A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 168

“I’m stuffed…”

“Really? It doesn’t look like you ate much…”

I quietly nodded at Tuni’s words.

There was plenty of uncooked meat still left, but… hmm. I’m really full; what can I do?

In fact, considering what I ate, I could say I had quite a bit more than usual.

“I don’t think I can finish this either…”

“Well, it was meant for four people, so it makes sense, doesn’t it?”

“Generally speaking, the rule is to order about two extra servings when eating out. Rene, you’re just eating too little.”

What’s that? I’ve never heard of that rule before.

“Are you really full?”

“Yeah…”

“Well, then I guess we have to pack it up. I wonder how much we can take…”

Tuni said this and started grilling more meat.

The sizzling meat and the rising aroma still stimulated my senses, but I was already filled up enough that I didn’t even want to eat more.

“Hehe~. Oh, is it okay if I mention that I had a meal with Rene on the broadcast? Of course, excluding anything about the Sirius Team.”

“Ah, yes. That’s fine…”

I planned to be active only as VTuber Rene for now, so it would be nice to share something about myself like this.

“Oh, and…”

Knock, knock.

Just as Tuni was about to continue her sentence, someone knocked on the door from outside.

We didn’t order anything, and didn’t the Sirius people say they weren’t coming?

“Is it okay if I come in?”

The voice of a man came from beyond the door.

It wasn’t a voice I had never heard before, but neither was it particularly familiar.

…Who is it?

“Oh, it’s the captain.”

The answer to that question came from Tuni.

In this place, the only person Tuni could refer to as captain was the captain of the Sirius Team.

…But why would that person suddenly come here?

Weren’t the Sirius Team people told not to come by Owen?

“…Wait a moment! Um…”

From the look on her face, it seemed that Tuni hadn’t heard any news about this either.

“For now… if you came even after I told Eunho, I think there’s a reason for it.”

That much was true.

He definitely had some business for visiting.

“Is Rene okay?”

“Ah, yes…”

It’s not like I was crying or anything.

Why is he asking me?

More than anything, if he’s the captain of the Sirius Team, he would be the one who paid for the meat here today.

It’d be somewhat rude to refuse someone who came here for that reason…

“Yep. …It’s fine. Please come in!”

At Tuni’s words, the door opened with a creak.

A man in a black suit, which seemed somewhat out of place in a meat restaurant, stepped in.

…Or maybe not?

In a restaurant this fancy, that attire might actually be appropriate.

Does that mean I dressed too casually?

“Nice to meet you, Rene. I’m Yoo Jaehun, the captain of the Sirius Team.”

The captain of the Sirius Team… Jaehun said that and bowed slightly to greet me.

“Ah, hello… um, it’s delicious… thank you…”

“Thank you!”

“No, not at all. Considering how much you both contributed to our team’s victory at the tournament, this is a small treat.”

Is that so?

I have no idea what Tuni did for us, so I can’t say much, but at least I don’t feel I did that much…

Even in interviews, they call me a play coach, but I never really took on that role.

…Is he saying this out of courtesy?

Is he treating us to such expensive meat out of politeness?

Such a big company, huh…

“Anyway, I apologize for the sudden visit. Eunho tried to stop me, but I needed to discuss something important today.”

…As expected.

There’s no way I’d get to eat this kind of meat for free.

“Am I included in this, captain?”

“Of course. Tuni and Rene, this is a proposal for both of you.”

“Um… if you’re asking if I can keep helping as a play coach…”

“Oh, that’s not it. It’s a shame, but considering Rene said she’d only help until the spring season, I have no intention of forcing anything.”

That’s a relief.

It’s not that I dislike helping the Sirius Team, but I felt bad because I often ended up having to take breaks from broadcasting because of it.

No, it’s weird that I can’t even take a break when I’m planning to.

“The reason I’m here is… um… I wanted to ask if you two would consider becoming streamers for our Sirius Team.”

“…Huh?”

★

“I just came back from a meeting, you know?”

“Yeah.”

The one who spoke to Jaehun, who was outside taking a breather after finishing his talk with us, was Ga-eun.

“And? What’s the answer?”

“Well, Tuni definitely seemed positive, but I’m not sure about Rene…”

Jaehun said this while recalling the earlier situation.

While Tuni listened with a smile and seemed engaged with his proposal, Rene had shown no particular reaction until the end.

“I told them I’d check the contract if they sent it and get back to them.”

“Is there really anything to check?”

“That’s true.”

Ga-eun already knew what kind of contract Jaehun would send.

The contract he would send had no clauses that could harm Rene or Tuni, and if I had to point it out, it was actually a contract that would be more advantageous for Sirius.

It’s something a company aiming for profit shouldn’t have been allowed to have at all.

But this time, the essence of the contract was more important than its superficiality.

“With this, there’s a good chance that Rene won’t switch to another team.”

“Only if you accept, though.”

Rather than the contract looking unbeneficial for Sirius, keeping Rene tied to the team in any direction was more important.

Jaehun had made that judgment.

“If Tuni is also a member of our team, it could be used as a card to persuade her if she considers leaving midway.”

“…Isn’t that a bit unfair to Seoyeon?”

“I know. But that’s how companies operate.”

Of course, Jaehun said that, but Sirius had already planned to contract with Tuni even without Rene.

The only change was that it had been updated to bring Rene along too.

“…So? Rene, what do you think?”

“About what?”

“I mean. I was really looking forward to seeing the real Rene today… but Eunho said absolutely not. It seems he’s not going to share either.”

“What does that have to do with him having a girlfriend?”

“That’s not the point. I’m sure I’m not the only one curious, right? Anyone who plays in New Dimension would naturally wonder who is behind that helmet!”

At Ga-eun’s earnest words, Jaehun could only mentally nod.

The Inquisition Officer… no, considering the influence that the user named Rene has in New Dimension, it was only natural.

“Well, if there’s an opportunity later, you’ll get to meet her.”

Of course, it wasn’t like he planned to give an answer.

“Ah, really…”

“I’m just a bit curious why she doesn’t turn on her cam…”

“…Is that all?”

Jaehun recalled Rene’s appearance from earlier.

Her silvery-white hair was easy to imagine as being silky just from sight.

Her distinct red eyes exuded a mysterious vibe, as if saying she had no interest in anything in this world.

Her perfectly smooth, fair skin and her distinct yet cute facial features made her seem younger than the 21 years she was reported to be.

It was only natural that people would notice her while walking around.

Thinking this far, it made perfect sense why Rene was wearing a wide-brimmed hat.

“I’m going in.”

“Ah, let me know a bit!”

Jaehun chuckled at Ga-eun’s shouting from behind as he entered the restaurant.

He was still hungry.

★

“Bora…”

“Hmm?”

At my call, Bora tilted her head and looked at me cutely.

Maybe because I rarely started a conversation first.

She looked filled with curious excitement.

“I have something I want to talk about…”

“Yes!”

I realized something.

I’m not strange.

I just look a little different; that doesn’t make me alien.

But knowing that simply and truly believing it are two completely different matters.

Even now, the thought that someone might be watching me is a bit frightening.

So, I was thinking about how to deal with this… and the conclusion I reached was this.

“I… am not strange!”

Until I can truly accept this, I’ll keep affirming myself with words.

They say words have power, right?

If I keep saying this, maybe one day I’ll really believe it!

“I am not strange…!”

And the only one I could say this to is obviously Bora.

From our first meeting until now, she had always affirmed my appearance!

“Rene unnie.”

“Yes…? I’m not a strange Rene unnie!”

“You seem a bit odd today…”

“Ugh…”

I’ll have to find another way.

That pure heart of a child is too painful.

It hurts even more when she says it while smiling kindly…

…To be honest, I also thought I was strange.

Really.