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The shorts competition posted in the fan café attracted a lot of participants.

Editing shorts has a low entry barrier, after all.

And according to the manager, since many people gathered, there were quite a few skilled contestants as well.

Mainly, those who were creating short clips from the celestial realm, commonly known as “kirinuki,” came together, so it seems we can expect high-quality edited videos… but I haven’t watched them yet, so I wouldn’t know.

Well, anyway, the submitted videos are up, so all I have to do is pick the ones I like and give out the rewards.

The competition format is just the best.

Talented individuals organized themselves and are appealing for their work to be seen.

Still, since it is a competition, I’m not thinking of cherry-picking just one video.

We’ll have three shorts for the main YouTube channel: one for the grand prize and two for excellence.

And four for the sub-channel’s commendations.

In total, seven people will be receiving rewards.

Plus, they can later use it as part of their portfolios.

Still, given my position, just having my video on such channels could at least earn me a line in a portfolio.

Anyway, now I just need to choose.

The problem is…

“Hmmm… I don’t know how to pick.”

– Go by feel

– Isn’t popular better?

– I should judge it from a Japanese perspective, not a Korean one.

Honestly, even if I watch them, I’m not confident in my selection abilities.

Thinking about it, I’m not really the type to watch shorts often.

I have no clue what works well.

I guess I need expert help.

So, I brought in someone.

A real expert.

“So, I’ve invited an expert as a judge.”

[Hello!! It’s Murasaki Tenshi!!]

The voice of Tenshi, connected via Discord, is broadcasted.

Tenshi is a popular active VTuber from Japan, and I’ve heard she posts a lot of short clips, so there’s really no better choice for selecting competition shorts aimed at the Japanese audience.

– Kyaaaa!!

– It’s been ages, damn it!

– Nice to meet you!

– For real, a professional! Haha.

Since Tenshi often appeared in my broadcasts, the viewers seem glad to see her again.

It feels like the response is even better than when she collaborates with other members from the celestial realm.

“Thank you for today.”

[Thank you too!!]

“You’re quite lively today?”

[It’s been a while!]

– Hahaha

– So cute!

– Is that how V-Tubers behave? Haha.

– Should we just get rid of that pink-haired character coming at 5 PM?

“Oh come on, why would we get rid of anyone? Now, let’s start by watching some videos, shall we?”

[Sounds good!!]

I plan to watch them sorted by popular posts.

Having a lot of recommendations means they’ve been validated.

[I’ll select ones that our otaku nation will go crazy for!]

“Uh, got it.”

– Hahaha

– Otaku! Haha.

– Why is she so excited? Haha!

With a slightly excited Tenshi, we officially began looking at the shorts competition videos.

“Let’s start with this one.”

We watched the video ranked highest in popularity.

“O….”

[O….]

– Wow! Haha

– Stop with the gasps and talk a bit too!

– The editing is great!

Indeed, this first-place video seems to have very well-done editing.

Everything one could want is there, adequately flashy without being over the top.

You can feel the touch of an expert.

“It’s really good, isn’t it?”

[Wow, it seems so? A talent like this just popped up.]

It seems like we both liked it, so I noted down the uploader’s nickname and moved on to the next video.

“O….”

[O….]

– Who are these guys??

– Why is everyone so good? Haha

Surprisingly, the next video was also very well made.

It holds up just as well against the first video, or even more appealing based on personal taste.

I figured one of those two would probably win the grand prize and moved on to the next video.

Then…

“O….”

[O….]

Yet another involuntary sound of awe.

– Is this on repeat?

– Why did we bring that Japanese person? She’s like a reaction bot, haha.

– But everyone really is good.

Seriously, why is everyone so good?

Feeling slightly bewildered, I moved on to the next video, and the one after that.

Each video showed the expert’s handiwork.

I never knew there were so many talented people among the Miro viewers.

“With so many talented individuals, why is there a scarcity of composers…!”

Honestly, I felt a bit emotional.

With such amazing editors around, there should be just as many composers, right?

– Hahaha

– Seriously! Haha

– There’s a ton who deserve to win! Haha

– Jeong-hoon got lucky! Let’s celebrate!

“Ugh…”

I felt a mix of frustration, but at least it’s a good problem to have right now.

There are no issues with there being too few people to award, at least.

And so, Tenshi and I began evaluating the videos, one by one.

After going through several videos, I said,

“Ugh, this is tiring.”

[Yeah, indeed.]

Stretching my stiff neck, I closed my eyes tightly.

Watching this is surprisingly exhausting.

Even though they’re shorts, the source material from the music videos is all the same.

Sifting through many similar videos looking for strengths and weaknesses is a mental challenge like no other.

“Let’s take a break for now. My eyes are going to fall out.”

[Okay….]

I was so worn out that Tenshi’s energy completely dropped.

– For real, even watching this is exhausting for me, haha.

– Let’s just randomly pick and distribute the awards, haha.

– Since it’s been a while since we collaborated, shall we play a game instead?

“Ah, a game?”

Come to think of it, it’s been ages since I last played a game with Tenshi.

In some ways, that’s where our connection began.

[Game?? FPS?? Should we shoot some guns?!]

With that, it seemed Tenshi’s voice was coming back to life, likely due to her being a native gamer.

Well, that might not be so bad.

“Shall we play for a bit then?”

I feel like we’ve watched enough for now and it’s time for a little break.

[Go go! Jump into the game!]

“Let’s do it.”

What game we would play was already set, no need to mention it.

It’s Royal Ground.

Though it has lost some popularity lately, it’s still a game full of memories for me and Tenshi.

– Kyaaa! Haha

– Damn it, how long has it been since we played an online game?

– Is that you again, Tenshi?

Because it’s been such a long time since we played a major game, the viewers seem to really enjoy it as I logged in.

“Should I invite you right away?”

[Yes!]

I made a lobby and invited Tenshi, and it seems she was ready as she jumped straight into the lobby.

However…

“Whoa, that outfit.”

Where did that cute costume go? An outfit emitting a serious ‘old-timer’ vibe now graced her character.

– Hahaha

– Is this your kind of style? Haha

– What an unsettling appearance!

[Uh, wait a second!]

Tenshi seems to have just realized, trying to change her outfit, but it’s too late.

She’s already worn that outfit in front of me.

“Well… I’ll respect your choice.”

[That’s not what I meant….]

With Tenshi looking sad, we set off for our first match.

The game loaded in no time.

Seems like it’s not dead yet, despite hearing it’s tanking recently.

We jumped on a plane and headed down at a just right spot.

[Looks clear around us, let’s farm separately!]

“Yup.”

We both dropped out and began picking up items.

After swinging around spears and swords in Romance of the Three Kingdoms games, collecting guns and ammo felt a bit weird.

“This… is what you call armor….”

I grumbled, checking out a bulletproof vest that didn’t quite measure up to my standards.

Genuine armor should be those stout iron shells.

– That’s a level 3 vest though?

– There’s nothing better! Haha

– Wow, how long has it been since I saw a gun on this stream…

Anyway, after farming separately, we all gathered in the city center.

“Did you farm well?”

[Yes! Incredible!]

I had a good haul too, but Tenshi sparkled with loot.

She held a rare gun with all the attachments and a generously sized bag filled to the brim with items.

“Then, since the zone is good, shall we stay here?”

[Sounds good!]

We both had enough loot and decided to hunker down on a tall building, waiting for the next wave.

Thinking about firing my weapon again made me aim down sights and practice a few shots as I adjusted my focus.

Then, from afar, I heard the rumbling of a car approaching.

“I think a car is coming?”

[Oh yeah? Let’s show them what we’ve got!]

With her energy revived by the idea of gaming, Tenshi hurried to the rooftop and pulled out a massive sniper rifle.

[I’ll show you my sniping skills.]

“Oh… you’re confident?”

[Of course!]

Saying that, Tenshi aimed carefully.

I pulled out my own sniper rifle and zoomed in on the direction of the approaching vehicle.

Would we actually hit them?

Just then.

Vroom…

From the back of the first car, another vehicle appeared.

Hmm, could it be a duo driving separately?

Just as I thought they had some distance apart, I noticed more vehicles starting to appear behind them.

[Uh, uh-oh….]

Even Tenshi looked flustered, lowering her aim as I also lowered my rifle and glanced around.

Cars were converging from both sides as if they had plotted this out together.

“Whoa.”

– Hahaha

– What the heck? Haha

I had completely forgotten how chaotic online games could be if you played with Tenshi.

How could I have overlooked this again?

– Hahaha

– Are those guys all snipers? Haha

– This is absurd! Haha

– Is this a Buster Call? Haha

Still…

“…Are you ready?”

[…Of course.]

I wasn’t scared; this was an environment I had overcome time and time again.

I held a grenade and smoke bomb, feeling their familiar weight in my hands.

Oh, this heavy sensation.

Time to return to our glory days as a duo.

**

“It was quite the experience today, wasn’t it?”

[Yes….]

– Hahaha

– What was so great? Damn, we got slaughtered! Haha

– The sniping was pretty intense! Haha

I had felt so confident at first but realized I had forgotten how quickly skills decay without practice.

I’ve just been playing Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so shooting felt odd.

Tenshi, a total FPS enthusiast, did her best, but the overwhelming numbers took us out, and in the end, we didn’t even place in the top five.

“Still, it was fun, right?”

[It was, but I’m so disappointed….]

“Well, you can do better next time.”

Honestly, since we started streaming, I figured that first place was a long shot anyhow.

On the bright side, having those snipers swarm us led to some pretty entertaining moments, so I’d say that was a win.

“Should we wrap it up soon?”

– Aren’t we just going to ignore the competition? Haha

– Seems like we played only games all night, didn’t we?

“We did go through lots of the competition already. I’ll handle the rest solo.”

Actually, I had already picked our grand prize winner and the two excellence awards with Tenshi’s help.

All that’s left are the commendations, so I can manage that myself.

– Can we have a longer stream? Please?

– Can we do a collab tomorrow?

– Let’s shoot more guns…

“Tomorrow? Well… you know what we’ll be doing.”

– Damn it;;;

– Ugh

– This is so frustrating!

And just like that, the broadcast came to an end.

“So, are you heading out now?”

[As much as I’d like to stay, I guess I have to….]

Now that the stream is over, it’s time to say goodbye to Tenshi.

Originally, I only planned to get help with the competition judging, but we ended up gaming together as well.

I feel I’d taken up too much of her time.

“Thank you for today; I really appreciate it. I’ll reach out again later.”

It was immensely helpful for the competition, plus the gaming was fun.

As I started to end the call, just then.

[Uh, wait a moment before you go….]

“Yes?”

[Isn’t Miro’s birthday coming up soon?!]

Her birthday, huh… that time of year already?

“Oh, yes, it is, isn’t it?”

[Um, do you have any plans?]

Plans?

Well, I technically don’t.

I already had my fun last year.

This year, I kept it open.

“I don’t, actually.”

[Hehe, then keep it free.]

“Are you coming to Korea?”

I know she’s been quite busy lately; surely she wouldn’t come to Korea, right?

[W-What?! No, no! Not that!]

“Oh, okay….”

Responding with that, I glanced at the calendar beside me.

Now that I think about it, it has been a while since I last saw Tenshi.

“You must be looking forward to it?”

[Not at all! I mean, that’s not what I meant….]

I could feel my lips twitching slightly as I marked down some notes on the calendar.

 

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