A Basement-Dwelling Loser, the Inquisitor – Chapter 229

【Rene Galleryⓜ】

【Title: Rene (VTuber) After Homework Broadcast, Nator】

【Written by: Nore Rene No Life🔹】

[Rene @LeneVtuber · 1 min ago]

The Akashic Project is really fun, I think I’ll keep playing it regularly!

【Likes: 51 / Dislikes: 2】

Here it’s nice not having anyone ㅇㅅㅇ: Yeah, damn, I was having fun already but you made me delete it.

└Nore Rene No Life🔹: Homework Broadcast (Making existing users quit)

ㅇㅇ: Honestly, after watching today’s broadcast, I don’t feel like playing that game, damn it.

New Dimension Master: Fact) Couldn’t beat 4-1 till the end.

└Nore Rene No Life🔹: Info) Still thinking of playing regularly, since got extra points of 17…

└New Dimension Master: Is that girl really insane?

【Title: Akashic Project Next Patch is Out, LOL】

【Written by: ㅇㅇ🔹】

[Akashic Project – Announcement]

[Regular Maintenance Scheduled]

[Dungeon Fatigue Consumption Decreased.]

[Detailed Numbers: 12 > 10]

[Developer Comment: We thought the fatigue cost compared to the rewards was a bit too low, so we’ve decided to reduce the fatigue consumption.]

[Boss HP of Extreme Difficulty in Special Operations Decreased.]

[Detailed Numbers: 132,000 > 128,000]

[Developer Comment: The Extreme Difficulty of current Special Operations is definitely end content, but many said it was still too tough.]

…

[Collaborator – Beatrice’s Base Specs Increased.]

[Detailed Numbers: Base Attack – 311 > 326 | Defense – 12 > 17 | Ultimate Move “Finding Atlantis!” – 419% damage to all enemies > 458% damage to all enemies]

[Developer Comment: I doubt there will be incidents where, even after assembling the best combo with Beatrice and selecting commands, someone cannot clear stage 4-1 for 48 minutes.]

Congratulations, Junior Rene-nim

Your wish has come true.

【Likes: 58 / Dislikes: 1】

ㅇㅇ: Can we say this is a human victory?

└ㅇㅇ🔹: We usually call this foolish when we see it…

Daguras🔹: The Dark Knight to boost Beatrice, LOL.

└ㅇㅇ🔹: We didn’t know anything about that ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

└Blue Steel: Sorry, Rene (it’s a VTuber) ㅠㅠ

ㅇㅇ: ??? – This is a game error (said literally).

【Title: Rene (VTuber) Patch News Reaction?】

【Written by: Nore Rene No Life🔹】

[Rene @LeneVtuber · 1 min ago]

As expected, I wasn’t wrong.

Damn it.

【Likes: 33 / Dislikes: 1】

Remagal: Please stop the power struggle, Tenryun…

★

Today is recycling day.

Since I live alone and have never really spent a lot of money, I barely have any trash to sort out when I organize recycling.

Of course, it’s not that I have no trash at all, so it comes out periodically.

“Hmm…”

I pulled my hat down deeply, put on sunglasses, and cautiously peeked outside to check if anyone was around.

Of course, it’s early morning, so not many people pass by, but sometimes it happens.

Anyway, confirming there was no one outside, I walked towards the elevator.

The elevator was indicating 8.

I sensed the surroundings while staring at that number for about a minute.

Fortunately, the elevator… didn’t move.

That way, it’s unlikely to have a scary situation where it stops midway down or someone is waiting by the door when it reaches the first floor.

Of course, it does happen occasionally… but it’s rare, maybe once a month.

“…Phew.”

And as I expected, there was thankfully no such incident.

Stepping out of my apartment with the recycling trash, I was greeted by the unique breeze that comes in the early morning.

It was slightly humid, telling me that summer had truly arrived.

They say your sense of time becomes dull when you’re just at home, but thinking about it, I’ve never really reached that level.

It’s thanks to starting the broadcasts, but even before I started, during that year I spent back on Earth after returning from that world, I didn’t feel that way either.

What could be the reason?

As I pondered such useless thoughts, I looked up at the sky.

A mix of purple and gray.

Looking at that, my past self… yeah.

I thought the word “alien” suited me best.

The word I hated most but couldn’t shake off.

That’s how I always felt while gazing at the dawn sky.

Not belonging to the brightness of the day or the transience of the night, a gloomy something.

I thought that form resembled me, who always spent time alone, never opening up to anyone around me.

But recently, even watching the dawn sky, I no longer felt that way.

If daylight is bright and the night sky transient, the dawn sky is calm.

In it coexisted the brightness of the sun that would rise and the transience of the moon that would set.

When did I start thinking this way?

It must be since that day when I was able to somewhat accept myself.

If I hadn’t started broadcasting, I probably wouldn’t have thought this way my entire life.

Of course, I still fumble and find it hard to meet people’s gazes.

Fifteen years of misalignment can’t be fixed easily.

But that misalignment is also ultimately a part of me.

At first, I wanted to deny all of it, but I’ve come to realize that it’s those things that gathered to form who I am now.

“Haah…”

Having finished sorting the recycling, I slowly began to jog along the deserted walking path of the apartment complex.

Breathing in the fresh morning air, I just ran forward.

‘If you want to realize the desire you hold now, you have no choice but to move forward.’

Those were the words Iya had said to me before.

What exactly my desire is, I still don’t really know.

What I wanted since I was in that world. The dream I really wanted to achieve.

What did you see in me to say such things?

Without any special reason, I always spent my time alone in my room. What could I have that would be described as a desire?

If Iya heard my doubts now, she’d probably tease me, saying, “That’s something you, Rene, have to find out for yourself.”

To be honest, I still don’t know what that is.

But since meeting Bora recently and talking with others, while doing broadcasts, I felt something rise inside me, a mix of emotions.

It felt like my heart was tickling and warming at the same time.

Could this be what you meant by my desire, Iya?

If that’s the case, what I wanted is probably…

Having completed a lap around the walking path, I paused to catch my breath and quietly gazed at the sky.

The dawn sky… was still calm.

★

[Eri: Rene-nim, our collaboration!!!]

[Eri: No, let’s have a joint broadcast!!!]

I woke up to find such a message.

Konomi Eri.

A fellow partner VTuber in the Sirius Team, just like me.

And someone who helped me when I was thinking about my direction as a VTuber.

Indeed, when we chatted last time, she said we should collaborate next time we get the chance.

It wasn’t that I forgot.

I just hadn’t thought of what to do together, so I hadn’t said anything.

I wouldn’t forget that?

I had so many worries about my VTuber activities, and it was thanks to her that I could sort out my thoughts.

However, doing a collaboration is hard without any special content.

So I was deliberately avoiding… No, I was thinking about it.

[Rene: Do you have any content in mind?]

[Eri: Yes! I thought of something really good! It’s perfectly suited for you, Rene-nim!]

But the fact that she contacted me first clearly means she has something prepared on her side.

If that’s the case, whatever it is, I just need to quietly help from the side.

What exactly is the game that Eri has prepared…

[Eri: How about ASMR MaicaRong!!!]

…Huh?

ASMR MaicaRong?

Is she talking about the ASMR I’m thinking of?

…But what the heck is MaicaRong?

★

Eri loved VTubers.

Not just liking them, but she was pretty enthusiastic about them.

The reason she started broadcasting in the first place was actually because of VTubers.

It was normal for her to decorate her room with goods of her favorite VTuber, “Miss.”

For solo live shows, she was serious enough to travel to Japan for the venue instead of just watching a viewing in Korea.

Therefore, she felt a huge amount of regret toward Rene’s story of “I started VTubing for money.”

But she didn’t think that made Rene a gold digger.

When Rene became a partner streamer in the Sirius Team like her, Eri had watched several clips from Rene’s broadcasts.

From those, she thought, “This person is destined to be a VTuber…!”

Of course, she did have questions about the existence of Rene, the “red pill” streamer, but for now, she accepted and moved on, believing in her manager’s words that she distinguishes them in her own way.

…To distinguish them clearly, wouldn’t they need to have separate channels? That thought also popped into her mind.

Anyway, Eri concluded that for Rene, being a VTuber was her calling. Thus, she decided to teach Rene all the good points of being a VTuber during their collaboration.

[Eri: How about ASMR MaicaRong!!!]

She proposed one of her personal favorite content ideas.

And then there was no response from Rene for five hours.