Chapter 13: The Unmasking

“What?????”

A dumbfounded sound escaped Leni’s lips. The usually composed expression she maintained for her intellectual persona crumbled. It was a look that didn’t fit the broadcast’s concept at all, but what could she do?

The reply she’d received was beyond absurd. Maintaining a serious demeanor after hearing that would have been inhuman.

<Ah… perhaps you didn’t hear me? I said the responsibility for the sniping lies entirely with you, Leni.>

“…….”

He’d even reiterated it for her. This troll sniper was surprisingly considerate… she was almost grateful.

Ahem

Leni cleared her throat, a deliberate attempt to regain control of the atmosphere. She snuck a peek at chat.

[lollollollollol]
[Not my fault~]
[What’s with her face? Hilarious lol]
[Leni, stay in character ]

Despite the brief lapse in her persona, the viewers’ reactions were positive. The atmosphere was lively, even more so than before.

‘It’s still okay….’

The viewership had surpassed 20,000. A resounding success. So, playing along with this troll for a little while longer wouldn’t hurt, right?

Leni addressed SolNoon again, the words sounding utterly preposterous even to her own ears.

“So, you’re saying the reason you snipe streamers…is because of the streamers?”

<Yes. You could say that. But the more I think about it, the stranger it seems.>

“Strange? What’s strange about it?”

<I did use the [Snipe] build, but I haven’t actually sniped you.>

“What?????”

Leni was dumbfounded. Again.
What was he even saying? While words could have multiple meanings, this was ridiculous.

She’d agreed to the interview based on his admission… why was he suddenly backtracking?

She didn’t need to ask; SolNoon continued his explanation unprompted.

<Well, think about it. We were on the same team.>

“Well…that’s true.”

<I wasn’t intentionally trying to get you killed. Which would have been impossible anyway, being on the same team. And I didn’t intentionally feed to the other team.>

“…….”

<If I recall correctly…all I did that game was play my best and carry you to ‘victory’.>

[That’s some up logic lollollollol]
[Honestly, he’s kinda right]
[He carried her, why is it considered sniping?~]
[If he carried, then it’s not sniping lol]

He spoke nothing but the truth. The reasons SolNoon gave for why he wasn’t sniping were undeniably accurate.

‘Wow… seriously.’

Leni’s irritation intensified.
Thankfully, the dimmed lighting hid her flushed face from the viewers, sparing her further ridicule.

How could someone be so brazen? Then again, that’s probably what allowed him to come on her broadcast and spout such nonsense with confidence.

Under normal circumstances, she would have ripped into him, but the broadcast’s tone required a different approach.

Leni pressed on with the interview. The stress was immense, but the viewers were entertained, so she could tolerate it. For now.

“So… you’re claiming you didn’t snipe me?”

<No.>

[lollollollollollollol]
[I kinda like his audacity]
[My brain hurts..]

She had to maintain her composure…

She knew it was the right thing to do…

But her head was burning.

“Haa….”

A deep, frustrated sigh escaped her.

[Mood]
[Upvoting for angry Leni lollol]
[lollollollollol]
[Jaw clenched!]

This couldn’t continue. This was her broadcast. She couldn’t be at the mercy of a troll.

Leni needed to regain control. To do so, she had to prove SolNoon was a malicious sniper.

Of course, he was a sniper… but the broadcast demanded a different tactic.

“SolNoon, do you even understand why streamers dislike being sniped?”

<Of course. I’m a dedicated viewer of your streams. A true fan.>

-Click, clack

As SolNoon finished, the tell-tale sounds of mouse clicks and keyboard clacking echoed through his microphone. Everyone quickly understood why.

-Ding!
-[GoatSolNoon’s message is highlighted.]
〔Could I even do this if I weren’t a fan?〕

[lollollollollollollol]
[Holy, 8 million channel points?!]
[Isn’t he #1 on the leaderboard?!]
[GoatSolNoon…!GoatSolNoon…!GoatSolNoon…!GoatSolNoon…!GoatSolNoon…!]

The highlighted message feature.
Usable only five times a day, and only by users with over 5 million channel points.

Five million was an astronomical figure. So high that only three users had ever reached it on Leni’s channel point leaderboard, even after almost five years.

“So, your reason for sniping was… misplaced fan enthusiasm?”

<What? Misplaced? Are you questioning my loyalty?>

-[GoatSolNoon’s message is highlighted.]
〔You’re going to hurt my feelings if you keep this up 〕

[Oh lollollollol This is gold]
[Sad lollol]
[ Poor SolNoon]
[Ugh, his way of talking is so cringe] (Message blocked. Reason: Inappropriate chat)

<And let me reiterate, I didn’t snipe you. I used the [Snipe] build, yes, but I didn’t snipe.>

“…Are you being serious?”

<Yes. So let me ask you a question. What exactly is sniping, in your opinion?>

SolNoon had turned the tables. Leni saw an opportunity. If she played this right, he’d expose himself.

“There’s no need to ask the obvious. You know perfectly well, SolNoon. Intentionally queueing into a streamer’s game to grief them.”

<Correct. As a streamer, you’re clearly well-versed in the subject.>

“…….”

[lollollollol]
[Well versed(Snort)]
[This is so infuriating.]

<Then let me ask another question. Exactly how did I grief you in that game?>

“Well…”

Harm? He’d caused plenty.

First, the lost mission money.
His kill-stealing had cost her the mission and a hefty $2,000. Even for a streamer like Leni, two grand was a significant loss.

And even worse than the monetary loss was the mental anguish. The memory still made her head pound and her hands tremble.
For days after, she’d dodged champion select every time she saw a Ranger.

But she couldn’t get a word in. SolNoon was already on a roll.

<Hmm…well, we won the game. You gained LP because of me, so you benefited, not the other way around. And you posted a YouTube video about that very game, right?>

“…Yes. That’s right.”

<That video has over three million views. And I heard you gained 300,000 subscribers as a result…am I wrong?>

“…No.”

[He’s a good sniper lol]
[Wow… at this point, he’s not even a troll;]
[The streamer’s the toxic one! Get rid of her!]

Chat was siding with SolNoon.

This was bad… While the popularity was great for the stream, the support for a sniper wasn’t. She desperately needed a rebuttal, a way to reclaim the narrative.

“B-But…”

<Hold on, I’m not finished yet.>

Her attempt at an interruption was immediately shut down.

[Let the nice sniper finish talking!!]
[lol No excuses]

“…Fine. Go ahead.”

<So, on top of giving you free content and boosting your channel, I can’t see a single way you were negatively impacted. You’ve profited immensely.>

“…….”

<So, again, how am I a sniper? Am I the crazy one here?>

You are crazy.

Of course, Leni couldn’t say that.

<And don’t even try to use the mission as an example of how I harmed you. You only failed that because you’re bad at the game.>

“…….”

<Kill securing is a legitimate skill. A crucial skill for any self-respecting Ranger… or any ranged damage dealer, really.>

[Agreed, agreed.]
[He’s spitting straight facts.]
[You’re just bad at LoL lollollollollol]

<It seems like the viewers agree with me. Why don’t we all practice saying it? ‘My skill was lacking.’>

“…….”

[Skill lol was lol lacking lol]
[Say it! Say it! Say it! Say it!]

<Come on, now. ‘My skill was lacking.’>

“M-My… skill… was lacking…”

Leni’s voice trailed off as she mindlessly repeated SolNoon, the horrifying realization of what she was doing dawning on her.

[lol He’s toying with her.]
[Is she having an off day or something?]
[His trolling is on another level.]
[She actually said it?!]

The humiliation was profound. She’d dealt with countless trolls in her streaming career, but this… this was unprecedented.

Finally, pushed to the absolute brink, Leni snapped, all pretense of composure gone.

“Hey!! You are a malicious, sniper!!”

[We’re experiencing technical difficulties. Please stand by.]

After the volcanic eruption of rage, Leni’s stream went into an unscheduled break. A peaceful image replaced the previous chaos, a stark contrast to the turmoil that had just transpired.

My interview was a resounding success. I’d managed to pull another fantastic reaction.
Perfect timing to snag some clips for future use.

<Ah, everyone, I apologize. There was a small… disturbance.>

The break didn’t last. It had been a hasty, improvised measure, solely for Leni to regain a semblance of composure.
She reappeared swiftly, her demeanor eerily calm, as if the explosion of a moment ago had never happened.

<Let’s just pretend the last bit never happened, okay?>

[What?]
[Never? Happened? lol]
[Forget it ever happened, guys]
[Already clipped ]

<Ahem. Let’s get back to the interview. SolNoon, are you there?>

[She’s actually continuing?!]
[Real talk, Leni’s mental fortitude is something else.]
[Everyone, brace yourselves, round two of screaming is coming]

Leni was looking for me. Again.
A bit unexpected. She’d gotten plenty of content already, hadn’t she? She clearly wanted to get me back. It was in her nature.

It was fine. All I had to do was stick to the truth, as I’d been doing all along.

“Yes. I’m here.”

And then, the chat went ballistic, scrolling so fast it lagged the stream.

[??????]
[???]
[What the??]
[Holy, is this for real?] (Message blocked. Reason: Inappropriate chat)
[Wow]
[Did his voice changer turn off??? Or is he using a different one???]

<Huh…?>