Champion (rewritten)

"I think it's time to use a grenade," I muttered as my finger hovered over the inventory button.

Without hesitation, I pulled out a hand grenade and threw it towards the house where the enemy was hiding.

Boom.

The explosion echoed in my headphones and, a second later, the casualty counter on my screen went up.

"Okay, one down," I said with a satisfied smile.

I entered the house cautiously, checking every corner for supplies. Ammunition, medical kits, grenades- everything I could collect to prepare for the final battle.

I quickly glanced at the top left corner of the screen to confirm what I needed to know: three remaining players.

"Three more, eh?"I whispered, feeling my pulse quicken.

The safe area timer started flashing on the screen: 15 seconds for the area to shrink.

Time to move.

I ran to the edge of the safe area, taking care not to be exposed in open areas. Making a small detour, I found the perfect place at the edge of the circle. An ideal position.

And then I saw him.

"There you are..." I muttered as I spotted a figure crouching behind a rock, right in front of me.

He hadn't seen me.

"Let's get this over with."

I exchanged my assault rifle for a sniper rifle, aligning the sight perfectly with the target. My heart was beating hard, but steady. I took a breath, aimed and fired.

Headshot.

"I got you!"I exclaimed, unable to contain myself as I struck a triumphant pose in my empty room.

The words appeared on the screen: Champion.

He had won.

The chat exploded instantly.

"Takamori's sniper is crazy!"

"You are the best at this game!"

"This is how a world champion plays!"

"Still in school and already so good?!"

The comments kept coming, and the super chats-spacha—were piling up fast. The support from my viewers was, as always, overwhelming.

One comment caught my attention: "Will Takamori and Rio Natsume collaborate soon?"

Natsume River. The professional gamer everyone's been talking about lately.

I read a few more comments along the same lines: "We want a high school duo!""You two would dominate together!"

I let out an awkward laugh as I scratched the back of my head. "Well, I'm not sure about that. After all, she is a very big streamer. It wouldn't be easy."

Duo mode, huh? Actually, I don't usually play with others. I almost always do solo games- not because I don't like team games, but because I don't really have a partner.

Even so, the idea remained floating around in my head while I kept reading the enthusiastic comments.

"Well, that's all for today, guys. Thanks for joining me. I will be announcing the next streaming on my social media, so make sure to follow me around."

The chat was filled with goodbyes:

"Great job, Takamori!"

"I'm waiting for the next one!"

"Thank you for your effort!"

"Thank you, thank you. See you next time," I said, waving goodbye before turning off the transmission.

Leaning back in my chair, I let out a long sigh. Another streaming finished.

But as I stared at the now black screen, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to change.

I didn't know it yet, but the gears were already in motion.

And very soon, I would find myself face to face with Rio Natsume, much sooner than I had ever expected.