Chapter 162: An Out-of-Season Pumpkin and the Female Knight Who Doesn't Go "Kuh... Kill Me!"

Kei: “………Well, I’m off.”

It’s seven in the morning. Katzo’s heading out first, since the RwH6 world championship starts earlier than our event. He looks like he wants to say something… but desperately swallows it down, barely managing to keep it locked inside, and tosses a can of energy drink our way.

Kei: “They were the ones who forced this crap through to begin with, so I got ’em to bend at least this much.”

Rakuro: “Bending enough for one energy drink… wait, the hell is this?”

Kei: “That manufacturer’s new product. American-made, naturally.”

Whoa, whoa—I’d heard rumors, but to actually get the real thing… Not bad, Katzo. As I stare at the English-labeled energy drink with a mix of fear and trepidation, Pencilgon—who apparently doesn’t quite get it—frowns and asks us.

Towa: “What’s different from the Japanese ones?”

Kei: “If the Japanese ones just get the caffeine kicking in… one of these’ll get you completely fucking wired all by itself.”

Towa: “…It’s legal, right?”

Kei: “Users are a little worried about that too, but supposedly there’s nothing in it that actually violates any laws.”

Rakuro: “‘Riot Blood Tonight’—just hit shelves a week ago. Gotta hand it to you, Katzo, actually getting the real thing.”

A monstrous energy drink whose catchphrase—“Drink it and you won’t sleep for two days”—makes you seriously question whether they even intend to sell the damn thing legally. It sent shockwaves through hundreds of millions of energy drink users worldwide. I kind of want to call them out on the “Tonight” / “Two-Night” pun, but the odds of getting instantly, completely wired are obviously among the highest ever. In our current situation, about to throw down against pro gamers, there’s no better booster.

Kei: “I’ve got enough for everyone, just so you know.”

Towa: “I feel like it’d carry off my skin’s glow along with my drowsiness, so I’ll stick with the regular stuff, thanks.”

Megumi: “I-I think I’ll take one…”

I’ll save mine for later—feels like a waste. Click-clack—I close the mask I’d flipped open and forcibly jam the energy drink into my holster. Katzo stares at me with an expression that is absolutely, profoundly screaming that he has something to say, but apparently deciding that nothing would come of it anyway, he gives a casual wave and heads off toward the venue in a taxi.

Rakuro: “Seriously, if you’ve got something to say, just say it.”

Towa: “Yeah, seriously.”

Megumi: “His mouth didn’t say anything, but his eyes told the whole story—or so it looked to me…”

Towa: “Natsume-chan, in our turf… I mean, if you don’t actually say it, it doesn’t count.”

No matter how much your eyes are talking, if you don’t say it out loud, it’s not a problem. Open your mouth, speak your piece—that’s exactly why we provoke each other! Because if you stay quiet, things’ll just get decided for you!!

Amid the quiet whirr of machinery, after seeing Katzo off, Pencilgon, Natsume-shi, and I remain silent for a while. For me and Pencilgon, it is a waiting silence—a “go ahead if you’ve got something to say.” Natsume-shi fidgets, moving her mouth as if to speak… but never actually opens it.

Towa: “As expected, putting together extra costumes from scratch at this point is a bit much, huh.”

Megumi: “I! Am not! Wearing one!!”

Alrighty then. Click-clack, click-clack… vwoom.

Rakuro: “Hey, Pencilgon-san, pop quiz.”

Towa: “Alright, bring it on—my gray brain cells will shine golden.”

Rakuro: “Aren’t they already golden… well, whatever. So, question: What do you suppose the people around us think we are right now?”

Towa: “A merry band of cosplayers.”

Rakuro: “Ahh ha ha, at least make a joke, dammit.”

???: “Uh, could you hold the gun for a shot?”

Towa: “Look, look, orders are coming in~? A cosplayer’s gotta answer the call properly. Yes, yes, if you’re going for a low angle there, more to the right~!”

About an hour after Katzo entered the venue, we also made our way there. We did—but given how we looked, the moment a camera-toting attendee said “Mind if I take a picture?” our fate was sealed. For the past ten-plus minutes, I’ve been striking poses holding a gun or doing god-knows-what kind of stances… what the hell am I even doing? Actually, it’s because there’s an idiot enthusiastically agreeing to every photo request that I got dragged into this. I shoot a resentful glare from behind my helmet at the “female knight” striking a pose next to me, but the masked scumbag acts like she doesn’t notice a thing.

(If I remember right… what was it again… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere, but what game character was it…?)

Times like this, the price of my picky gaming diet really stings. I’ve definitely seen the character I’m dressed as and the one Pencilgon’s dressed as, but I can’t recall what game they’re from. At the very least, she’s from some fantasy title and I’m from a sci-fi one… probably FPS-related, that much I can tell.

Rakuro: “…So, how long are we gonna keep this photo shoot going?”

Towa: “Hmm? Well, y’see, being in a profession where you’re inclined to happily agree to photos, I just kinda went with it—slipped my mind, whoops. Excuuuse me! We’ve got somewhere to be, so the photo shoot’s wrapping up~!”

The way she can bluntly lay things out like that at times like this—I guess it’s the strength that comes from a career spent under the spotlight as a model. Even though my face is completely hidden, having a bunch of photos taken of me was a first, so I suppose you could call it a valuable experience, but personally, I’d rather not have too many of those.

Towa: “Heh heh heh, so how about it, Sunraku-kun? From here on out, you’re gonna be gaming in front of a worldwide audience, so I figured I’d do a photo shoot as a little dress rehearsal. Think you can keep up the performance?”

Rakuro: “…You aimed for the ‘delinquent picks up a cat and suddenly looks like a good guy’ effect, didn’t you? You crafty bastard…!”

Towa: “Whaaat? I’m pretty sure I did that out of pure goodwill, y’know…?”

Goodwill doesn’t always lead to good outcomes, and when someone who snatches good outcomes through malice is the one doing it, you can’t help but be suspicious. Which is to say…

Rakuro: “It’s about your everyday conduct.”

Towa: “Let’s not go for such a painfully direct, valid argument—I can’t talk back to that.”

Incidentally, Natsume-shi already took off for the GGC venue—the international exhibition hall dyed head-to-toe in gaming colors. I have to question her as a human being, but unfortunately, I can’t deny that as a way of dealing with us, it gets full marks.

Towa: “Well then, shall we go, Pumpkin-kun?”

Rakuro: “Hey, aren’t people gonna say this is out of season?”

Towa: “Seasons have nothing to do with cosplay. Posing in swimsuit-style costumes even in winter—that’s what being a cosplayer is all about.”

Rakuro: “Is that so.”

I run my hand two or three times over the full-face helmet covering my entire head… and so, a bizarre soldier costume with a Jack-o’-Lantern mask affixed to the face area, and a female knight costume with a ceramic-like inorganic mask that eliminates skin exposure to the absolute limit—definitely not the R-18 kind—step foot into the venue of the heated competition.

[To put it really meta, just imagine Iron Man’s mask done up Jack-o’-Lantern style, and that person who gives you the Dark Silver Remnant and Golden Afterglow.]