Answer Bat, the magic iTuber, left without a word. He was someone who didn't speak to begin with, but whether that was his true personality or a persona he had created was unknown. His intentions remained a mystery as he vanished, as if hiding himself.
"Honestly, I have no interest in such a stupid game. The title of King? What meaning does that have? The people gathered here are iTubers who could make it on their own without borrowing Pomerni's name. Even so, the reason I stayed under him as an Official Child was because I respected Pomerni as a person."
J.J.J. Simon, the dance iTuber. The emotion he was displaying was different from anyone else's. It was a burning rage. That emotion manifested as a life force that radiated heavy pressure.
"There's no need to follow the rules he decided on. Pomerni must be somewhere on this ship. I'm going to find him myself. And then, I'm going to crush him. If he's being controlled, I'll punch him back to his senses. That's what it means to be brothers."
He seemed intent on searching for Pomerni directly. I took a step to follow him, but his back seemed to reject any followers, so I couldn't go any further.
Five people remained on the stage: Six, Blade Max, Noah Heliodor, Jack High, and Velvet Alecto.
"Come on, everyone, let's just eat something sweet and calm down, okay? Okay?"
Jack High, the prankster iTuber, began distributing candy to everyone. I tried it, but it was incredibly sour. It seemed to have a cider-flavored base, and the bubbles popped so violently in my mouth that I choked. Looking around, no one else besides me was eating it.
"So, what do the leftovers intend to do? For my part, I propose a ceasefire—and if possible, the establishment of a cooperative relationship."
I cast a suspicious eye at Velvet's proposal. Given her past behavior as a controversial iTuber, it wouldn't be surprising if she joined the game specifically to topple Pomerni. I couldn't help but feel there was an ulterior motive.
"What do you take me for? I intend to make grand use of this major scandal later, but that's only after we get home safely. I feel this commotion exceeds the scope of what he could achieve on his own. We should act cautiously until we uncover what lies behind it."
It was an alliance for that purpose. In terms of numbers alone, five out of the eleven people would be forming a united front. No, including the fact that Captain Trail was out and Magical☆Milky-chan had disappeared, it was five out of nine.
"Muscle, muscle! I don't mind! There's no need for iTubers to fight each other! Let's all get along!"
"Haha... I don't really know what's going on, but if there's anything I can do to help, I'll do it."
"I'm also in favor of forming an alliance. I like pranks, but this game has gone beyond the level of a prank. But, I have something to take care of, so I'll join up with you later."
Jack excused himself, saying he needed to step away for a moment. Apparently, an acquaintance of his had come to the venue, and he wanted to confirm their safety and protect them. Since cell phones weren't working, he said he was going to look for them.
Regardless, everyone had shown a willingness to cooperate. It could be said that the largest force in the current situation had been formed.
"Well, since the princess and prince over there don't seem like they'll be of any use, the actual combat force consists of three people: me, Blade, and Jack."
The 'princess' referred to me, and the 'prince' referred to Noah. We might be weak, but being told we were being taken off the active list made me a little miffed. Even more so because it was Velvet saying it.
"I didn't say I don't need you. Even if you aren't combat assets, there are ways to use you. Protecting the weak is perfect for establishing a righteous cause. For example, earlier, when Blade shielded Noah from Tsukuteku's attack—most people who saw that would judge Blade as good and Tsukuteku as evil."
By championing us, she could establish a righteous cause and strengthen her say in matters. Furthermore, the presence of the two thousand fans would heavily influence this game. While a gathering of ordinary people who haven't been trained as an army is nothing more than a rabble, she argued that the more materials we had to increase leadership, the better.
"That said, we can't have a conversation if you can't at least perform minimum self-defense. That wimpy prince over there was almost taken down by bloodlust alone."
"I have no excuse..."
"Our immediate goal will likely be cooperating to defeat Tsukuteku. He's an enemy who might kill you if you handle him poorly. Be prepared."
I thought 'kill' was an exaggeration. Certainly, Tsukuteku was behaving outrageously, but he had ultimately restricted his attacks to the anesthetic gun. I didn't think he would actually go so far as to take a life.
"You're naive. That aura laced with bloodlust isn't something an average user can produce. You should assume he stains his hands with killing on a daily basis. I've suspected it for a while, but he's likely someone from Meteor City with ties to the Mafia."
Meteor City—a place where you can throw away anything in this world and be forgiven. Its history is old, said to have existed for over 1,500 years. I had thought it was just a massive waste disposal site, but according to Velvet, it was an incredibly dangerous place.
It belongs to no nation and is a vacuum zone that repels the influence of any political organization; while officially considered an uninhabited land, it is speculated that many residents actually live there. The moment you set foot inside, you are treated as 'trash,' whether you are human or not.
Many journalists had infiltrated to report on the state of the area, but not a single person who headed into the interior ever returned. It is said that even if a citizen of any country disappears abroad, while efforts are normally made to search for and protect them, cases involving Meteor City are untouchable. Its reality is shrouded in mystery.
Cases where their existence comes to light are rare, but there are exceptions. Having escaped the management of personal information like identity and nationality, they are sometimes hired by criminal organizations like the Mafia as 'non-existent people.' Many of those from Meteor City who have exposed their identities on the public stage are known as heinous criminals of unknown nationality.
Tsukuteku lived in the trash heaps of Meteor City and mainly uploaded DIY videos using that trash. To someone who knows the circumstances of the underworld, it was obvious even then that he was abnormal. That isn't a place where one can leisurely engage in DIY projects.
However, even after hearing Velvet's story, I couldn't quite believe it. I had watched Tsukuteku's posted videos often. They were all wonderful works overflowing with imagination. Waste that no one would give a second glance was instantly reborn at his hands. The content of the videos was carefully crafted to be easy for even small children to understand. I couldn't believe that behind those heartwarming videos, he was committing murders.
"That's just how humans are."
Without scorn or exaggeration, Velvet said it as if stating an obvious fact. For some reason, I felt an intense urge to deny it, but in the end, I couldn't think of the words to express my feelings.