giving movement orders this time too. Did the three of them discuss something beforehand? Or maybe…

…since this is all combat, is Meru, the combat caller, just taking charge of everything?

'Hit! Sixty-five! Armor cracked! Oh-ho-ho! Sniper’s the way to go!'

'We’ll push while they’re healing.'

'I’ll land my ult to pin ‘em down!'

Exlz unleashes a purifying gust into the large rectangular building called the station. The storm pierces the walls, damaging the armor of the enemy party that fled inside.

Right after, Meru charges in.

No Void Hole. Exlz and M4ine are still behind her. It’s a pure solo rush.

Meru attacks the enemy player trying to heal, driving them to the second floor. Chasing up the central staircase, she peeks out, firing at the three enemies huddled in what looks like a waiting room.

It’s not an all-in push. She’s disrupting their healing. In the meantime, her teammates catch up. From here, a proper three-on-three fight kicks off.

In a straight fight, Meru’s team has the advantage. The enemies know it too, throwing up a water-splash smokescreen to block Meru’s vision. Thinking they’re escaping—wrong. From beyond the smokescreen, Meru takes precise gunfire.

'Take out the hawk! I’m being scanned!'

Got it. The enemy’s Roost has a hawk scanning Meru’s position! Getting chipped away by an unseen enemy, Meru falls back to the bottom of the stairs, healing while searching for the hawk. The “being watched” icon is up, but the smokescreen hides its location.

'I’ll scan with my hawk! Sorry if it gets destroyed!'

'And I’ll flank at the same time.'

Void Hole activates.

Why use it now, when there’s no need to reposition and her teammates are already caught up? Just as I think that, Meru, also using her invincibility skill Zetsuseki, dives into the smokescreen. She cuts straight through, ending up behind the three enemies huddled in the waiting room.

That’s it…! While Zetsuseki is active, she can’t shoot, but she’s invincible, letting her pass freely through the enemy’s midst. That’s how she takes their backs.

Even if someone tries to focus her down, she can slip back into Void Hole to retreat…!

As Exlz’s hawk reveals the three enemies, Meru shoots their backs. They return fire, but while they’re busy, they can’t spare a moment to destroy the hawk.

Equalizing the vision game, Meru’s team uses Void Hole to zip back and forth, bewildering the enemies while crushing them from both sides.

That’s six kills.

'AlphaPG is unstoppable—! How far will they go!?'

The crowd roars. Ranka and Chinana shout, “Take ‘em all out!” and “Run ‘em over!” riding the momentum.

They’re so in control, it’s almost cocky.

Their aggressive plays seem reckless, but in actual combat, they meticulously shut down the enemy’s win conditions, cornering them perfectly.

It’s all because of their seamless teamwork. They don’t need detailed callouts—they instinctively know what their teammates will do. They move in perfect sync, honed by years of playing together.

…I said Meru could only be saved by the Meru who’s worked so hard.

I was wrong about that.

Meru didn’t work hard alone—she did it with these three.

And I’ve seen it all. While doing chores, while studying, day after day, I’ve watched these three grind in scrims. I’ve seen what they stumbled on, what they practiced, what they overcame.

Maybe that’s why, deep down, I was hoping.

Please, be rewarded.

Prove it.

Every one of the sixty players on that stage worked hard. But still. You—you—show me that all that effort wasn’t for nothing!!

'Set! Ready to go anytime!'

'When they start shooting, activate. Here we go—'

They pre-position a hawk near the enemy party’s building, timing Meru’s Void Hole push with an ult activation.

A move they practiced in scrims.

'One down!'

'Reset the fight! Fall back and heal!'

When they knock one enemy, they finish them off to prevent a revive, then pull back to heal and fight with a numbers advantage.

A move they discussed in debriefs.

'Third party! Third party! Third party!!'

'Okay, falling back with Void Hole!'

When a third party crashes, they retreat with Void Hole, letting the original enemies and the third party clash.

A move they’ve repeated countless times.

'What now!?'

'Get under the building! Last time we held high ground in this safe zone, it was rough!'

It’s like they’re cashing in every setup.

The scenes from scrims, the solutions from debriefs, are playing out before my eyes, executed beautifully.

Their movement through the chaotic urban battlefield looks like a tightrope walk, but to anyone who knows their grind, it’s different.

They know everything. They’ve experienced everything. They’ve lost in these situations over and over.

So today—they win.

Their accumulated losses lead them to victory.

The first floor of a building, mostly swallowed by the damage zone. One party on the upper floors, another above that, and one more on the rooftop. Thirty meters ahead, through the door Meru peeks out of, is a station with elevated tracks. One party’s inside the station, another on the tracks.

Final ring, six squads left.

The ring’s final shrink point, the stage for the last fight, is just ten meters ahead of Meru’s door.

The ring starts moving. The station’s party gets pushed out first, taking fire from the upper-floor parties while hiding behind abandoned cars.

Next, the party on the elevated tracks is forced to drop. They get shot by the station party, who jumped out earlier, and with nowhere to hide, they’re wiped out.

All the while, Meru’s shouting.

'Hold! Absolutely hold!!'

After attacking enemies freely until now, it’s like a lie—they’re glued to the inner wall of the building, patiently waiting for their moment.

The car-hiding party shoots at the upper floors. From their angle, the upper floors can shoot them, but Meru’s first-floor position can’t be hit.

So the rooftop party breaks first. Three battered players fall right outside the door, and Meru’s team finishes them off like picking up trash.

Right then, rain starts falling. Suigetsu’s ult. It looks like rain, but it’s actually carpet bombing, meant to crush the car-hiding party from above.

But it doesn’t work. Like blocked by an umbrella, the raindrops vanish midair. A rune crystal was set up behind the car. Suigetsu’s ult is treated as a grenade in-game, after all.

With no other choice, the upper-floor parties—second and third floors—jump down. Six players mix into a chaotic brawl.

And Meru’s team starts getting burned by the ring at their backs.

'I’m going out first!'

Meru leaps out first. But instead of shooting the six players fighting in front of her, she uses Zetsuseki to slip into the void, heading for—the right side of the car party, three meters away.

She unloads on the diamond-shaped crystal behind the car, shattering it in one go. Then, she tosses a grenade, flushing the party out from cover.

'Throwing poison!'

Purple smoke fills the battlefield’s center. M4ine’s character, Garden, uses her ult, a poison grenade. In this tight final ring, there’s no escaping its threat.

No party has cover anymore.

Straight-up firefight. Total melee.

Meru reloads her assault rifle and shoots an enemy in the back. She gets noticed and takes fire from another. Zetsuseki, her invincibility skill, is on cooldown—probably unusable until the match ends. She runs across the ground, hiding behind another enemy’s back.

Her assault rifle runs dry. No time to reload, she switches to a shotgun.

One shot. Two shots. Three shots.

She doesn’t even know who she’s hitting. Damage numbers scatter across her screen, armor-break sounds piercing her ears.

“““UAAAAAAAHHHH──────────!!”””

'The shotgun’s spitting fire! But she’s drawing too much aggro! Can she hold on!?'

The venue shakes with cheers. Meru’s health plummets. Her shotgun runs out of shells. In the end, she slashes the enemy in front of her with a kunai.

Meru drops to her knees. But the game isn’t over.

'Finish them all!'

Meru, down but not out, shouts to her teammates.

Words only she, only they, could say.

'We’re absolutely stronger!!'

The squad count drops to three.

And in the blink of an eye, it’s down to two.

In the thick poison smoke, M4ine leaps. Exlz fires her shotgun.

One enemy crumples, two collapse, and the last one standing is—

<BLANK OCCUPIER DETERMINATION!!>

When that text flashes across Meru’s screen, emotions explode.

“YEEEEEEEEEESSSSS!!”

““UKYAAAAAAAA────!!””

I leap up, fist-pumping, while Ranka and Chinana hug each other, screaming. The venue trembles with the loudest cheers of the day.

But above all, the guttural roar from the earphone in one ear—a voice so unladylike—shakes me to my core.

'NAAAAAICE!!'

'The STRONGEST!!'

The big monitor zooms in on Meru’s trio. Exlz and M4ine look ready to jump out of their seats, but Meru just stares silently at the ceiling. Well, she’s not the type to shout with joy—

'─YEEEEEEAH!!'

The bellow that follows and Meru’s full-force fist-pump leave me, Ranka, and Chinana stunned.

A voice we’d never hear normally.

A voice so unlike her character.

But that’s exactly why… it carries her raw, genuine joy.

Meru thrusts her clenched fist skyward, proving her existence to the crowd.

The strongest is here.

Right now, in this moment, she’s the strongest.

'Now, let’s check the results for Match 5!'

As the caster speaks, the match results appear on the monitor, and a huge uproar rises from the crowd.

'First place, AlphaPlanetPG—with an incredible 20-kill Determination!! A massive 32 points earned!!'

Meru’s team alone took out a third of all players.

A comeback so stunning it could only be called an awakening.

'That brings their total to 55 points! Match point activated!!'

The overall leaderboard appears, with only two teams glowing red.

Team AlphaPlanetPG.

Team TYM.

The moment one player from either team is the last standing among the sixty, this long battle will end.

And right now, no one in the world knows how it will conclude.

◆

“Phew…”

I let out a long breath toward the ceiling, resetting my overheated brain.

This is just the beginning.

Match point’s lit. Now the real fight starts. Second place or below means nothing anymore. Kill points? Useless. The only thing that matters is standing tall at the end—every other value’s gone to dust.

That last match was fun. Felt like I was back to when I first started this game. But from here on, I’ve gotta be a pro again—play the game to win.

It didn’t feel like a burden, though. If anything, it was a different kind of thrill.

Harin.

We’re finally equals. I’m not scared of you anymore. I’m not running from you. I left my inferiority complex behind in the last match.

Thank you for teaching me this game.

But now—I’m stronger.

◆

Harin calls out to her teammates, her thoughts drifting to her best friend—or at least, the girl she considers her best friend.

It started with curiosity.

A Japanese girl who didn’t fit in with the class. To Harin, she was her first encounter with a foreigner. Wanting to be friends felt natural, driven by a childish, pure curiosity that even I can admit was innocent.

That curiosity led Harin to meet true talent.

Harin knows she’s a quick learner. She can handle most things well and isn’t too proud to ask for help when she’s stuck. Games are no different. She picked them up faster than anyone, practiced harder than anyone. Because she could do anything, Harin never held much pride in anything—except games. They were her one small source of pride.

Until she met a true genius—Kichijoji Meru.

Obsessive passion, insane growth, freakish talent—seeing it up close, Harin realized she was just a clever overachiever.

A true genius is the clumsiest of all.

So clumsy they pour everything into one thing. And because they give everything, they earn the right to stand at the top.

I can’t do that.

The clever overachiever figured that out quickly.

The sting of inferiority lasted only a moment. With a resignation so pathetic it made her sad, she found joy in watching the genius in front of her grow.

But—that was just a coping mechanism.

The moment she heard a teammate voice jealousy toward Meru, scouted as a pro, Harin instinctively agreed.

That’s not fair.

I wanted to be recognized like her. I wanted to be a genius like her. I wanted to forget friends, school, everything, and lose myself in something I love. I wanted the talent that would let me do that!

Deep down, she resented not being born under that kind of star.

She knew it was greedy. From the outside, she was already blessed enough—wanting more was excessive, and she knew it.

Even so.

I didn’t want to lose.

We’ve played together forever. We’ve gotten stronger together.

But admitting defeat? That’s not what a gamer does.

I don’t want to be a loser before the fight even starts.

—I don’t want to forget what it feels like to be frustrated!

The crowd’s cheers didn’t matter.

The world’s approval didn’t matter.

But just one person.

Meru—just you.

I’ll make you admit I’m strong.

'Here we go! Will this be the decisive moment? The fateful sixth match—!'

Twist—to the eastern country.

True to the resolve in her player name, the girl who left her homeland for the east keeps moving forward, aiming to surpass her best friend.

◆

Me, Chinana, Ranka, and countless spectators—we’re all holding our breath, watching.

Players leap from airships spawning at each landmark. Some teams switched their character picks, but the two teams on the cusp of victory stick with their chosen strategies, unwavering in their trust.

We’re watching the map—History Pot’s full layout—with a mix of anticipation and dread.

Any moment now, it’ll appear.

A circular divine die.

The battlefield chosen by chance.

The fated arena every player aims for—

'The second ring’s appearing! And this time it’s—oh!?'

If there’s a god, I’d curse and praise them in the same breath.

They knew exactly what they were doing.

They knew where this fight had to happen. The perfect stage for the final showdown.

God’s direction couldn’t have picked anywhere else.

'—EarthBuckle’s west! Once again, TYM’s hilltop fortress has been chosen!'

—Can you actually take our fortress?

That taunt Harin threw at Meru back then.

Whether they can answer that challenge.

That’s Meru’s team’s final trial.

'Rizu, what’s the plan this time?'

'We’ll head for Tippy as usual, I think, but after that, what’s next?'

'I say we stick with Match 3’s approach. Last time, Twist clutched it out, but that just means they can’t counter us without pulling off a super play.'

'Yeah, true.'

'Other teams are probably coming in hot to crush us this time, so we should approach aggressively too. If we’re duking it out, other teams will definitely want to third-party.'

'Oh, yeah. If they can take out both us and TYM, the match won’t end here.'

'It’s easier to make things messy this time. So let’s go with that—'

'—Huh? Hold on. Footsteps!'

The situation shifts as Meru’s team discusses their plan.

Right after M4ine’s panicked shout, gunfire erupts. 'There, there, there, there!' A report missing its subject—but it’s enough to send chills down our spines.

Meru and Exlz rush over, but before they reach, M4ine’s health bar flashes red. She’s knocked down, and the moment Meru peeks through the door, M4ine turns into a deathbox.

Two players stand near the gray box. Meru shoots one but pulls back under heavy counterfire.

'Fall back, fall back! I can grab it later!'

At Exlz’s call, Meru makes a bitter choice. Using Zetsuseki, she leaves M4ine’s deathbox behind and retreats.

The two regroup and bolt out of Dragon’s Bed, leaping off the cliff and sneaking toward the northern settlement.

'S-sorry… It was the west team…'

The team from Dragon’s Bed’s west side we crushed in the opening last match… They came for payback.

'It’s fine, it’s fine. That’s what Roost is for.'

Hiding in a settlement house, Exlz sends her hawk toward Dragon’s Bed—toward M4ine’s body.

A teammate finished off can be revived by picking up their Soul Tag from the deathbox and using it at a Nameless Church revival point.

One of Roost’s strengths is safely retrieving Soul Tags with a spirit, skipping the prayer time usually required at the Church.

Exlz cautiously confirms no enemies are around, then grabs M4ine’s Soul Tag on the fly. Now they just need to use it at a Church somewhere on the map, but—

'Where do we revive?'

'Close by might be risky. If they know we’re down one, they’ll definitely come.'

Reviving spawns an airship like during a drop, making it obvious to everyone. The revived player keeps their weapons but starts with no other items—a vulnerable state.

'How about going far out? Like toward Condemn Hill?'

'Good call. They’ve probably moved on by now.'

'Really, I’m so sorry…'

'Stop apologizing! I was careless too. Too focused on taking down TYM…'

Meru’s team slips toward Castle, then east along the rocky hills. They’ve escaped total wipeout for now, but their plan’s gone off the rails. Rushing to secure a spot in EarthBuckle is no longer an option.

They revive M4ine at Condemn Hill’s Church, scavenging leftover items from nearby buildings to bolster their gear. The damage zone creeps in, but they endure it with healing items, cautiously returning to the first ring’s inner edge.

They’re now east of Castle East. No enemy squads nearby, but the second ring’s EarthBuckle is far off.

'Guess we’ll have to creep in slowly.'

Exlz’s voice is resolute.

Meru asks for a call.

'Which way? Cut through EarthBuckle or swing north?'

'North via Meteor Plains should give easier access to the hill. It might force a tough push, though…'

'Straight-up brawl with TYM, huh… And probably a few squads on the way.'

'EarthBuckle’s interior is crawling with way more.'

EarthBuckle’s a massive building split into east, west, south, north, and central districts. Tons of squads are likely dug in across various positions.

'Let’s hit the tunnel to Meteor Plains. It’s just inside the second ring.'

'Fight if someone’s in the tunnel?'

'Obviously. M4ine! Got that!?'

'Y-yeah, got it, got it!'

Snapping M4ine out of her gloom, Meru’s team runs along Castle’s half-collapsed southern wall, aiming for Meteor Plains west of the hills.

Their immediate goal is the tunnel cutting through the hills.

But—

'…One squad’s there. Seems stalled, can’t push forward.'

Exlz, scouting the tunnel with her hawk spirit, reports.

'In Meteor Plains?'

'No, probably in the cave connected to EarthBuckle. Not many good positions in the plains, and it’s outside the ring. The tunnel’s better.'

'They’re probably not watching our side much~'

M4ine peers through her sniper scope into the tunnel’s depths.

So the cave squad’s waiting for a chance to push past whoever’s blocking them.

'Sneak in quiet?'

Meru’s suggestion gets a 'Might work' from Exlz.

'They’re scouting from way high up, and I don’t think they’ve noticed the hawk.'

'Maybe they don’t expect anyone coming from outside this late~'

'Creep in with the ring shrink, make ‘em think it’s a back-cut. The tunnel entrance is just inside the second ring, and we can hide on either side.'

'Okaaaay… Super gross, but no choice in this spot, huh~'

Meru’s team crouches, slowly approaching the tunnel.

I watch, tense. Sporadic gunfire echoes from inside. They’re probably trading shots with the cave squad. No sign they’ve noticed us. It’s just a game, but I can’t help holding my breath.

Meru hides on the tunnel’s right side, the other two on the left, just as the orange damage zone halts behind them. First ring shrink complete—

Footsteps. Getting closer.

Someone checking for enemies approaching from behind, late as it is.

Meru whispers.

'I’m shooting the lead.'

Her teammates reply softly.

'Roger.'

'Roger.'

The footsteps feel tangible, and then a BubbleWalker appears on Meru’s screen.

Gunfire roars in unison.

Ambushed from both sides by three guns, the BubbleWalker panics, trying to flee back into the tunnel. No chance. Meru leaps in, shooting their back and dropping them to their knees. Knocked down.

'Rush ‘em!'

With the call, Meru lobs a grenade deep into the tunnel.

Wrecked carriages litter the tunnel, serving as cover. Enemies peek out, firing, but Meru’s team charges in without flinching, closing the distance.

Meru nails an enemy peeking from a carriage, the sound of shattering armor ringing out. They throw a water-splash smokescreen and retreat deeper. Suigetsu.

'Push up, push up! I’ll spot!'

Exlz crouches behind a carriage, sending her hawk up.

Meru dives into the smokescreen clouding the dim tunnel.

Her vision blanks for a moment, but Exlz’s hawk picks up the enemies, glowing like thermal imaging. Meru shoots through the smoke. M4ine targets them from another angle.

Numbers advantage and smoke-piercing vision. The enemies resist, but they can’t overturn this absolute edge.

'Niiiice!'

'I’ll watch our backs, loot up! Probably no one’s coming!'

They’ve cleared the first hurdle, but the situation’s still rough. Kill points don’t matter anymore. They have to mow down every enemy in their path, including Harin’s team at the core, to be the last squad standing for the championship.

Quickly looting the enemy deathboxes, Meru’s team moves to the next hurdle.

Descending a slope from the tunnel’s exit, there’s an underground cave entrance on the left. Beyond that cave lies EarthBuckle’s western hill, where Harin’s team is likely entrenched.

The cylindrical cave, maybe eight meters wide, is littered with obstacles like carts loaded with stone, providing cover. They call it a cave, but it feels more like a Minē shaft.

Exlz sends her hawk in, mapping the enemy positions.

'One up front, one deep, one in between. They’re based around the treasure vault in the middle. They’re watching our side pretty hard.'

'Makes sense, they know we’re coming~ The tunnel’s outside the third ring.'

'The cave’s far side is in the third, but it’s too tight for two squads to coexist. Gotta crush or push ‘em out.'

'Let’s start pressuring from the front.'

'I’ve got this, M4ine, you go too. Overwhelm with numbers.'

'Got it!'

Meru and M4ine exit the tunnel, descend the slope, and fire into the Minē shaft’s entrance. An enemy watching from behind a cart falls back, outnumbered.

The shaft’s front area is now Meru’s team’s.

The enemies probably wanted to avoid this, but holding the line solo was worse than regrouping deeper.

Exlz joins, trading shots with the deeper squad, keeping them in check.

But this stalemate just burns ammo and heals. By the time the second ring shrinks, they’ll have to go all-in.

'Fighting while chased by the ring sucks… Wanna hit ‘em early?'

'Yeah. Rizu, you’ve got your ult, right? I’ll deploy Void Hole at the same time—'

Mid-strategy, a wall of water surges vertically from the shaft’s depths, splitting Exlz on the right-side stairs from Meru and M4ine behind a left-side cart, dividing them one versus two.

'They’re hitting first!'

'They’re coming, they’re coming!'

An enemy Roost’s hawk whips up a storm, soaring over Meru’s team. Meru destroys it instantly, but not before their armor takes a hit.

Slowed by the wind’s lingering effect, Meru’s team faces three enemies charging fiercely from the darkness.

'Throwing ult!'

M4ine hurls a poison grenade to halt their advance. Purple smoke bursts ten meters ahead, forming a wall, but it’s not enough to block the whole shaft.

The enemy squad slips to the right of the water wall, targeting Exlz, isolated on the stairs.

Crossing the water wall is possible but narrows vision, crippling combat ability. Plus, Meru’s team is still slowed by the enemy Roost’s ult.

Only one choice.

'Rizu! Hold on, I’m coming with Void Hole!'

Instead of a reply, a Purifying Gust whirlwind roars. Exlz activates it to resist.

The slowing wind on Meru’s team vanishes. Meru triggers Void Hole instantly, using Zetsuseki to ignore the water wall and rush to Exlz. But as the portal opens, Exlz is already surrounded on the stairs, down on her knees.

'One’s armor’s cracked!'

Exlz reports while knocked. Meru fires, but only gets hard armor clinks. The cracked enemy retreated to heal…!

This is bad! If they heal and widen the health gap, two against three…!

M4ine arrives through the Void Hole.

She’s holding a sniper rifle.

The enemy’s just five meters away on the stairs—way too close for a sniper. Yet she peers through the scope and shouts.

'—Headshot! Ninety-seven! Roost is barely alive!'

She hit a headshot that close!?

'Super nice!'

Seizing the moment, Meru closes in.

Switching to her shotgun, she catches the fleeing Roost. A graze of pellets drops them instantly. Two left.

The healed enemy CloudCross returns, but M4ine unloads a submachine gun barrage in their face.

Now the enemy squad’s at a disadvantage, trapped in the tight stairs. Meru weaves in and out from the stairwell’s wall, blasting her shotgun. The enemies have nowhere to escape her firepower.

Three deathboxes slide down the narrow stairs.

'Nice!! Freaking nice!!'

'I’ll revive! Watch the ring!'

Luckily, Exlz survived in her knocked state. Meru revives her, but the second ring’s shrink has started, swallowing them in the damage zone.

'M4ine! Sick headshot!'

'That saved us. Really nice.'

'Heh, heh… Glad I did good…'

Carefully healing to endure the ring damage, M4ine gives a shy smile. She must’ve been beating herself up over getting taken out early. She wanted to make up for it. That drive paid off this time.

Looting the enemy deathboxes quickly, Meru’s team moves deeper into the shaft.

And beyond the shaft—finally, the view comes into focus.

Past a path between rocky hills.

A small hill covered in green grass.

Electric fences crisscross it like a barrier. Inside, three players scurry about.

Blue light leaks from behind a small rock near the hill’s edge—likely a rune crystal. A Roost seems to be hiding there, a hawk spirit taking flight.

EarthBuckle’s western hill—Team TYM’s fortress.

Ambushed early, forced to retreat, surviving two fights, racing through dark paths—they’ve finally made it here.

But the real battle starts now. Unless they breach that fortress, Meru’s team can’t win. If they don’t, Harin’s team will take the Determination and the championship.

The path splits at the shaft’s exit. Straight leads to Harin’s hill; right to Riverside. A tall hill between them provides cover, giving Meru’s team a surprisingly wide safe range.

Peeking from behind a blue container along the rock wall, Meru mutters.

'In theory, while this is in the ring, we should be able to shoot the hill freely…'

'Not hitting at all… Their movement’s so gross~…'

M4ine’s been firing her sniper, but damage callouts are rare. Even after landing that ultra shot, she can’t track Team TYM’s fast, erratic movements.

The hill’s supposed to be untenable while the west Riverside and north cave—Meru’s position—are in the ring, as they can shoot it down. It’s been said countless times, but now Meru’s team is learning why that theory’s being defied.

'But moving around that frantically means they’re feeling the pressure. M4ine, keep shooting as long as you’ve got ammo.'

'Got it! I’m landing a headshot for sure.'

'I’ll push up to bait them. M4ine, snipe anyone shooting me.'

'Okay! Be a good bait~♪'

Meru moves along containers to the path’s exit. That alone feels dangerously close to the enemy, but she jumps out, sliding down a leftward slope and diving behind a wrecked car.

She’s closer to the enemy than her teammates now. Yet Meru boldly peeks from the car, shooting TYM’s CloudCross. It hits the rock they’re using for cover from the side, threatening to collapse their line if ignored.

She’s way too far forward for one person. From Harin’s perspective, it must look like she’s being mocked.

So, except for Harin controlling the spirit, the other two move to take Meru out, only for M4ine’s sniper to hit from the side.

'Ugh, fifty-eight! Sorry, missed the head.'

'That’s enough. Pulling back.'

As the two enemies hesitate, Meru uses Zetsuseki to safely return to the shaft-side path.

Exlz, watching from above with her hawk, says.

'That move pissed them off. Do it a few more times?'

'Maybe once more… Zetsuseki’s cooldown is long, and I want it for the third ring shrink.'

'Chipping armor just gets healed by their rune crystal~ If we could hit their health, we might drain their resources.'

Rune crystals nullify grenades and heal nearby players’ armor, though the healing’s limited. It’s a big reason Harin’s team manages with low supplies.

'Even so, their heals and ammo are finite. We might not break them, but harassing them is better.'

'Yeah, I agree. It’ll pay off when we clash head-on.'

'Got it. Let’s be total jerks!'

'FPS is all about being hated.'

Talk about shady.

'All three of them have level-two armor. We’ve fought twice, so we’re already at level three. A bit more XP, and we might hit level four. Then we could try a straight fight.'

'Blue versus red is a hundred-twenty health gap. Let’s grind it~'

M4ine’s sniper damage earns team XP, leveling their armor. A hundred-twenty health difference—almost a full player’s worth—would give a huge edge in a direct fight.

While M4ine harasses TYM, Exlz flies her spirit to scout the surroundings.

'Listen up. Sharing nearby squad positions. To the right—Riverside has one squad, across the valley from the hill is a house with one squad, probably another in the tunnel beyond. To the left—one squad at Snake down the slope, one at Tippy where we usually hold, and one in the room up the slope.'

So other squads are crawling around too.

Makes it even harder to engage TYM carelessly.

Meru asks.

'What about the valley below?'

'Hold on—nah, nothing in the valley. But… you know the passage under Riverside? Seems like one’s there.'

South of TYM’s hill is a valley leading to west Riverside. It’s often the final ring’s shrink point, making the hill above it strong.

I’m not familiar with that Riverside passage, but…

'They’re probably tangling with the house across the valley.'

'Yeah. When that happens, the tunnel squad might jump in, making it messy. The house squad probably knows that—'

Mid-talk, the third ring shrink starts.

The ring’s edge is halfway through the shaft, giving a bit of time before the damage zone hits, but once it fully shrinks, they’ll have nowhere to go but to fight TYM.

'—Ah!'

Exlz shouts.

'The house across the valley threw rain on the hill! They’re making a move!'

Meru’s view catches it too. Thick clouds gather above the green hill, bullet-like rain pouring down. Suigetsu’s ult—carpet bombing in rain form—blankets the hill, but a blank spot around the rune crystal shows TYM huddled there, weathering it.

'Rizu! Break the rune crystal!'

'Roger!'

Exlz sends her spirit, triggering her second Purifying Gust of the match, shattering the rune crystal and TYM’s armor.

TYM instantly replaces the crystal, but the rain deals a brief burst of damage. Seeing this, the house squad crosses the bridge, rushing the hill.

'Prep to third-party!'

Meru calls. Exlz stops controlling her spirit, M4ine stops scoping, and they move to the path’s exit leading to the hill.

Meru watches intently as TYM counters the house squad. With polished coordination, they spread out, landing precise shots, knocking one, then two enemies down.

'Hold! Riverside’s coming!'

Exlz says, watching through her hawk.

Bullets fly from Meru’s right. TYM is forced to respond.

Meru’s team doesn’t let them fight freely, shooting from the side to restrict TYM’s movement.

They can’t hold up. A multi-front assault…! Worn down by consecutive fights, and with Meru’s team having higher armor levels, they’ll third-party and win…!

I half-pray it as TYM’s Roost—Harin—peeks from behind the hill’s rock.

Harin…!

She lobs something, arcing perfectly to land behind the container Meru’s team is hiding in. A coconut-shaped object—

'…! God-tier nade!!'

Meru’s team bolts from behind the container. The perfectly placed grenade explodes, chipping their armor.

It doesn’t end there. Harin leaps from cover, unloading her assault rifle on Meru’s exposed team.

'…! Pull back!'

'Can’t! Ring’s here!'

Meru tries to fall back to the shaft, but it’s already swallowed by the orange ring. Late-game ring damage is brutal—too harsh to linger in.

'Prioritize healing!'

Meru’s team hides behind a small container, forced to heal their chipped health. Meanwhile, TYM and Riverside’s fight progresses. Unable to harass, Meru’s team lets TYM move freely, cornering Riverside.

It’s clear—they’re picking off squads one by one. Avoiding crossfire, crushing each opponent in a one-on-one, confident they’ll never lose a fair fight.

Riverside’s squad wipes.

TYM loots their deathboxes, swapping armor to recover. Meru’s team missed their third-party chance. Still, they have to push forward.

Their armor’s already red. They should win a straight fight. I brace to watch the clash with TYM—

Meru gives an order.

'Down the slope to Snake!'

Activating Void Hole, Meru slides down the left slope.

Not fighting TYM!?

Opening a Void Hole exit in front of the writhing, snake-like building, Meru sends M4ine forward, having her toss a poison grenade inside. The squad inside flees deeper to avoid the smoke, letting Meru’s team seize the front area.

It’s a standoff, each side holding an end of the long, winding building. M4ine sets a poison tree in the middle, claiming minimal territory. They’ve escaped the damage zone, but…

'Sorry, Rizu. Took over movement IGL.'

'It’s fine. I was totally set on fighting the hill. You held off because their Roost still had her ult, right?'

'Yeah.'

Right… Now that she mentions it, Harin hasn’t used her ult!

If they’d rushed TYM, Purifying Gust would’ve given TYM a health edge, restricted their movement, and likely led to a loss—a high chance of it.

To think that clearly in that chaos.

'This was the right call. When in doubt, prioritize the safe zone. Battle royale basics.'

'Attacking the hill got harder, though…'

Looking up at the cliff five meters away, Meru says.

'A chance will come. Definitely.'

The fourth ring’s shrink begins.

Most of EarthBuckle is swallowed by the damage zone. All that remains is a sliver of the western district, including Snake, where Meru’s team is holed up.

The squad they pushed deeper into Snake earlier pressures them from behind to enter the ring. Meru’s team holds them off with poison smoke, countering while Meru flanks through the outside, hitting the enemy’s side from the back door and wiping them out.

The fourth ring’s shrink ends, and the fifth ring—the final ring’s shrink point—appears on the map.

As expected, it’s the valley floor south of the hill, stretching in front of Tippy. It’s a cramped terrain, barely wide enough for two players to run side by side, with zero cover from above. If shot at from the hilltop, there’s no way to resist.

So every squad left in this final ring must dislodge Harin’s team reigning atop the hill. Settling for second or lower isn’t an option—Harin’s survival would end the tournament the moment it happens.

'Climb the right slope through the damage zone?'

'With Void Hole? Could catch ‘em off guard!'

'Zetsuseki’s range is too short. Running normally would burn too much health.'

'Then we’d be banking on other squads—'

Strategies fly fast among Meru’s team.

The casters are breaking down this desperate final phase.

'Team TYM overlooks every other squad from the hilltop! How do you break this situation?'

'Well… there’s still a squad with Suigetsu, so their ult could dislodge TYM from the hill. But the rune crystal blocks it, so they’d need to deal with that first.'

'—And as we speak, movement!'

A hawk spirit, cloaked in a storm, closes in on TYM’s hilltop. Aiming to shatter the rune crystal with Purifying Gust!

But it fizzles midair, the spirit destroyed before it activates.

That wasn’t the only squad with the same idea, though.

Another storm surges from above. Even TYM can’t counter this, and the glowing diamond-shaped crystal shatters with a crack.

But TYM has reserves. They instantly place a new rune crystal.

Exlz catches it.

'They placed a second! Break it now!'

The third Purifying Gust.

Launched from a blind spot below the cliff, it shatters the backup rune crystal the moment it’s set.

Harin’s team has no umbrella left!

Another squad’s Suigetsu spawns rain clouds over TYM’s heads.

At the same time, the final ring’s shrink begins.

Snake, where Meru’s team is, and Tippy just before the valley—every spot with walls or ceilings—is swallowed by the damage zone. Meru’s team bolts out the door, hurling a poison grenade at the squad emerging from Tippy to the left. It blocks their vision, deals damage, and slows them with poison.

And Meru activates Void Hole.

Trailing black shadows, she races up the cliff path. Even under the pounding rain, Yami’s Zetsuseki grants brief invincibility to weather it. If they can seize the hill while TYM’s gone…!

'…!?'

But Meru’s eyes catch TYM—still three strong, entrenched atop the hill.

How are they still there!? They’re taking the full brunt of the carpet bombing…!

Meru U-turns, opening a Void Hole mid-cliff path. Peeking out again, she eyes the hilltop.

There, a rune crystal shines brilliantly.

A third!?

'Rune crystal’s up! They used a booster!'

Booster—Ultimate Booster.

An item that shortens ult cooldowns. They used it under that rain, in that short window…!

Meru fires at the three. TYM’s not unscathed—armor-shatter sounds ring out rapidly.

'Super low! Super low! All three!'

Meru calls out desperately, but against three, she can’t hold long. Harin’s team returns fire in unison. Meru’s health drains fast, but she stubbornly knocks one down.

She retreats into Void Hole, but the spot she returns to is already a damage zone. Using Zetsuseki to nullify ring damage, she slides into the valley—the ring’s shrink point.

The squad originally there, shot from who-knows-where, is already deathboxes. Meru swaps armor from one to heal, then shoots at the Tippy squad Exlz and M4ine are fighting. Poisoned to a pulp, they collapse into boxes in no time.

'Two squads left!'

Exlz’s voice shouts. I just now notice her HP is gone.

The ring tightens, towering to the heavens. The hilltop, barely clinging to the edge, is finally fully dyed orange by the damage zone.

Two figures leap from the sky.

'TYM finally jumps off their throne! But their health is surprisingly even! TYM versus AlphaPG! The winner of this final two-on-two takes the championship!!'

The players probably can’t hear the caster.

But their instincts might understand.

The time to settle things with their nemesis has come.

Roost and Hexagon land in the valley, spraying bullets—right in front of Meru. She shoots Hexagon during their landing, but their combined firepower overwhelms. Her armor breaks, and she opens a nearby deathbox, snatching a fresh one in a flash.

'Hexagon!!'

Her assault rifle’s dry. As Meru switches to her shotgun, M4ine, on the opposite side pinning the enemies, shoots Hexagon per Meru’s call. They reflexively fire back at M4ine.

M4ine, unlike Meru, has no time to swap armor. Her Garden kneels, consumed by the damage zone.

But at the same time, Meru, done switching to her shotgun, blasts Hexagon’s back. Their sliver of health vanishes, and Hexagon drops.

'One-on-one!! The true final duel!!'

The caster screams.

Roost—Harin—turns.

At the bottom of the towering ring.

In a valley too narrow to pass side by side.

Meru’s and her gazes lock.

◆

Harin.

You were my benefactor.

You were my idol.

But.

Right here, right now—

◆

Meru.

You were my dream.

You were my light.

But.

Right here, right now—

◆

I—

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I—

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“—Will absolutely win!!”

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Two shotguns fire at once.

They tear into Meru’s and Harin’s torsos, but only Meru’s side rings with the crack of shattered armor.

Slight health advantage. Ejected shells fly out of sight.

As Meru aligns her reticle for the second shot, Harin leaps, kicking off the rock wall, soaring over Meru’s head. Her target—the deathbox behind Meru!

Three deathboxes were there. Meru took armor from two, leaving one. As Meru turns, a red glow flickers over Harin, signaling a fresh armor swap.

Meru fires her second shot while ducking behind a small rock to the left. Another torso hit, not enough to break armor.

In the brief gap of ejecting shells, Harin closes in. Peeking around the rock, she fires once. Meru’s red armor shatters, damage cutting into her health.

This is bad. A straight shootout like this—!

As despair creeps in, Meru switches weapons.

Not a gun.

A kunai.

Brandishing it in her right hand, she swings, a light sound knocking Harin back. Melee attack! It deals just thirty damage, but Harin’s blown out of the ring—into the damage zone!

Meru grabs her shotgun again. Harin, knocked out, scrambles back, her health battered enough.

The barrel aims true, locked on Harin’s forehead.

Headshot.

Armor breaks again. Damage pierces her health.

But she doesn’t fall.

God’s-eye view shows a sliver—just one bullet grazing her cheek would end it.

Meru leaps. A counter-shot grazes her leg. Health remains. One more hit. For both. One more hit ends it!

The ring closes, leaving no room for even one player, dyeing the entire map a no-survival zone. The end of survival. The end of the battle. Until the final moment, both girls refuse to drop their guns.

And—the final gunshot rings out.

Deafening cheers echo in my ears.

But in the dim staff passage, those cheers are nowhere. Only quiet stillness and faint footsteps remain.

“—Ah! Meru!”

As Meru emerges from the team’s waiting room with her teammates, Ranka calls her name.

Meru says something to her teammates, then walks toward us.

“You went out of your way to get in here?”

Meru sounds slightly exasperated, but Chinana grins mischievously.

“It’s our duty as family. Plus, Meru-nee, you look like you’re about to collapse.”

“Anyway… congrats!”

Ranka says brightly, and Meru gives a faint smile.

“Thanks.”

“We gotta celebrate! Kiminaga! You’ve got plans ready, right!?”

“No way I’d have plans. Nobody told me in advance.”

“Then we better order now! Meru, what do you want!?”

“Anything’s fine.”

“Okay, okay! I want sushi!”

“Why’re we listening to your pick!? …But, yeah, sushi sounds good.”

Ranka and Chinana peer at their phone screens, debating this and that, then start walking ahead.

Meru and I lag behind, following them.

Their noisy chatter fades, leaving a brief silence between Meru and me.

Her profile, watching the sisters ahead, looks gentle—yet somehow hollow.

Come to think of it… I haven’t said it yet.

“Congrats.”

“…Yeah.”

“You did it.”

“Yeah…”

“Second place still gets you to the pro league, right?”

“…Yeah…”

That final moment.

Harin had to eject her shell after firing.

Meru moved first.

But—when she pulled the trigger, the shotgun didn’t fire.

The magazine was already empty—not a single shell left.

No time to reload. Harin fired the reversal shot, wiping Meru’s health…

“It was a close call… One more shell, and you’d have won.”

“…”

“Next time, you’ll win for sure. Get her back in the pro league.”

“…But if I’d noticed I was out of ammo…”

Meru’s voice trembles.

“I could’ve switched to melee… I didn’t need the shotgun… Just one punch would’ve done it…”

The dam breaks, tears spilling from her eyes.

Unable to look down, tears streaming down her cheeks, I can’t leave her like this.

Gently, like touching something fragile, I place a hand on her head. Meru finally buries her crying face in my shoulder.

“…It’s my fault… I lost because of me…”

“No way.”

“…If I… If I’d just checked my ammo… That’s all it would’ve taken…”

“Absolutely not.”

I refuse to let her take the blame.

Because—

“You got that far because of you. …Your teammates probably said the same, right?”

“…Yeah…”

No way it’s Meru’s fault.

Without Meru, they wouldn’t have reached that final moment. They might not have even fought for the championship. Ignoring the journey and judging only the end, saying Meru lost it—no one gets to say that.

Not even Meru herself.

“This isn’t the end. Your fight keeps going. …Like I said, get your revenge. It’s not like you got shot in a real battlefield.”

“…Yeah… Yeah…”

Tears soaking my shoulder, Meru nods repeatedly like a child.

Seeing her like this, I’m overwhelmed with frustration, like it’s my own.

God, it’s frustrating. As frustrating as if it were me.

Will I ever cry like this someday?

Not borrowed effort, but throwing my true self into something, feeling this kind of regret—will that day come?

Not as a fan, but as the protagonist of my own story… will that day come?

Once Meru calms down, we head for the venue’s exit.

It’s a staff exit, so no getting mobbed by crowds like when we arrived.

The frenzy from moments ago feels like a lie, replaced by the quiet, chilly evening sea breeze.

There.

A petite girl waits—for us, for Meru.

“Meru.”

“…Harin…”

With dried tears, Meru gazes at her old friend.

As me, Ranka, and Chinana fall silent, watching, Harin tucks away her usual radiant smile, her expression almost cold as she speaks to Meru.

“This time, I won.”

“…Yeah.”

“But honestly, it doesn’t feel like I won at all.”

Harin’s voice is icy, not the voice of a victor.

“That was the first time I pulled off a wall kick in a clutch like that, and getting punched out of the ring threw me into a panic. It messed up my aim—I thought I was dead when you landed that headshot. Surviving was pure luck.”

So, she says.

The girl from Korea speaks words I don’t understand.

“—Tto Yeogiseo Mannayo!”

With that, Harin gives a light wave and walks away lightly.

Me, Ranka, and Chinana tilt our heads. What did she say?

Meru alone gives a faint smile.

“…So that’s what her team name meant.”

Team name?

Speaking for the Japanese-only crew left behind, I ask.

“Korean, right? What’s it mean?”

Looking in the direction Harin left, Meru says with a hint of a laugh.

“Tto Yeogiseo Mannayo.”

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