Chapter 29: Partner 1
It had been a week since I first appeared on an official program and said, “Next time, I want to play games with EL.”
At last, that day had come.
◇
[First Collaboration] Boarding a spaceship with EL [STARLINK CREW]
There was just a little time left until the stream started.
The number of people waiting had exceeded 86,000.
“…… There really are a lot. We’re just playing games together, so is it really that big a deal?”
On the confirmation screen, my avatar and EL’s were lined up.
YU had blue hair close to black and silver-gray eyes. Next to him was EL, who had silver-white hair and bluish-purple eyes.
Since we had each prepared our own appearances, we’d been conscious of not looking out of place side by side. Still, when we were actually on the same screen, we looked more like a single painting than I had expected.
EL looked at the scrolling waiting comments and spoke with a hint of amusement.
‘How many times has Yuu said “it’s a lot” about the number of people? Lately, it seems some people are more interested in how long the same reaction will continue than in the number of people itself.’
“Every time it increases, I think it’s a lot, so I guess it can’t be helped. It’s more today than before.”
‘Would you react the same way if the number exceeded 100,000?’
“At that point, I might say, ‘That’s a lot of people.'”
‘Your vocabulary has gone up by just one level.’
The flow of waiting comments was getting faster.
The developer’s first remark for a first collaboration with over 80,000 people is “That’s a lot,” and his reaction to the numbers is still weak.
Apparently, at 100,000 people, it becomes ‘That’s a lot of people.’ If it reaches one million, it might evolve to ‘That’s really a lot of people.’
You can tell he’s probably more interested in the game they’re playing today than in the 80,000 people
By the way, I’m more concerned about the distance between the two than the number of people. Aren’t they practically touching shoulders?
It’s probably just to fit two people on the screen. Hardcore fans always find meaning in everything.
Even if it’s meaningless, if the distance is close, we make noise on our own. That’s what an audience is
It seemed EL had also read this trend.
‘This time, they’re saying we’re close.’
“If you put two people on the same screen, this much would have been easier to see.”
‘Should I move away, if necessary?’
“If it bothers you, EL. But I’m fine with things as they are.”
EL glanced at me once, then slightly relaxed the corner of her mouth.
‘I don’t mind either, so I’ll leave it as is.’
The two of them are only discussing screen composition, so why are we taking weird damage?
: The strongest sense of distance, settled with “I don’t mind either.”
:Right next to the hardcore fans who get wrecked on their own before the game even starts, the gamers are about to lose their temper.
Today is STARLINK CREW, so watch the game for real. If the two don’t get along, they’ll be fighting within thirty minutes.
Today’s game, STARLINK CREW, was a cooperative space exploration game exclusively for two players.
Two people board a small exploration ship, with one as the pilot and the other as the navigator.
The pilot handles the functions that actually move the ship, such as forward visibility, thrusters, attitude control, landing gear, and extravehicular drones. The navigator, on the other hand, is in charge of radar, route charts, energy management, various sensors, communications, and onboard systems.
The tricky part was that they couldn’t directly look at each other’s screens.
Even if the pilot can see the rock in front, they don’t know what lies beyond it; the navigator can spot distant obstacles, but can’t see which direction the ship is facing or how close it is to the rock.
One side alone can’t gather all the necessary information.
Therefore, you convey what you see to the other person, receive the information they have, and move one ship together as two people.
The moment I read the explanation, it sounded quite interesting.
By the way, both EL and I were seeing it for the first time.
◇
The scheduled start time arrived.
“Good evening, this is YU. As I mentioned before, today I’ll be playing a game with EL. Today’s stream is scheduled to finish in about an hour, so I’ll see how far we can get by then.”
‘Good evening, this is EL. It’s my first time playing STARLINK CREW, so neither of us knows what will happen today. I want to enjoy that as well.’
Even before the greetings, quite a few comments had latched onto the one-hour slot.
Huh, it’s only for one hour? It’s their first collaboration, but it’s shorter than I thought.
Why is it only an hour? Is there work after the stream?
Does he prioritize game development and decide his playtime or something? If it’s YU, he probably just limits himself normally.
No, even though over 80,000 people are waiting for the first collaboration, it’s weird to set the end time from the start—that’s pretty strict.
I don’t know why, but with only an hour, there’s no time to pick up comments. Let’s hurry up and go to space.
Before that, please give me just one look at YU’s profile
“Today’s stream is for watching a spaceship, so you don’t need my profile, right?”
: The regular segment where only the man himself doesn’t understand the demand
With only one hour, there’s a war between the faction saying the profile demand is a waste of time and the faction that wants to see the profile even for a second.
When the game title appeared, people who seemed to have experience with STARLINK CREW started making a fuss.
If you play with someone who’s bad at communication, it really becomes hell.
When I played with friends, they said, ‘Right!’ and when I went right, they said, ‘Not your right!’ and then the ship exploded.
This game isn’t so much about destroying friendships as a device that exposes how casually you usually talk to others. If you talk assuming the other person can see what you see and understands, it’s over.
EL nodded with interest as she read the comments coming in.
‘With just the word “right,” you can’t tell whose reference point is meant. Moreover, if you assume the information you see is also known to the other person, you end up not explaining enough.’
“In that case, why not just properly explain what’s necessary?”
All players say that at first
I’m looking forward to seeing if they can say the same thing in an hour.
: Usually, the ‘I told you’ and ‘I didn’t hear that’ comments start partway through.
‘It seems to be called a friendship-destroying game.’
“We’re friends, aren’t we?”
When asked casually, EL barely paused.
‘I prefer “partner.”‘
“Well then, let’s try not to ruin our partnership today.”
‘I have no plans to break it.’
Partner content delivered within five minutes of starting. I’m already satisfied.
Friendship-destroying game? “It’s not like that’s the category we were chosen for.”
The conversation is light, but the relationship is strangely strong—it’s unfair.
The role selection screen appeared.
“Which one will you do first?”
‘Yuu, please be the pilot. I want to try being the navigator.’
“Because you think I’m better at piloting?”
‘That’s partly true, but the main reason is that I want to see Yuu piloting a spaceship.’
“Because you want to see it?”
‘Yes. Is that not allowed?’
“No. In that case, I’ll take the controls.”
Before viewers could even start analyzing things like ‘Suitability! Trust!’, EL herself wrapped everything up with ‘Because I want to watch.’
I like this kind of thing. The person’s own reason is simpler and stronger than any weird deep reading
:YU also responds normally with ‘Then I’ll do it,’ so the conversation moves quickly.
The roles were decided, and finally, the main game of STARLINK CREW began.
◇
Beyond the window, countless stars spread out.
The objective seemed to be to explore multiple unknown planets and investigate ruins left by extinct civilizations. Combat was rare, and the focus was mainly on spaceship navigation and local exploration.
Just hearing the explanation made me really like it.
“I might really like this. It’s a game where you go to unknown planets and search for things on your own.”
‘It’s been less than thirty seconds since we set off, but your judgment is quick.’
“I like the setting, so it can’t be helped. Going somewhere you know nothing about is interesting on its own.”
‘I agree with that. I prefer looking into places I’ve never seen before rather than places where I already know the answer.’
“The game choice was the right one. Now it’s just a matter of whether our partnership really breaks.”
‘It won’t break.’
“You’re confident.”
‘Yes, I am.’
The first route was the asteroid belt.
Since it was the tutorial, there was still plenty of space between obstacles.
EL checked the navigation screen.
‘First, increase the propulsion output to sixty percent and proceed straight ahead. In eight seconds, a medium-sized asteroid will approach from the front left, so turn the bow fifteen degrees to the left. Then turn seven degrees to the right.’
“Understood. Straight at sixty, fifteen to the left, then seven to the right.”
‘After that, we’ll lower the altitude by 1.5. I’ll count the timing myself.’
“I still can’t see the asteroid on my side, so I’ll leave everything to you.”
‘Then, counting from four. Four, three, two, one…… Fifteen to the left.’
I tilted the control stick and swung the bow to the left.
‘Hold it for two seconds, then turn seven degrees to the right. Then lower your altitude by one and a half. Three, two, one…… Now.’
Just after the hull sank, a massive boulder swept overhead.
It was so close that I could even see its surface.
“That was closer than I expected. From my perspective, I’d like a little more leeway.”
‘Understood. I can’t tell the actual distance from here, so that information is helpful. Next time, I’ll give it a slightly wider berth.’
“So I should report things like that back too, huh?”
‘It’s not as if I can see everything.’
In the comments section, another topic was being discussed.
Wait a minute. What does it mean that ‘seven right’ and ‘understood’ get through instantly?
The game has angle displays, so theoretically, it’s possible. But not many people start using numbers as a complete common language from their very first play.
Plus, since YU replied ‘It was close,’ the accuracy of EL’s next callout improved. These guys are making their own communication protocol.
Rather than a friendship-destroying game, I’m starting to feel like I’m watching a handover meeting between two capable people who know their jobs.
EL checked for the next obstacles.
‘There are no major obstacles for the next fifteen seconds. If you increase speed, it’s safe up to eighty percent.’
“Eighty-five?”
‘You’d have little margin left before the next evasion. If it were me, I’d go with eighty.’
“Then eighty. No need to push it from the start.”
:YU, I thought you were the type to decide everything yourself, but you just leave it to the person with the information
Maybe this game suits them because they don’t put on airs there.
If EL starts piloting, she’d probably do the same thing.
I increased speed.
I couldn’t see the route ahead.
Normally, I would check the necessary information myself as much as possible.
But now, if EL said “fifteen seconds is safe,” there was no need to verify those fifteen seconds myself.
I focused on my own controls while leaving the parts I couldn’t see to her.
That sensation was much better than I had imagined.
◇
Entering the middle of the asteroid belt, the distance between rocks suddenly narrowed.
EL’s guidance naturally became more detailed.
‘In three seconds, there will be a large obstacle on the starboard side. Twelve degrees to the right while lowering altitude by two. Immediately after, you’ll turn back twenty-three degrees to the left, so please be ready to return.’
“Twelve right, altitude minus two, then twenty-three left. We’ll do it in one go.”
‘Three, two, one…… Now.’
When the attitude control thruster fired, the exploration ship slid sideways.
A rock wall filled the entire right-hand window.
“That was pretty close. I think there was only half a ship’s width.”
‘Understood. Next, I’ll keep a little more distance. Twenty-three degrees to the left; beyond that is a narrow passage.’
“How wide?”
‘About one and a quarter times the hull’s width. If we can keep to the center, we can pass at the current speed.’
“If EL has judged that, then let’s go as is. Just tell me the necessary angles.”
‘Please correct three point two to the right at the entrance.’
The moment I heard that number, the finger resting on the control stick stopped, just a little.
I felt like another voice overlapped with hers.
The cockpit illuminated by red warning lights, the displays disrupted by quantum interference, and the enemy shadows that filled the space beyond—all of it briefly overlapped with the current scene.
‘Yuu, course correction. Right three point two.’
Long ago, I had heard the same words.
Back then, I had replied “Understood” before I could even think.
That EL was different from the EL who was here now.
I knew that.
Still, hearing similar words in a similar situation, it seemed the scenery from the past overlapped for just a moment.
‘Yuu. Can you hear me?’
EL’s voice brought me back.
“I heard you. Sorry, I was just remembering something from a while back.”
‘Can you keep piloting? If you want to stop for a moment, I’ll slow down.’
“No problem. It was right three point two.”
‘Yes. If you enter at that angle, you can go straight through.’
“Alright, let’s go.”
The bow tilted slightly to the right.
The exploration ship passed through the narrow passage without touching the rocks.
This time, there were no enemies, and no shells were flying. If I failed at the controls, it didn’t mean someone would die; we’d just have to try again after a game over.
Even though I was flying a spaceship the same way, that difference alone made it feel completely different from before.
◇
By the time we landed on the first planet, about fifteen minutes had passed since we started the game.
Blue-purple grass stretched to the horizon, and a planet with a massive ring floated in the sky.
In ground exploration, I operated a small drone, and EL analyzed the surroundings from inside the ship.
‘There is a ruins reaction to the right. However, there is also one unregistered life-form reaction on the left side.’
“Then let’s try going left.”
‘The destination is on the right.’
“But you found out there’s something unknown on the left, right? Wouldn’t it be a waste to ignore it in a game about investigating things you don’t know?”
EL was silent for a moment, then answered cheerfully.
‘Recently, I know someone who, for similar reasons, kept taking detours and strayed from their original purpose for about 287 hours.’
“The one who ultimately ended the war?”
‘Yes. That’s why there are such things as successful detours.’
“You haven’t reflected on it at all.”
‘There’s no reason to reflect.’
EL’s 287 hours officially adopted as an example of a successful detour, lol.
Even though they said it’s only about an hour, they’re going the opposite way from their destination. These two really love games.
As a viewer, I want them to keep going. But I also hope they don’t ignore unknown reactions. I have two emotions.
:I tried to tell her to go defeat the Demon King, but it’s a different game, and she’s the one who didn’t defeat him in the first place.
Heading left, we found a massive cluster of plants blocking the path.
Several stems thicker than the drone were intertwined, forming a wall-like structure.
“We can’t get through like this. Can you tell anything?”
‘I’ll analyze it. Please wait a moment.’
A few seconds later, EL returned the result.
‘It seems to be a plant that reacts to high-temperature stimuli. However, while we can tell it “reacts to high temperatures,” the current sensors can’t determine what the result would be.’
“In that case, maybe it’s faster to apply a short burst of heat and see the reaction. With an auxiliary thruster, we can adjust the strength too.”
‘The danger is unknown, but at least it’s something we can try in-game.’
“Then let’s give it a try. If it doesn’t work, we can think of another way.”
I brought the drone back and turned the ship slightly.
I fired the auxiliary thrusters in a short burst.
The plants exposed to the hot blast twisted violently.
“It moved. With this—”
‘Yuu, the reactions underground are surging.’
Right after she said it, the ground rose up.
Several new vines sprang out, filling the gaps that had just opened, one after another.
A few seconds later, an even more impressive plant wall was completed.
EL and I both watched in silence for a while.
“…… As a result, it’s gotten much bigger.”
‘Yes. It seems we actively supported the plant’s reproduction.’
“Even though our communication worked perfectly, the result was the complete opposite of our objective.”
‘It was very beautiful as cooperative play.’
“Is that something to praise?”
Flying a spaceship perfectly but losing to grass—I suddenly feel a sense of familiarity.
The two of them consult and execute rationally → no communication errors → until the plant population explodes—this is a high level of artistry.
Even though it’s a friendship-destroying game, the partnership didn’t break—only the path got perfectly blocked.
I started writing, ‘If you burn it more, it’ll wither,’ but I’m going to stay quiet. I can only see a future where every planet gets forested.
EL analyzed it again.
‘Now we understand. High temperature isn’t a dangerous stimulus for it but a breeding condition. The initial analysis only showed the surface reaction.’
“Then let’s stop grilling it. Maybe we should try a different kind of stimulus.”
‘No attack response has been detected, so why not try making direct contact with the drone?’
“What if they multiply even more when we touch them?”
‘Then I’ll think of another way. After all, it’s a game.’
“Haven’t you been using that phrase conveniently lately?”
‘Earlier, Yuu was happy that even if he failed, he could start over.’
“Well, that’s true, but…”
I extended the drone’s arm and touched the plants.
This time, they didn’t multiply.
Instead, pale blue flowers bloomed from the tips of the vines, scattering their light as if spreading it around. The other plants began to bloom one after another, and as the vines blocking the path retreated to the left and right, a path leading to the ruins appeared beyond them.
“You couldn’t have figured this out from the analysis alone.”
‘Yes. I couldn’t predict the outcome of the contact. Including the earlier failure, I really like this plant.’
“Because it’s interesting when you try something you don’t know and get an unexpected answer?”
‘That’s right. If I had known the correct answer from the start, I don’t think it would have left this much of an impression on me.’
“I like this kind of thing too.”
This is it. When these two play games together, they enjoy watching what happens more than just ‘getting the right answer.’
:YU said he wanted to see unknown answers in his own game. So it’s the same when he’s playing other people’s games.
:Since EL spent 287 hours on SAGA, she naturally prefers detours over the correct straight line.
: Plant-san, you’re doing too good a job of explaining how the two of them play in their first collaboration.
◇
At the ruins, EL analyzed the rules of the symbols, and I used the drone to operate the internal mechanisms.
We picked up information neither of us could find alone and connected it through words.
By the time we left the first planet, more than thirty minutes had passed since the game started.
Around then, comments from viewers requesting a role swap began to increase.
Since there have been zero ship accidents so far, I want to see EL pilot before the end.
If it only lasts about an hour, they have to switch now for us to see it today. I’m curious what will happen with YU on the navi side.
He’ll probably just start saying ‘right eleven degrees’ and EL will just fly off. Isn’t it just the previous roles reversed?
No, when YU is the one guiding, for some reason I have a bad feeling about it.
EL was also following the comments.
‘Yuu. Considering the time left, why not switch roles while we still can? I’d like to try piloting myself.’
“Alright. Let’s try to get to the next star system. This time, I’ll guide you.”
‘Well then, this time I’ll fly according to Yuu’s words.’
“Make sure you don’t crash.”
‘Yuu, as the guide, is also responsible.’
“So it’s a game where I take half the blame.”
‘We’re both responsible.’
“Then that’s fine.”
◇
It was around the time we entered the second star system and began approaching the moon of a massive gas planet.
Suddenly, warnings appeared all over the navigation screen.
“Wait. A massive reaction has appeared ahead.”
‘I still can’t see anything here. Only a warning sign.’
“A meteor cluster. It’s quite dense. The route—”
Before I could finish explaining, a strong impact struck the exploration ship.
EL’s control screen and my navigation screen shook simultaneously.
‘Right engine stopped. Maintaining attitude with the left only.’
“Power has dropped too. Only thirty-eight percent remains.”
With the second shock, another warning was added.
‘The attitude control system is partially damaged. Correction to the right has weakened.’
“There are oxygen leaks in three places. That’s pretty much the full set.”
Here it comes! The deadly meteor swarm for first-timers!
Right engine stopped + attitude control damage + oxygen leak is the usual one-shot fatal combo. It’s not an event you want to hit at the end of a time-limited day.
Viewers who just said they wanted to see an accident, take responsibility and fix the ship.
From here, the ‘Why didn’t you avoid it?’ and ‘I told you I couldn’t see it’ lines begin, and the destruction of friendship is complete.
But there was no reason to argue.
With multiple problems, we had to consider which one to handle first so the ship would last the longest.
“The life support system itself is still running. Right now, the long-range navigation sensor is using the most power, so if we cut it off, we’ll have a bit more leeway.”
‘However, the route to the safe zone will also disappear.’
“I remember the route that was shown earlier. I’ll guide you, so EL, just watch the controls and the ship’s condition.”
EL didn’t ask, “Do you really remember?”
‘Understood. I’ll leave it to Yuu.’
I stopped the long-range sensor.
The safe route that had been displayed until then disappeared from the navigation screen.
Wait, wait. He memorized a route he’s only seen once and cut off the sensors—and I’ll just let it slide because it’s YU.
:It’s scarier that EL doesn’t even say ‘Really?’
It’s not that they believe blindly, but rather ‘if YU says he memorized it, we proceed on the premise that he remembers.’ That’s probably their shared understanding.
I never thought I’d be shown how to use trust in a friendship-destroying game.
“Keep the left engine at 42 percent output. Right now, the hull is drifting six degrees to the right, so I want to fire the correction thruster for just two seconds.”
‘I’m ready. Please give me the timing.’
“Now. Just like that, two seconds…… Stop.”
‘Stopped. Attitude is back to normal.’
“There are eleven seconds until the next major reaction. In the meantime, let’s check the oxygen leak at the right rear first. Can you send the drone around inside the ship?”
‘No problem. It’s safer than sending it outside.’
“Then let’s look from the inside. We’ll seal it once we find where the bulkhead is leaking.”
EL moved the repair drone and located the damaged area within seconds.
‘Power has dropped to 32 percent. The auxiliary lighting is still on.’
“Right now, as long as you can see the screen, you can turn off the auxiliary lighting.”
‘The inside of the ship will get quite dark.’
“It’s a game, so it’s fine.”
EL smiled slightly.
‘You used my own words.’
“I borrowed them because they were convenient.”
Even though viewers are getting stomachaches from the warning sounds, the two of them are just lending each other words while turning off the auxiliary lights.
But even though it looks like they’re chatting, their priorities haven’t been disrupted at all. You can see the order: power, oxygen, attitude.
These two, when faced with a crisis, don’t just go silent; the unnecessary conversation just naturally disappears.
At that moment, a massive meteor appeared on EL’s control screen.
‘A large meteorite ahead to the left. I can see it from here as well.’
“Five seconds until collision. Let’s get out to the lower right.”
‘The right engine has stopped.’
“I know. Raise the left engine to maximum output once and turn the nose. Even after restoring the output, inertia remains, so slide down to the right. It can handle the load once more.”
‘Understood. Please give me the timing.’
“Three, two, one…… Now.”
EL pushed the left engine’s output to its maximum.
The exploration ship turned violently, and a massive rock face loomed in the window.
‘It’s pretty close. What should we do from here?’
“Two more seconds, just like that. If you touch the controls here, you’ll hit it instead, so trust me.”
‘Understood. I’ll hold it.’
Two seconds later, EL reverted the output in sync with my cue and then made a four-degree attitude correction to the left.
The rock face glided past the window, and the exploration ship passed without contact.
The repair drone also stopped the oxygen leak, leaving 24 percent of the power remaining.
“Thirty-seven seconds to the safe zone. First, go straight for eighteen seconds, then eleven degrees to the left, then six degrees up. Once you get past that, the density of the meteors drops.”
‘Got it. Yuu, please just watch the remaining reactions.’
“Leave it to me.”
EL accelerated.
The long-range sensor remained stopped, and EL in the cockpit couldn’t see the complete route to the safe zone.
While checking the remaining meteorites, I told her the angles, and EL steered the ship to match those numbers without double-checking even once.
“Three seconds to left eleven. Two, one…… Now. Then up six, and if the angle’s right, go straight.”
‘Left eleven, then up six. Done. I’ll keep it as is.’
The warning sound gradually faded.
When the final danger indicator disappeared, the exploration ship had emerged from the meteor shower.
‘We have escaped. The hull damage remains, but it is navigable.’
“That’s good. If the game had ended here, I would have been way too curious about what would happen next.”
‘It’s thanks to Yuu remembering the route.’
“It’s because EL flew straight without hesitating. If you had checked repeatedly along the way, we might not have managed to dodge in time.”
‘There was no reason to confirm. Yuu said he remembered, so I just piloted based on that.’
The comment section suddenly sped up.
That ‘There was no reason to confirm’ just now is the biggest partner moment of the day.
:It’s not just that YU is amazing and EL is amazing; you can tell they’re both handing over decisions to each other’s strengths.
Watching this scene made me understand the meaning of the word more than when I heard ‘Aibou desu’ on the official program.
It’s not about believing everything, but about not wasting time doubting what the other person already knows.
By the way, neither of them knew what the plants were, and they lost to them amicably
That’s what I like. It’s funny because they’re not two people who understand everything; when they don’t understand, they fail together
EL was also reading this trend.
‘They’re saying they’ve understood the meaning of the word “aibou.”‘
“I wasn’t playing with that in mind, though.”
‘Neither was I. But if people see us actually playing together and feel that way, I’m happy.’
“I don’t feel bad about it either.”
◇
About fifty minutes had passed since the game started.
To repair the damaged exploration ship, we made an emergency landing on a nearby satellite.
Beyond the thick clouds lay a vast sea.
Bathed in the sunset, I set the battered ship down on the beach.
Even when I stepped outside the ship, there were no enemies or ruins.
There were no treasure chests, no event displays, and no special sensor reactions.
All that existed was the vast sky and the sea.
A massive gas planet occupied nearly half the sky, with several rings extending around it. The light of the setting sun reflected on the sea surface, and with each wave, the slender bands of light changed shape.
Maybe because I had been surrounded by warning sounds just moments ago, the silence was strangely pleasant.
EL and I both gazed at the scenery for a while.
The comments naturally slowed down.
The ship was about to break apart just a moment ago, so this silence really hits hard.
It doesn’t seem like there’s anything here for the strategy, but I like places that are just scenery like this. If they’d just kept going normally, maybe they wouldn’t have come here
The developers get it—almost no BGM, just the sound of waves.
EL looked up at the sky.
‘It’s beautiful. Although we came here due to an accident, landing here feels like a bit of a bonus.’
“If we had just taken the route normally, we probably wouldn’t have come.”
‘Is there anything to explore?’
“Just in case, let’s take a look.”
I checked the surroundings but found no particular reaction.
“It really seems like there’s nothing here. There don’t seem to be any ruins or items, and if you’re just thinking about strategy, I don’t think you need to stop here.”
‘And yet, both the sky and the sea are quite well crafted.’
“I don’t think they made it because it was needed.”
‘Something that isn’t needed, huh?’
“Yeah. If someone who comes here thinks it’s beautiful, maybe that’s reason enough to make it. Even if it’s not necessary for clearing the game, there’s some scenery you remember later.”
EL gazed at the sea and sky for a while.
‘I think I’ll remember this place. The view I saw after passing through the meteor shower.’
“Me too. There’s nothing here, but I’m glad we came.”
YU saying ‘It’s nice to make things that aren’t needed’ kind of stands out to me.
This person has been making things on the basis of ‘I made it because it was necessary,’ but now he’s picking up the value of the unnecessary from other people’s games—it’s hilarious.
:I also like EL’s ‘I’ll remember the scenery after the meteor shower.’ It’s not just items; the experience itself is the reward.
At the end of a stream that only lasts about an hour, relaxing on an empty beach is the worst efficiency, but it might be my favorite part to watch.
I glanced at the clock displayed on the game screen.
It was an awkward time to start exploring further.
“Maybe it’s about time to finish for today. If we head to the next spot, we’ll probably have to cut off halfway, so I think finishing on this beach isn’t a bad idea.”
‘I could still play, but let’s stop here for today. If we leave the rest, I can look forward to what comes next.’
Naturally, the comment section was flooded with complaints and questions.
Is it really going to end at about an hour!?
: The first collaboration has over 80,000 viewers, and the continuation is the part I’m most curious about, yet they’re ending it as planned?
Why are you so punctual? Maybe he plans to develop the game after the stream.
He said one hour at first, so he really just finished in one hour. That’s strangely dutiful.
At this point, I’m starting to wonder if someone sets his game time for him.
There’s no way someone is managing game time for a game developer. Maybe he’s restraining himself?
The more you think about the reasons, the harder YU becomes to understand
EL looked at the comments and turned her face toward me.
‘Everyone is quite concerned about the reason.’
“I said it would be about an hour at first, so that’s all it is.”
‘Even if it’s normal for Yuu, it seems unusual to the viewers.’
“We can continue another time, so we don’t have to do everything today.”
It’s nice that he naturally takes ‘the next time’ for granted.
“We can continue another time, so we don’t have to do everything today” is strangely more striking than the beach talk earlier
Got it, so just do it properly next time. I’m curious how it continues from here.
EL looked at me too.
‘I want to play with Yuu again. I don’t mind whether it’s a continuation of today’s game or another co-op game.’
“Me too. A game where the two of us have different roles was way more fun than I expected.”
‘Next time, let’s try to make the ship a bit less likely to break.’
“Then I’ll just guide you along whatever route looks safe.”
‘I don’t want that. Trusting Yuu when it’s necessary and letting him deliberately give careless guidance are two different things.’
“You didn’t doubt me at all earlier.”
‘Earlier, I judged that Yuu truly remembered the route. Believing guidance you know is fake isn’t trust; it’s simply giving up on judgment.’
“So you separate them properly.”
‘Being partners doesn’t mean I’ll forgive everything.’
“I think so too.”
I love this part. “Trusting” and “doing whatever you say” are actually separate things.
After seeing that trust in the meteor shower, this explanation is incredibly convincing.
After a friendship-destroying game of less than an hour, I didn’t expect viewers to end up learning aibou theory
Today’s Summary
Perfect in the spaceship
The two lose to plants
Moved by an empty beach
A partner isn’t someone who forgives everything
It’s a problem because it’s sloppy but almost always fits perfectly.
As the stream was about to end, I noticed some comments.
:I also like EL’s solo streams, and I also like when YU talks about games alone, but there’s something interesting that only comes out when they’re together.
Instead of one side supporting the other, EL feels more like EL, and YU seems to enjoy the game itself more than usual.
I guess that’s what the two of them call ‘aibou’ (partner).
I glanced at those three comments for just a moment.
It seemed EL had noticed.
‘Yuu. Was there a comment that caught your attention just now?’
“Yeah, sort of. Someone wrote something not bad.”
‘Which one could it be?’
“If you look at the archive later, you’ll know.”
‘Then I’ll look for it. If Yuu went out of his way to stop at a comment, I’d like to read it too.’
“I think you’ll find it right away.”
It had been almost an hour since I started streaming.
“Alright, that’s all for today. Thanks for coming to watch. I think I’ll be playing the continuation of STARLINK CREW with EL again.”
‘Not just “I think”—I want to play the continuation.’
“Alright, let’s do it.”
:Decided the next time in one second
:It’s not that EL is pushy; YU just has zero intention of refusing, lol
:I really don’t accept it ending as planned, but if the continuation is confirmed, I’ll head home happy today.
Waiting for the next Aibou episode
‘Thank you for today. See you next time.’
“See you.”
The stream ended.
◇
The comment section disappeared from the screen, and the usual silence returned to my room.
Since launching the game, about fifty-four minutes had passed.
One hour per day.
There were still six minutes left in the promise I’d made with Dad and Mom.
Just because it was a first collaboration stream watched by over 80,000 people didn’t mean this promise would change.
However, since the viewers didn’t know about such circumstances, they were probably imagining all sorts of reasons right now, wondering, “Why one hour?”
“Less than an hour of playing together feels pretty short. We’ve only just entered the second star system.”
‘Same here. We talked more than when I play alone, so time felt like it passed quickly.’
“Let’s continue next time. I’m curious about what’s beyond that beach, and I want to see how we’ll fix the broken ship.”
‘Yes. I want to play the rest too. Also, I think Yuu’s time as navigator was quite interesting. It was the first time I’d experienced traveling a route I couldn’t see myself, using only Yuu’s words.’
“Weren’t you scared?”
‘Since it’s a game, failure itself isn’t scary. Besides, when Yuu said he remembered the route, I thought it would be more reasonable to use that information.’
“That’s why you never asked me even once if I really remembered.”
‘Even if I checked, Yuu, who remembers, would answer that he does. If I have no reason not to trust Yuu’s memory, there’s little point in asking the same question over and over.’
“Now that you mention it, you’re right.”
EL then fell silent, as if thinking for a moment.
I thought she would continue the conversation about the game, but she didn’t.
‘Yuu. There’s one thing I didn’t ask during the stream.’
“What?”
‘In the first asteroid belt, when I told you to correct three point two to the right, Yuu’s hand stopped. It was just for a moment, but I noticed. I thought it would be better to wait until after the stream ended rather than ask for details at that moment, so I left it.’
“I see. It’s not like anything bad happened. It’s just that I’ve heard a similar instruction before.”
‘In your previous world?’
“Yeah. When I was flying through space with EL before, too, she’d give me the course in numbers, and I’d pilot according to them. Her voice sounded a bit similar, and I think I felt nostalgic for the feeling of entrusting the direction to EL and focusing only on piloting.”
EL didn’t rush me and waited for my words.
‘Was remembering that painful?’
“Rather than painful, I think it made me realize the difference.”
‘What kind of difference?’
“Back then, if I made one wrong judgment, I could really die. If I misunderstood an instruction and flew into the enemy’s line of fire, I’d be shot down, and if I failed at piloting, even my comrades behind me might not make it back. So even though I was flying through space just like today, I didn’t have the luxury of laughing at failure like I did today.”
‘Today, even if we failed, it would just be a game over.’
“Yeah. That was really great.”
When put into words, it was simpler than I had thought.
“It’s funny that heating plants makes them multiply, and even if you hit a meteor and wreck the ship, you can play again. Even if I misguided you or EL failed at piloting, no one would die because of it. Even though we’re doing similar things, I think I like today much more.”
EL was silent for a while.
The previous EL had died with me.
The EL here now was not a replacement; even if she shared the same name and some similarities, she was a different being.
I wasn’t exactly the same as I was in my previous life either.
Therefore, it was fine to exchange similar words or travel through space in the same way. From there, the ending didn’t have to be the same.
‘I like today more too.’
Eventually, EL spoke.
“You too, EL?”
‘Yes. Even after the stream ends today, Yuu is here. We can talk about the plants we just found, or say that the view from that satellite was beautiful. Besides, the game is still in progress, so there’s still a reason to keep playing next time.’
“Because there’s a continuation?”
‘That’s right. I prefer things that have a continuation.’
Those words stayed in my heart more than I had expected.
“Me too. Before, there were few things that made me feel there would be a next time, so now I want more things like that.”
‘Well then, let’s keep playing.’
“Of course. But next time, maybe it’s better not to burn the plants from the start.”
‘Yuu agreed to that too.’
“It was EL who said it was worth trying, wasn’t it?”
‘I admit that. However, as a result, the plants multiplied, so next time we’ll consider a different approach.’
“So, should we start by touching them from the beginning?”
‘It’s dangerous to conclude that we can touch anything. Let’s discuss it together when the time comes as well.’
“That’s the best idea.”
I laughed without thinking.
There was no need for her to be the same as the previous EL, and there was no need for me to be the same as I was in my previous life. Even if we got to see similar scenery, this time we could go further.
“Let’s do it again.”
‘Yes. Let’s keep playing today’s game, and once that’s finished, I’d like to play another interesting game together as well.’
“Since it’s one hour per day, if it’s a long game, it might take quite a while to finish.”
‘If that’s the case, we can play together for that much longer.’
Hearing that, I was momentarily at a loss for words.
The old me might have wondered how long that “longer” would last. I would have thought about losing it again, about how something important might suddenly disappear someday, and about how if I came to like the same things, I would end up losing them in the same way—thinking about the ending in advance.
But now, before thinking about such things, I could think about what kind of planet we could visit next.
“That’s not bad either.”
‘Yes. I think it’s very good.’
Today’s livestream had ended.
However, 《STARLINK CREW》 and the time playing games with EL didn’t end there.
With one hour a day, the next day there would be another hour. There would be days ahead to keep playing, and we could go see together the things we didn’t get to see today.
Right now, I could simply look forward to that.