"Damn, that swordsman's nuts he's been destroying Zed over and over."
"Not surprised. The jungler's ganked four times in ten minutes. No wonder he's so fed."
…
"PX's jungler is useless. He's just been wandering around the jungle doing nothing."
"What can he even do? All his lanes are losing, and the enemy jungle keeps invading. He can't even farm."
…
"PX's ADC is hopeless. Didn't even react under tower."
"What was he supposed to do? He was under a 20+ minion wave. Try doing anything in that mess."
"It's just minions. How bad could it be?"
…
As the match went on, Haruki and Ryuko's conversation gradually shifted from casual chatting to full on game commentary.
The only problem was Haruki kind of sucked.
Ryuko found herself constantly correcting his misconceptions about the game. Meanwhile, people sitting nearby, who couldn't see his face clearly due to the dim lighting, could easily tell from his commentary that he was a complete bronze tier noob.
Game two ended in a clean reversal. SL crushed PX this time, the scoreboard looking the exact opposite of the first match.
Then came the intermission longer than usual due to equipment issues. The third match didn't start until 6 p.m.
And this one was chaos from start to finish. Teamfights broke out non stop. The ADCs on both sides died over ten times each. The crowd was roaring the entire time, and even Haruki got swept up in the energy of it all.
In the final, nerve-wracking moments, SL pulled off a base sneak and snatched victory with a clever backdoor play.
At that moment, chat in the livestream rooms on every platform exploded with memes and spam.
"86 up the mountain!"
The Initial D references flooded the chat. Even casual viewers started joining in. The match broadcast practically turned into a meme fest.
Many viewers suddenly remembered wasn't Mizushiro watching this match live? But with the venue so dark, even when the broadcast occasionally showed the crowd, nobody could spot him.
However, as the post game interviews began and the lights brightened a bit, the camera lingered more deliberately on certain audience sections. And eventually, people started putting two and two together.
"Wait... hold on. Is that really Mizushiro and Ryuko?!"
"No way, Mizushiro's actually a League player too? What's his in game ID? I'd send him a friend request in a heartbeat."
Backstage in the control room, the director let out a satisfied breath. The event was being held at a new amusement park that wanted to promote itself, and Mizushiro's surprise attendance was a golden opportunity. Under the park owner's instructions, the camera kept subtly highlighting Mizushiro and Ryuko's row.
Meanwhile, the on-stage interview continued.
"that final play was brilliant! Sneaking past two defenders and finishing the game any thoughts on that moment?"
"Honestly," the team's top laner, a chubby teen with a bright smile, chuckled, "I think it's because I've been rereading Initial D lately. My driving skills just naturally improved."
That earned laughs from the crowd especially since the meme had already taken over the chats.
Haruki glanced at him briefly, smirked, and looked back down at his phone. He didn't care much for the top lane his favorite player was SL's ADC.
The Q&A dragged on a bit. Haruki was getting bored again when the host announced the next event: audience interaction.
A raffle started on the big screen, flashing randomly selected seat numbers.
Haruki, barely paying attention, suddenly squinted at the numbers.
Section D, Seat 256… 257…
He glanced at the number on his armrest.
He looked at Ryuko.
She looked back.
"Uh... did we just… get picked?" she asked, a little uncertain.
Haruki double checked. "Looks like it."
Out of thousands of attendees, they were two of the five randomly chosen spectators?
"256 and 257 from Section D, please make your way to the stage!"
The other three winners were already heading up, and now the spotlight shifted to their section.
The chat exploded again.
"WHAT?! Mizushiro and Ryuko just got picked?!"
"This has to be rigged. No way that's random."
"Is this an easter egg event? Like, were they planted by the organizers for some surprise appearance?"
"Doesn't seem like it. Look at Mizushiro's face he looks way too caught off guard to be acting."
"Damn, the guy can't even go on a date without being mobbed. Must be tough being famous."
"Wait, are they really dating?"
"I mean… come on. Girl goes to an amusement park and a League match alone with a guy she doesn't like? That's a rom-com plot."
Haruki, unaware of the full chaos brewing online, was thinking the same thing the audience was:
Was this a setup?
He didn't care much about going on stage or getting a prize but the crowd, the attention, the potential swarm of fans? He remembered how bad it had gotten during the last signing event…
Ryuko leaned in. "What do we do?"
Haruki sighed. "What else?"
He stood up.
"Come with me."
"You sure?" she asked.
There wasn't time to explain.
As the crowd started buzzing louder, Haruki led her toward the aisle but just before they stepped into full view, he did something unexpected.
He reached out and took her hand again, just like he did when they first entered the arena.
Shout out to Alan for joining my p-atreon! your support means everything to me.
(TL:- if you want even more content, check out p-atreon.com/Alioth23 for 60+ advanced chapters)