Chapter 560: Cause: Because You Were the Only One Making That Kind of Face

"Hello World! Hello Japan! With love from the Special Stage!"

"Ah, umm, hello!"

"Japan Gaming Expo, Special Stage Event 'Future Reality'! Your host is me! The one who surprisingly plays a ton of VR in her private life, Towa Amane〜!"

"I'm Megumi Natsume, from the gaming team Cyber Battalion! Nice to meet you!"

"Hmm〜? Natsume-chan, isn't your expression a little stiff? Hm?"

"Ha, hahaha... There isn't a single woman out there who wouldn't be nervous co-starring with the Towa Amane..."

"You sure know how to say things that make me happy... You're looking pretty sharp today, you score high on the Towa Aesthetic EyeTowa Check!"

"W-Wow, I got complimented..."

"Nfufu〜, Natsume-chan competed in the GGC as a player too, so maybe this level of tension doesn't even count as being nervous?"

"N-No, I get nervous at any tournament or event〜"

"I see, that makes sense. You definitely need to keep your tension up no matter the venue, after all."

"Ah, I think it's amazing how you can be so natural, Amane-san... although???"

"True that〜... I wonder if this will loosen up the tension... Oh well! This time, with the full cooperation of various high-tech companies like Swallows Nest and Utopia Corp, we'll be delivering the latest information to you wherever you are via AR holograms stretched across the entire Mega-Float Site! Fufufu, look forward to seeing what pops out!"

"No, I mean, is it because I'm nervous, or is it because this has been full of ad-libs from the very beginning...?"

"Ad-libs are my life! Alright then, everyone! Let's enjoy today to the very marrow of our bones!!!"

---

◆

"( ‘ᾥ’ )"

"T-There's an emoticon like that too, huh..."

Eh, wait, what kind of face was I making just now... Ah, the face I make when I encounter that fiendish stationery in real life. I think I have a pretty good idea of what it looked like.

"Umm............."

"Hm?"

"Well, I kind of......... had a feeling this was the case, but Pencilgon-san is........."

"Ah......... yeah. Part of it is because she plays the game like that, but technically it's personal information, so... right?"

"Y-Yes... She really looks exactly the same, doesn't she..."

"No, apparently she built that entirely from scratchFull Scratch."

"Eh."

At the very least, I heard a while back that the avatar "Arthur Pencilgon" was made from full scratch. Apparently, when she can't be bothered, she uses the system's real-face reflection feature, but generally, she perfectly recreates her own face entirely from scratch... I can't help but think what a massive waste of effort that is, but precisely because she builds it from scratch, she can better roleplay as 'someone impersonating Towa Amane'. Talk about the pinnacle of bad taste.

Even so, to think she was here of all places. I'm not saying she shouldn't come, but what the hell is she doing with Natsume-shi? So that's why the ratio of women in the general admission line was subtly higher... I mean, it's my own fault for not checking the event's guest list, but talk about a surprise.

"What should we do? Wanna go heckle her?"

"Heckle............ Yes, I suppose so. There might also be... some information we're interested in."

"Heh... I figured you'd say that, Rei-san."

"Eh? Eh?"

Nine times out of ten, they'll probably drop some ShanFro news, and for a hardcore addict like Rei-san, it's no exaggeration to say this event is the main prize. A hardcore addict is someone who dedicates more than double the proportion of their life to games compared to a normal person, and since Rei-san went out of her way to come here in person, it'd be a problem if they didn't dish out some useful info. Well, considering Iwamaki-san—who understands that kind of stuff—went out of her way to give us tickets, the probability of acquiring intel seems high.

"(´ᆺ`)"

"Eh? Umm, eh? Umm, well........."

"No no, it's nothing, it's nothing. I was curious too, so let's go."

Let's not mention the fact that we could probably see perfectly fine from here. Whatever coincidence spared me from having to show my real face to her yet again, I can't help but feel the mischievous hand of fate at work here... Though come to think of it, considering the CultistLittle Sister, my face has probably already been leaked to her anyway.

Anyway, heading toward the event venue... Oh, the premium tickets are useful here too? I'm never gonna be able to sleep with my feet pointing toward Rock Roll again, huh?

"Ah, but even the premium section is crowded〜"

In my mind, my only impression of them is a highly toxic mentality and a person whose muscle fibers are made of french fries, but to the general public, they are stars in the modeling world and the pro-gaming world, respectively. I see, a lot of people probably came here specifically for this. Any empty seats... ah, found some. In the corner of the second row... Well, suitably close and suitably far away.

"Found some empty seats, let's go, Rei-san."

"Y-Yes!"

"(ó﹏ò)"

Yes, excuse me, yes, I'm sorry, we have to cut across here to get to the other side. Yes, excu... Outta the way, Premium Ticket-sama coming through!! I wouldn't dare say it out loud, obviously. Uttering lines like that turns you into immediate jobber material; gamers above all should believe in the Power of WordsFlags. I wonder why we still miss our RNG rolls even when we voice it out? Maybe having the courage to spit in the face of the Gods is the true essence of a gamer after all.

"(꒪ȏ꒪)"

"Umm, what kind of emotion is that supposed to be........."

"No, I just felt like she looked this way for a second..."

"Well, you do... stand out, after all........."

No, surely it's just my imagination? That girl has some incomprehensible special talent where she executes every movement at the absolute perfect angle from all 360 degrees, so she might have just pulled a "looked in my direction" maneuver. According to the CultistLittle Sister, "Towa-sama is someone who speaks with her eyes, speaks with her profile, and speaks with her back"............ What is she, a giant mouth covering her whole body?

"(눈_눈)"

"Oh, it supports Hangul too..."

What kind of face am I making right now if it's using an emoticon with Hangul? As far as I'm aware, I'm just glaring at that Towa AmanePencilgon girl with highly suspicious eyes.

『............』

『Is something wrong?』

『.........Hmm, I just had a bit of a brain fart?』

『Eh......... Ah—, forgetting the script, you're s-such a scatterbrain〜...』

『Thanks for the line read so flat you'd think a stick was shoved down your throat! But it's fine! Actually, we've borrowed a secret weapon from Swallows Nest......... Ta-da! The latest glasses-type AR device〜!!』

『I actually have one too〜...』

Natsume-shi's ad-lib powerChikara is so garbage it's sad, but Katzo is the same way—why are these pro gamers so utterly terrible at roleplaying? Take a page out of Sylvia Goldberg's book, why don't you? That strongest gamer in the world permanently acts like the funny Black guy from an action movie.

".........Hm?"

What, a notification? An email... no, a private chat room opened up on the SNS app? Who is it at a time like this.........

【Hey you with the funny face】

Pencil Knight King: Did you notice Katzo-kun is right behind you?

"Hah?"

The one behind me is a teenager who looks like a Cultist, but........................ GASP!!?

"(゜Д゜)"

『It's amazing, isn't it......... Even though the cue cards and other things are displayed right in front of my eyes, only the user can see them〜...』

『We promised not to say things like that, Amane-san.』

『True that〜』

Smirk......... Towa Amane flashed a highly sociable, pleasant smile. But she must have been operating a terminal or something with the hand she hid behind her back, because her true nature was clearly spelled out on the private chat screen.........

Pencil Knight King: Looks like this is going to be a fun event〜...

Sunraku: Just kill me already.

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Author's Afterword

I mean, even if it's just an emoticon, if there's a guy with a familiar build "hiding his face" staring at you with an incredibly harsh expression, of course you'd throw out a probe to see if it's him.

Q. Why is Natsume-chan co-starring with Pencil instead of Katzo?

A. While hiding his true feelings of "There's absolutely no way I can handle hosting an event alongside Pencil," Katzo genuinely cried and begged Natsume-chan to take his place. And Natsume-chan, being Natsume-chan, accepted the job just because he took her out for french fries.