The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

As I kept shouting those nonsensical incantations and playing the game—

“......”

In the end, the only one left in despair was me.

Well, fine. Honestly, I expected this. Sure, I’d been playing video games the longest out of all of us, but that didn’t mean I was particularly good at them.

I never really liked online games. I hated losing to someone else.

Maybe it was because I’d always run away from the countless ranked games out there like a coward.

Whenever it came down to actually competing with someone in a game, I just couldn’t win.

The first one to clear it was Mia.

Her sparkling eyes as she played the magical girl game were almost blinding. The rest of us—including me—were playing hard just to win—or rather, to avoid being the last one. But Mia? She wasn’t playing for that reason at all.

And in the end, that’s how games work: the one who enjoys it the most ends up winning.

[Mia is a magical girl! Mia is a magical girl! Mia is a magical girl!]

[Mia-chan is the best!]

Mia already had a bit of a fan base from the game itself, but since we started streaming together, that fan base had grown far more than expected.

Not that she was as popular as the actual Mia character from the game, of course. This game came from Japan, after all. I doubt anyone there even knows we exist—unless someone shares our content outside of Korean streaming circles.

Next was Claire.

[Cheating adult Claire]

[Did you even watch magical girl shows lol]

[Be honest—did you just pick this game because you wanted to win?]

“I—I did not!? I used to watch with Mia! Not super seriously, but still!”

Boom.

Hearing that they used to watch together must have struck a nerve, because Mia looked like she’d just been hit by lightning on a clear day.

“Uh, no, wait, Mia, I didn’t mean it like that...”

[Boo, trash]

[Claire to be sentenced to rewatching Prec●re with Mia starting today]

“...Do you even know the title of the latest series?”

At Claire’s comeback, the chat fell silent for a moment.

Fair enough.

Even on otaku sites, you might learn about franchises like K●men Rider, but most people don’t actually care about how the series is currently progressing. A lot of folks just use the memes without watching the shows seriously. Not saying the fandom is small—just that not everyone is in deep.

After Claire came Charlotte.

Charlotte calmly played the game and managed to clear it with minimal use of ultimate moves.

[Not... cheating exactly, but...]

[Someone’s inner child is dead, huh?]

“Hmph.”

Seeing the comments in the chat, Charlotte flipped her hair and said,

“There’s nothing wrong with preserving one’s childhood innocence—but mocking someone who simply did their best at the game? That’s what’s really ridiculous.”

The chat paused, impressed by her professional-sounding statement. Though, of course, Charlotte wasn’t 100% serious about it, and the chat’s tone was playful anyway.

Then came Alice, naturally.

“Phew.”

Alice, who cleared the game by the book just like Charlotte, let out a sigh of relief. The difference between them had been razor-thin.

[LOL]

[And so it begins]

[Come on, we all knew it was going to be Sylvia, right?]

Yep. I saw it coming too. A bullet hell game is really just a pure physical reaction test, after all.

But still...

“......”

I couldn’t help but feel a little empty.

[You look more hopeless than Sylvia in her Saintess costume]

[Cheer up]

[Cheer up... and dance]

[LOLOLOLOL]

Naturally, the chat showed me no mercy.

Fair enough. Someone had put up 100,000 won as a bounty—so of course things had to be entertaining. Streaming isn’t just a free hobby. The viewers have to enjoy themselves, or no one pays. And popularity brings in sponsors, which puts food on the table.

Not that I needed money to survive, but still.

“...So, what kind of dance should I do?”

Clenching my teeth, I asked that question, and the chat instantly flooded with laughter. Funny, huh? Of course it is. I’d be laughing too if I were the one watching.

“Let’s do Zero Two! Zero Two!”

“......”

I turned toward the voice and saw Claire, excitedly shouting “Zero Two!”—before abruptly shutting her mouth.

She looked both terrified and amused.

[Zero Two! Zero Two!]

[Three-way split screen, please]

Right. Better to just get it over with. They say it’s best to take the beating first. Not that anyone else here was going to get beaten—just me.

Claire quickly found the BGM, and the others in the room got up from their seats to clear space.

Seriously, did they plan this? Judging by how confused they’d looked during the game, probably not. But still—it was scary how naturally they all fell into sync in moments like this.

Three-way split screen...

Back when I watched streams, I never understood why people felt embarrassed about that layout. But now that I was the only one on screen, I finally got it.

Honestly, it would’ve been less humiliating to just black out the sides and make it look like a fancam video.

“Alright! Here we go!”

Claire beamed.

I laced my fingers behind my head in silence.

*

I thought that was the end of it—

But no.

I forgot about a completely different streaming site. One that hosted # Nоvеlight # edited clips and full VOD reuploads.

And it wasn’t like I had to gather the footage and edit the videos myself. There was at least one other person in this house who was more than capable.

“......”

The music had been swapped out for royalty-free tracks to avoid copyright issues, but there I was, dancing on a triple-split screen, shaking my hips.

No, it wasn’t just shown as-is. The video had been edited—zoom-ins on my embarrassed face, exaggerated hip movements, even visual shockwaves during the “Zero Two” parts.

“...Mia?”

I glanced at Mia, who was sitting next to me as I checked the site.

Mia subtly turned her head to avoid my gaze.

“If I remember correctly, during the original stream, Charlotte covered your eyes.”

Mia was the smallest among us, and with her youthful appearance, people often treated her like a kid. But I was sure she understood exactly what she was doing.

Charlotte probably acted on instinct, thinking, “Yeah, I should cover her eyes right now.”

“Well, but... we still have to upload the edited version of the stream. Just uploading the full video won’t get views.”

Mia fidgeted, pressing her fingertips together as she mumbled her excuse.

I clutched my head.

Yeah, I know.

I know, but still...!

“Unnie? What’s wrong—”

Just then, the door to the streaming room opened again—and Claire walked in.

And right on screen, playing loud and clear, was the video of me dancing.

“Pfft!”

Claire burst into laughter.

That was the last straw. I leapt from my chair.

“U-Unnie?! Don’t get so mad! Honestly, you wrote stuff about me too!”

“That was directed at the character Claire, not you personally. You even admitted that yourself, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yeah, I did say that, but—”

But even as she said it, the moment I moved toward her, Claire turned and bolted.

That’s fine.

Claire was wearing her indoor clothes. No matter how lively she is, she’s still a noble daughter. There’s no way she’d run outside dressed like that.

Which meant: she could only run inside the house.

“Sylvia? Claire? What’s going on?”

As I chased Claire out of the room, Alice looked at us with wide eyes and asked.

I didn’t answer. Because if I did, Alice would probably go “Pfft!” too, and then I’d have to chase her next.

“...Could you at least refrain from sprinting at full speed? You’ll disturb the neighbors below.”

Charlotte, cooking in the kitchen, said calmly, her expression perfectly princess-like.

Claire immediately switched to tiptoeing at full speed. So did I.

“Still, I wonder what that was all about?”

Again, I didn’t answer.

They’d find out eventually anyway.

So for now, I just had to focus on catching Claire.

“Unnie, I said I’m sorry!”

“I’m sorry, but I haven’t forgiven you yet!”

Especially because she was clearly enjoying the whole situation as she ran away.

But the real unforgivable thing...

Was probably the fact that even I found it all hilarious while chasing her.