Chapter 109: Why are you coming out from there, sis?

[So that rabbit was the rabbit? lolololol]

[Sensei is so beautiful!]

[Are you going to spin it into “Soar” like this?]

[So adorable, wwwwww]

[A new custom avatar… A masterpiece! A masterpiece indeed!]

Receiving such enthusiastic support is definitely a pleasant feeling.

The thrill that follows is a sensation rarely experienced.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

‘If I had been just an ordinary hero in this world… wouldn’t I have defeated the Demon King and had a parade to celebrate?’

I wondered if I could have felt the same emotions during such an event.

Well, since I’ve returned to the modern world, there’s no way to know now.

‘Even so, thinking back to the previous tournament might’ve been more enjoyable.’

Ah, dwelling on thoughts like this made me feel a bit regretful, but it couldn’t be helped.

At that moment, as if interrupting Friede’s thoughts, a system notification delivered a donation message.

[Kimkkaettulelaggu donated 40,000 KRW!

—Nuna, can the rabbit princess headset wiggle its ears right now?]

“Wiggle its ears? Hmm…”

What a sharp and direct question.

Friede groped around the back part of the headset she was wearing.

‘Would virtual reality scanning even account for such fine details?’ The anticipation was enough to make her heart race.

Normally, pressing a button here would make the rabbit ears on top of her head wiggle…

But the ears remained motionless, with the right ear half-folded and fixed in place.

“It doesn’t seem to work, unfortunately….”

[Aww, too bad]

[Of course it wouldn’t. Virtual reality skins are just for appearances.]

[If they scanned and implemented the internal structure too, that’d be the singularity of technology, lololol]

[VR and AI are already impressive enough as it is!]

[If you don’t like it, go develop nuclear fusion or something.]

[Down with the science majors!]

“Isn’t it still nice as it is? I especially love the LED lighting colors. This is one of the best gifts I’ve received from Forming.”

[No shipper could ever interfere with the pure Yuri between Friede and Forming lololol]

[Watching the bond between sisters warms the hearts of us uncles, kekekeke.]

[Is this what they call “Messiah is watching”?]

[Excuse me, how dare you bring Forming into this? Friede’s true match is Lotus, who’s standing right there!]

[Wasn’t the Friede and Lotus combo the national standard?]

[LOL, exactly!]

Most of the viewers had already forgotten, but in the past, when Forming was in trouble due to a sniper attack during the SUHO event, it was Friede who came to her rescue.

Although Friede herself was at the center of that controversy, so calling it “rescue” might be an exaggeration, she had nonetheless faced the issue head-on, which everyone had come to accept.

So, if you were to name Friede’s first and closest streamer ally, it would undoubtedly be Forming.

Normally, this sort of topic wouldn’t go beyond being light chatter.

That is, until the STK Tournament happened….

Lotus was established as a rival, creating a clash that culminated in a one-on-one showdown in the final round.

In the end, Friede, the victor, embraced Lotus, the defeated, as the sunrise illuminated their victory dance.

That moment remains one of the most-watched videos on the official STK channel.

Between Forming’s loyalty and Lotus’s popularity, who suited Friede better?

This debate was a recurring instigator of heated discussions in Friede’s fan gallery.

***

[Sweethan-nam donated 100,000 KRW!

—Nuna… if you had to choose between Forming and Lotus, who would it be?]

“Huh?”

A slightly off-target question appeared through the donation, making Friede tilt her head in confusion.

Choosing between them?

Forming and Lotus each had their own unique connections to her.

It wasn’t about abandoning one or the other.

Returning to the modern world with no family left, these relationships were more precious than anyone could understand.

This question felt like it was crossing a line, causing Friede to furrow her brows for a moment.

[Oh, Sweet, you really brought it up now!]

[Let’s find out the streamer’s preferences!]

[She’s being forced to make an official statement!!!!]

[Big news incoming, lololol]

[Who is Friede’s best sister? Let us know!]

As the audience’s comments lit up like a firestorm, Friede’s expression quickly calmed again.

‘Ah, of course they wouldn’t know.’

There was no way the viewers could know about her personal circumstances.

Her initial flare of irritation faded as she realized their words carried no malice.

It wasn’t worth responding harshly.

After all, the audience only saw Friede the streamer, not Ji Sehee the person.

They wouldn’t know her circumstances or personal struggles unless she shared them herself.

That’s why they could speak so freely, without meaning anything deeper.

‘There’s a saying, isn’t there?’ That paying attention means losing.

Ah, I almost slipped up this time.

Friede smiled gently, responding without a moment’s hesitation.

“Forming and Lotus are both incredibly important to me. As someone with a small circle of friends, I want to cherish the people I do have. Both of them are far more than I deserve.”

[Ugh, boring @@]

[What we wanted was a catfight!]

[These fools, of course it would turn out like this lololol]

[If Friede’s relationships with Forming and Lotus fall apart because of this, are you going to take responsibility? Stop speculating so much!]

[Do you really not have a boyfriend?]

[Where is the chat moderator? Someone, hit these troublemakers with the law stick!]

[Huh? Now that you mention it, is there no moderator around?]

[Mollu (don’t know).]

If left alone, they would undoubtedly continue to stir trouble with unnecessary gossip.

Realizing it was time to tighten the reins, Friede declared a state of emergency in a cold voice.

“Alright, let’s stop dragging this topic around. If you keep it up, I’ll start banning people.”

[Tiananmen! Everyone, run for your lives!]

[She-sh-sheesh… she’s scary.]

[I will obey, Leader.]

[Handle this stream with dignity!]

[We must not anger her.]

[If she gets angry, she’ll come as the Islamic Warrior!]

[Ah… the Islamic Warrior… the ultimate tool of negotiation.]

In the past, there were those who ignored her warnings and caused chaos anyway.

But perhaps thanks to the sharp interventions during collaborations with Pepe, the troublemakers seemed fewer today.

Wanting to quickly get back to the game, Friede clicked the matchmaking button.

Because her winning streak had significantly increased her matchmaking score, it usually took a while to find a match…

Thunk!

“Huh? It matched right away?”

Unlike Friede, who blinked in surprise at the fast match, the chat exploded with excitement after receiving new reports.

[Is this a snipe?]

[Looks like a few streamers are sniping Friede’s stream after seeing her start. Two have already been reported.]

[Oh, I see it too. A couple of them seem to have timed their matches with hers, lol.]

[Haldir and Gunda are in it too?]

[What is this, the Bermuda Triangle of sniping?]

[But what’s the point if they end up on the same team?]

[If they’re on the same team, they get a free ride with Friede. Who cares about the meaning?]

[Riding the Friede bus is sweet, though.]

“Snipe? Hmm…”

Friede had entered the ranked match without much thought, but now it seemed like a sniping situation.

[Should she accept it, or take a break this round?]

The moment of hesitation was brief, and her conclusion came quickly.

‘I can’t just run away with my tail between my legs.’

No matter who the opponent was, she would face them head-on.

A hero couldn’t back out just because a streamer sniped her.

Resolutely, she pressed the accept button, and the screen transitioned to the pick-ban phase.

In the lobby was…

“This is why… what??”

“Huh? Sis? Why are you here right now?”

[?????]

[What? Why are those two in the same match?]

[Isn’t that Lotus and Seokgulam? Did they queue as a duo?]

[Looks like it. Their match history shows they’re duoing right now.]

[They’ve lost four games in a row, though, lolololol.]

Familiar IDs caught her eye.

It was none other than STK Lotus—Eunha—and Seokgulam—Yoonsoo, who were queued together.

“Damn, talk about bad luck. Let’s wrap this up quickly and call it a day.”

“Who are you to talk? Why are you recklessly charging in without thinking? You think you’re Friede or something? Just because you’ve been losing doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want.”

“Die!”

Eunha tried to jab at Yoonsoo repeatedly, but the limits of virtual reality only made her flurry of hits feel like an empty tantrum.

Lotus—Eunha—and Seokgulam—Yoonsoo’s duo was on a devastating losing streak.
Four consecutive losses, to be precise.

Even reviewing the matches didn’t help—they simply weren’t in sync. It was utter chaos.

Given that they were part of the same pro team, it was strange for their coordination to be this off.

But everyone has days like that, don’t they? Days where nothing goes right.

Eunha clenched her teeth, convinced that today was one of those days.

As someone with a strong competitive spirit, enduring such humiliating losses was mentally taxing.

Still, they didn’t quit mid-game, hoping this streak of bad luck could serve as a kind of ritual to turn things around.

“Alright, one more game. Last one.”

“Got it. Let’s at least win this one! Let’s go!”

Seeing Yoonsoo cheer enthusiastically, Eunha let out a small sigh internally.

Well, he wasn’t wrong, so there was no point in arguing.

‘I need to pull myself together too.’

With a sense of determination, she moved her hands almost instinctively and queued up another ranked match.

Thud!

“Huh?”

“What?”

‘Why did this match queue so quickly?’

They exchanged confused glances, but no answers came to mind.

Usually, such abrupt matchmaking meant there was a problem nine times out of ten.

“Hey, hey. Why are you hesitating? We’re in it now.”

“Fine, I don’t care.”

Really, there was no turning back now.

Even at the challenger level, trolls and toxic players weren’t entirely absent.

If such a player appeared, many preferred to dodge the match entirely to avoid wasting time.

In cases like that, the next match filled up faster, needing only one more player.

This seemed like one of those cases.

As Eunha mentally scanned her memory for any toxic players active in this rank and time slot, the screen transitioned to the pick-ban phase.

And there, standing unmistakably, was…

“Huh? Sis? Why are you here right now?”

Dressed in familiar silver armor, a golden cape, and a new accessory—a cute rabbit-ear headset—stood Friede.

Eunha couldn’t help but let out a delighted exclamation at the sight.