Who Are You Calling a Freak?!

"Eh? League of Legends? I think I've heard of that game before." Yuuka thought carefully and vaguely recalled that such a game existed.

If she remembered correctly, it had launched in Japan several years ago. But she had never played it because she was not very interested in that type of game.

"So you've never played it?" Zhao Yu understood at once. As expected, League of Legends had not made any waves in Japan, that desert of online gaming.

In Zhao Yu's memory, very few online games had become popular in Japan on a global scale, and most of them were FPS games.

For example, the still-popular Overwatch, the future hit Apex Legends, and Riot Games' new title, Valorant.

"It shouldn't have any effect, right?" Yuuka asked uneasily.

"As long as I'm here, it'll be fine. Don't worry, I'm really good at League of Legends!" Zhao Yu assured her.

In truth, he knew perfectly well that Yuuka, who liked FPS games, had most likely never played League of Legends. But that was exactly why he had suggested it.

Aside from getting motion sick in 3D games, there was another reason. If he always let the girl carry him, newcomers to the stream might start thinking he was a complete noob.

Over time, the viewers would surely grow tired of it, and Yuuka might feel too much pressure as well. He planned to build a good relationship with this Japanese girl and keep interacting with her for the long term.

Getting her to play a game she did not know was a great way to break in. Not only could he improve Yuuka's impression of him, he could also show off properly.

That was right. Zhao Yu truly felt that his earlier performance in front of a girl had been too embarrassing, so he planned to regain some dignity in a game he was good at.

"Is that so? Since Tyou-san is so confident, I'm suddenly looking forward to seeing what you can do," Yuuka said.

"Then watch closely. I'll definitely leave you stunned." Zhao Yu put on a confident expression.

[Looks like the streamer's about to start showing off.]

[Damn, he's so eager to perform in front of a Japanese girl. Don't tell me he likes her?]

[He's definitely crushing on her. The streamer is clearly up to no good with the Japanese girl.]

[Just got here. He's this bad at Overwatch, so he probably isn't much better at League either, right?]

Seeing that Bullet Screen comment, Zhao Yu could no longer hold back. He opened his Chinese server client and displayed his Master rank.

"On the Chinese server, you can call me a Master gatekeeper or a Challenger sparring partner. But when I'm in a place like Japan, which barely even counts as a minor region, what should you call me?"

[Fuck! I forgot hardly anyone over in Japan plays this game!]

[Oh no, he got dropped straight into the beginner village.]

[This time he really gets to show off in front of the Japanese girl.]

"Then I'll download League of Legends for the Japanese server first." Ignoring the teasing Bullet Screen comments, Zhao Yu spoke to Yuuka.

"Mm, I'll download it too," Yuuka said.

"How about we chat while we wait?" Zhao Yu suggested. Honestly, he was still rather curious about this Japanese girl.

"Sure. What would Tyou-san like to talk about?" Yuuka asked.

Now it was Zhao Yu's turn to struggle. He had no idea how to get along with a Japanese girl. After thinking for a long time, he finally forced out a sentence. "Um... have you eaten?"

"I had a supermarket bento for dinner tonight," Yuuka answered instinctively. But she quickly realized what he had said and burst out laughing.

"Could Tyou-san be nervous?"

"How could I be? I'm not nervous at all." Zhao Yu's face reddened as he quickly denied it.

He really was a little nervous, but not because he was nervous about talking to a girl. He had simply never encountered a situation like this before.

Back when he talked to girls, even during the icebreaking stage, it had always been awkward small talk. It was already good enough if they answered his questions. How could they possibly be this gentle all the time?

So today had truly left Zhao Yu at a loss. No one had ever taught him how to talk to a Japanese girl.

"Oh~ It's good that you're not nervous. Then what did Tyou-san have for dinner tonight?" Yuuka asked.

"No, I really wasn't nervous!" Hearing the teasing in Yuuka's words, Zhao Yu emphasized it again.

"Okay, okay, not nervous~ Tyou-san seems kind of cute." On the other end, Yuuka smiled until her eyes curved into crescents.

She felt that this boy from China was unexpectedly innocent. Unlike those boys who deliberately pretended to be harmless herbivores, his shyness came from the heart.

[I'm dying. Is this what a virgin guy is like? The Japanese girl has him completely wrapped around her finger.]

[Anyone would be wrapped around her finger, wouldn't they? This Japanese girl is way too kind.]

[Wrap me around your finger too.]

[I still underestimated how unhinged Bullet Screen could be.]

"I had instant noodles tonight." Zhao Yu glanced at the Bullet Screen and decided to skip the topic. There was no way he could admit to being shy.

"Wouldn't instant noodles be too lacking in nutrition? If you eat that kind of thing all the time, your health will get worse, you know?" Yuuka reminded him softly.

"I don't eat them all the time. Most of the time I order takeout, and sometimes I cook for myself."

"Eh! Tyou-san can cook?" Yuuka's eyes lit up.

"That's amazing!"

In the past, not many men in Japan cooked. Other than office workers living entirely alone and chefs, cooking was mostly done by women.

Things were much better nowadays. Some students had started learning to cook for themselves, but they were still in the minority.

"Actually, it's very common for boys in China to know how to cook," Zhao Yu said.

"That's so nice. I want to learn cooking too," Yuuka sighed.

"Is Yuuka bad at cooking?"

"That's true. Recently, I've been thinking about trying to become a food content creator, but everything I make turns into a complete mess."

Yuuka briefly told Zhao Yu about her failed cooking attempt earlier.

"Pfft, I didn't expect Yuuka to be this cute too." Zhao Yu could not help laughing.

"Hehe, don't you think I'm stupid?" Yuuka asked.

"Of course not. Everyone has things they're good at. Yuuka just wasn't prepared this time," Zhao Yu comforted her.

"Tyou-san is really gentle." Yuuka sounded a little embarrassed.

"If there's a chance in the future, I can teach you some Chinese dishes," Zhao Yu said.

"Really? Thank you so much!"

Another burst of clattering sounds rang out. Zhao Yu did not even need to think about it. This Japanese girl was definitely bowing again out of habit.

[Wait, why does this feel a little off?]

[I'm still single. You two aren't going to start dating, are you?]

[Knives in hand, follow me! Cut down the streamer and steal the Japanese girl!]

Perhaps they had watched too many other streamers slaughtering opponents in games or grilling female streamers, but this was the first time the viewers had seen such a novel kind of stream.

Zhao Yu and Yuuka's interactions looked exactly like two people dating and getting to know each other. Bullet Screen keenly sensed that something was off.

"Can't be helped. Who told the streamer to know Japanese? If you're jealous, go learn Japanese first." Zhao Yu looked at the constantly popping Bullet Screen comments and could not help laughing.

This Japanese girl truly was charming. In such a short time, she had completely captivated the viewers in his stream.

But that was exactly what Zhao Yu wanted to see. At the very least, his popularity was rising again.

[And you say you're not a freak?]

[That hurt, brothers. Everyone, report the streamer.]

[IG Awesome sent Rocket x15]

[IG Awesome: Ignore them. You two keep going.]

"Thank you, boss IG Awesome, for the rockets! You're so generous, boss!" Zhao Yu beamed.

Rich people truly were different from everyone else. When others saw him interacting with a Japanese girl, they wished they could take his place. Why did this rich guy look so pleased about it?

Although he could not say what was strange about it, Zhao Yu felt that the rich guy who sent the rockets was a little off. It felt like... he was not really a man?

"By the way, is Tyou-san's stream popular?" Having heard Zhao Yu interacting with Bullet Screen, Yuuka was curious even though she could not understand what they were saying.

"It's doing okay, I guess?" Zhao Yu glanced at the current viewer count. There were already nearly six thousand people watching.

That was more than a hundred times what he had before. He could even compare with some mid-sized streamers.

"Can I take a look?"

"Sure, I'll send you the stream link now."

As he spoke, Zhao Yu sent Yuuka the stream address through the private messages on the gaming companion website.

A few minutes later, Yuuka's voice came through again. "Isn't Tyou-san from China? Why are all the Bullet Screen comments in your stream in Japanese?"

Zhao Yu immediately looked at the Bullet Screen. Good lord! The moment this bunch heard that the Japanese girl was coming over, they instantly changed their tune.

Not only had they used translation software to turn their comments into Japanese, they were even openly flirting with Yuuka.

Fine, you all like being bull warriors, huh?

"Oh, that? Because they're all freaks." Zhao Yu spoke expressionlessly.

A second ago, you were calling me a freak. Now aren't you all acting like freaks yourselves?

[? Who are you calling a freak?!]

The Japanese Bullet Screen comments came to a halt, and everyone began questioning Zhao Yu in unison.

Although he did not know whether anyone was following the story, he shamelessly wanted to ask for continued reading. It was very important for a new book. Please, everyone, don't stockpile chapters.